Saluting women who have silently worked for the betterment of society
By: Sayan Biswas
She is power, she is a strength, she will forgive and forget, she will pick you up when you fall, she is selfless and she is devoted because she is ‘STREE’.
There are a large number of women who have done a lot for the society but yet have not reached the limelight and honorwhich they actually deserve. The list is endless, but let us make efforts to recognize, applaud and appreciate at least some of them:
Pooja belongs to a business family. A Graduate in Applied Art/Graphic Design and in Commerce, Pooja is an entrepreneur. However, after watching a play based on child abuse, Pooja was touched so deeply, she decided to start her own work on the issue of Child Sexual Abuse(CSA). She founded an NGO, Arpan that protects children from child abuse with the sole aim of protecting children from physical, social and mental abuse. She has created an impact on around two lakh people and has changed their life by making their present better and giving them a protective future.
Priti Patkar
Priti Patkar is the wife of social activist Pravin Patkar. Founder of an NGO ‘Prerna’, her aim is to end inter-generational prostitution and protect women and children from the threats of human trafficking by defending their rights. Prerna also provides them with a safe environment, supports their education and provides them with all medical facilities.
Priti has been working as a social worker for the past 28 years. She has also worked and made the first comprehensive program for children affected by AIDS. Prerna is the world’s first Night Care Shelter amidst a red light area in Mumbai.
(The writer is a free lance Journalist with Stree)
