BY SONAM MIRPURI
ANAHEIM, CA –The Pratham Los Angeles Chapter hosted an event featuring Pratham CEO, Dr Rukmini Banerji , at the Double Tree Suites Hilton Anaheim Resort on September 11, here. The aim was to match and possibly surpass funds raised last year. Throughout the evening a number of speakers addressed the...
ANAHEIM, CA –The Pratham Los Angeles Chapter hosted an event featuring Pratham CEO, Dr Rukmini Banerji , at the Double Tree Suites Hilton Anaheim Resort on September 11, here. The aim was to match and possibly surpass funds raised last year. Throughout the evening a number of speakers addressed the...
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audience members and encouraged them to open their wallets and give to support the worthy cause. Pratham, which translates to ‘first’ in English, is an organization which began in 1995 to provide education to children. It is a volunteer based organization that works with governments and communities to improve the education for children in India. Raj Dhami, President of the Los Angeles Chapter, first and foremost asked the audience to observe a moment of silence to honor the lives lost 15 years ago on Sept 11. He then proceeded with an overview of last year’s achievements and the hopes for this year. “Last year, the total amount raised was 1.4 million dollars and the goal for this year is 1.5 million,” said Dhami. Navneet Chugh, spoke about the importance of supporting an organization like Pratham to help the children of India attain a better education. “Pratham continues to be the largest India centric charity in the U.S., and we in the US are now raising almost half of Pratham India’s annual budget,” said Chugh. He presented a plaque to Ashesh and Sujata Kamdar for Sujata’s father Pravin Modi’s huge donation. “Pravin Modi donated $1 million dollars to Pratham for setting up a vocational training center,” explained Chugh. Key note speaker , Dr. Rukmini Banerji, spoke on a variety of topics. She gave a brief introduction of herself and how her experiences in the US impacted her interest in the education system in India. “I used to volunteer at a school in Chicago, which made me want to know more about the schools in India,” said Banerji. Additionally, she spoke about Pratham and what the organization has been recognized for. “Pratham is known for the work with children and in education,” said Banerji. Continuing, Banerji moved on to speak about the importance of getting an education and how the ground work must be solid in order to build on it. “Basic education is essential and the foundation should be in place,” said Banerji.
Banerji then touched on some of the obstacles Pratham is facing. “We face two challenges. The first being to have a solid foundation in place and the second to get kids to work together,” said Banerji. Concluding her speech, Banerji thanked everyone for their support .
Raj Shah, Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter , told an interesting story about a conversation he had with his children and their take on super heroes and super-duper heroes because they do not expect anything in return for their assistance.
“Super heroes have super powers and they help people but people who do not have super powers and help people should be called super-duper heroes,” said Shah. Raj Shah’s father, Manu Shah, then took the stage , made a video presentation focusing on hybrid learning and how technology makes a difference in classrooms. “It is up to us to change the classrooms and to improve them with the use of technology,” said Manu Shah. He also highlighted that the aspiration is to change a hundred thousand lives in two years.
In order to have a better understanding of the organization and what it does for the children of India, it would be best to visit.
The program came to an end with four children coming on stage to say a few words and requesting audience members to donate.
Concluding the night was dinner and music by Anis Chandani. At the time of publication the amount raised was undetermined.
Banerji then touched on some of the obstacles Pratham is facing. “We face two challenges. The first being to have a solid foundation in place and the second to get kids to work together,” said Banerji. Concluding her speech, Banerji thanked everyone for their support .
Raj Shah, Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter , told an interesting story about a conversation he had with his children and their take on super heroes and super-duper heroes because they do not expect anything in return for their assistance.
“Super heroes have super powers and they help people but people who do not have super powers and help people should be called super-duper heroes,” said Shah. Raj Shah’s father, Manu Shah, then took the stage , made a video presentation focusing on hybrid learning and how technology makes a difference in classrooms. “It is up to us to change the classrooms and to improve them with the use of technology,” said Manu Shah. He also highlighted that the aspiration is to change a hundred thousand lives in two years.
In order to have a better understanding of the organization and what it does for the children of India, it would be best to visit.
The program came to an end with four children coming on stage to say a few words and requesting audience members to donate.
Concluding the night was dinner and music by Anis Chandani. At the time of publication the amount raised was undetermined.
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