A Student Who Is Bringing Education To Underprivileged Children

Sukriti Chiripal, a Kolkata-based student has been finding ways to change the lives of disadvantaged children by convincing their parents to send them to school. Many of these children are beggars or rag pickers. Chiripal’s NGO Sangam distributes books and other study materials and also organizes workshops on learning to those who haven’t been to school before. 

Chiripal, 18, has been able to mobilize more than 100 student volunteers in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Patna and Raigarh, through social media, to take up similar work in these cities. She claims that the network has been able to reach more than 1,000 underprivileged children and encourage them to take up studies.

“My aim is to reach many more underprivileged children in Kolkata in the coming months and years. I am about to finish my schooling after which I hope to have more time on my hands,” says Chiripal, who is a student of Kolkata’s Modern High School.

Chiripal, 18, was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Bal Shakti Puraskar 2020 for her achievement in the field of social service by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi recently. The award this year was given to 26 children for outstanding achievements.

“This award only encourages me to work harder than before—it was great to receive the award from the Prime Minister,” says a beaming Chiripal.

Chiripal is hopeful of attracting more volunteers from other parts of the country so that Sangam can bring hope to many more kids.