Ritinjali Brings Hope Where There is None.

Ritinjali is an effort that works for education, for providing opportunity, for providing learning as a means to awareness, such that learning may lead to an open window, an access to a better life. Across thresholds, across boundaries to horizons so that every emerging individual whom we touch, and we enable, we empower. Ritinjali is a volunteer-based organization that is firmly rooted in its philosophy of providing a helping hand wherever needed, in times of immediate crises, to pre-empt social and community issues and to promote responsible citizenship wherever possible.

While based in Delhi, Ritinjali’s work and efforts have reached areas as far-flung as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttaranchal, Tripura, Meghalaya and Karaikal, including slum dwellers, jail inmates, grief and poverty stricken individuals and communities and victims of war and natural disasters, all this through an extensive volunteer network.

Ritinjali runs intensive volunteer-based and professional programmes that aim at social development through meaningful interactions for volunteers as well as for the individuals and communities that are the recipients of Ritinjali’s education programmes, aid and assistance. The programmes include:

Second Chance School,Mahipalpur - At the Second Chance School in Delhi, we attempt to educate those who unfortunately had to end an educational chapter in their lives. It is a residential programme aimed at imparting literacy, social values, and vocational skills to the urban deprived youth.

Night School,INA Market - A School for the children who work as coolies at INA Market. This operates between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. every night. The school implements the Ritinjali Core Curriculum, which includes Literacy, Numeracy, English, Life Skills, Values and Society, Media in Education.

Kusumpur Pahari Learning Centre,Vasant Vihar - Ritinjali runs 3 Learning Centers at Kusumpur Pahari, operating under the Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) Mission. The Centre has been able to expand its purview from being just a Learning Centre to being a hub of community activity. It doubles up as a gymnasium for the youth from the community. A Beautician course is also conducted for the women of the community.

Nathupur Pahari,Gurgaon - In 2005, Ritinjali set up its learning centre at Nathupur Pahari for the children of this slum. The centre has been built by the community and accommodates up to 70 children.

Dalil Ekta Camp,Vasant Kunj - This project involves educating the children residing in the slum clusters, located behind the Vasant Kunj Police Station.

Sec-51, Gurgaon- This project started in the year 2010 involves educating the children of daily wage labourers who stay in a slum in Sector-51, Gurgaon and work around the construction sites in the nearby areas.

Drishti – Ritinjali’s Rajasthan Project – Ritinjali evolved a comprehensive Life Skills Programme for Teacher Educators in Kota and Jhalawar districts of Rajasthan to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents.

Tihar Jail - Among a select few NGOs permitted to work at the Tihar Jail, Ritinjali volunteers impart income enhancing vocational skills, run counselling programmes and provide free legal aid to the inmates.

Naari Niketan - Naari Niketan is one of the nine institutions under Nirmal Chhaya run by the Delhi Government’s Social Welfare Department. Ritinjali has been associated with Naari Niketan since 1997.

NIOS - Ritinjali runs two Accredited Vocational Institutes (AVIs), operating under the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) at Mahipalpur. These impart lessons in Computers and Tailoring.

Ritinjali has embarked on initiatives in urban and rural India that are small but ever so important steps towards the development of marginalized segments of our society: those immersed in poverty; those exploited; those not exposed to progressive education programmes; those suffering the effects of war, natural disasters and crime…the list reads on.
 
Over the last sixteen years, Ritinjali has been consistently working with the marginalized and with varied community groups in many educational and development related endeavours through a variety of projects. We have mainstreamed over 1000 children into the formal schooling system, and provided employment and internships to 100 urban deprived young adults. We continue to provide vocational skills and income generation activities to more than 500 economically disadvantaged young adults and empowerment through Life Skills education to approximately 200,000 children.

Our projects and scope have grown beyond our expectations. We continue to learn from the people we work with and continuously grow to incorporate their ideas and adapt to their needs. We Remain focused on developing new initiatives to nurture and empower more lives through providing holistic education to each individual so that they may be able to contribute constructively to their own lives, their families, their communities and society at large. Through our efforts we hope to bring hope where there is none.