Kantha Singh (East Zone)
A mechanic by profession, Kantha was moved by the condition of destitute and orphaned children in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district. Polygamy and alcoholism are rampant in the area and children are often left to fend for themselves and sometimes abandoned. Kantha set up an orphanage in Dampara. He is today a father figure to 45 children, providing them with education, food and shelter with his meager resources.

Irfana Ismail Mujawar (West Zone)
A teacher by profession, Irfana was disturbed that her school provided scholarships only to Muslim Shia students. She decided to start a school with her colleague Gazala in the year 2000. The only place available for her dream project was part of the slum where the majority community was Hindu. Irfana had to convince students that her school was secular and open to all. She used the money set aside for her marriage and convinced her conservative family that this was her calling. Today her school is a learning hub for 300 students. The education is free for those who can’t afford it.

Dubhil Vechanbhai Movasiyabhai (West)
A journey changed the course of Vechan Bhil’s life.It all started with a bus ride when he gave 10 rupees to the conductor for an eight rupee ticket and then asked for balance. Seeing him the other tribals in the bus too demanded their balance. Vechan realized that to bring about a change one needs to raise one’s. And education is critical for that.
There is only one primary school in Pisatya village catering to 25 surrounding villages. The tribals in villages in the interiors found it impossible to send their kids to Pisayta. Vechan offered to share his modest two room house with the children of the tribals, providing them free food and tuition. There are three teachers in Vechan’s primary school but there are days they don’t turn up so he turns to the graduates in the nearby village to teach the kids. Vechan started his literacy mission with just 15 kids. Today 70 students from Vechan’s home have graduated to the Secondary School.
But at 55 this farmer in Vadodara is struggling to feed his students with just a small patch of farm - his only source of income. He also needs better teachers and a proper hostel for his kids.

Vimla Kaul: (North)
For Vimla Kaul sitting at home was never an option. A visit to the Madanpur Khadar Village in Delhi in 1994 and Vimla knew she wanted to do something for the villagers. She started by teaching tailoring to the women in the village so that they could be financially independent. Vimla also noticed that there were children just whiling away their time in the streets. These children needed to be taught the basics before any school would give them admission. So she started a class for four to eight-year-olds in '96 with ten children. She also hired a teacher—a village girl who had learnt tailoring under her. By 1997 she was teaching almost 70 kids. Vimla Kaul also pushes for these kids to get admission in mainstream schools. 11 of her students have made it to the Sarvodaya School in the capital.