Sarthak Prayas - A Jewel in the West of Delhi

Sarthak Prayas is a wonderous NGO in the West of New Delhi, taking numerous initiatives to make the lives of the needy better.

What can make a well-paid, smart and ambitious individual to leave his job and start an NGO of his own? Motivation I say, utter motivation and will to create a change. To do something better, and be in the pursuit of what gives his soul true satisfaction.

Such is the story behind Sarthak Prayas’ existence and vision, as told by its President and Founder Harsh Arora, in his recent interview with AkshiNarmis team.

A Brief Background

Sarthak Prayas came into existence in 1999 when Harsh Arora (Founder and President) started it as a means to reach blood to patients in need. Having seen his aunt suffer running from door to door for blood donation, and cousin die from Thalassemia, Harsh took upon himself to not let the lack of blood be a reason of someone else’s misery.

He along with a group of friends started out as a chain of 18 blood donors in the city. In 2003, they got Sarthak Prayas registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO). And later in 2008, Harsh left his job in the American Express to work full time at Sarthak Prayas. From then on started the journey of change, a mission of helping people in need.

Sarthak Prayas

From 2003 till now, Sarthak Prayas has opened 5 full fledged programs:

1 - Mission Save Life

What started out as a network of 18 donors has now become a chain of 40,000 emergency blood donors in Delhi NCR. Sarthak Prayas also launched the first of its kind Phone Blood Helpline, which allows any needy person to call and register their request. Within two hours, they connect them with the nearest donor.

2 - Build a Foundation

Sarthak Prayas also imparts education to the government school students from urban slum areas in Delhi NCR. The volunteers teach them morality, building a positive attitude, Spoken English, dealing with real life situations and even help them with school homework. As of now, there are 9 such remedial education centres in Delhi NCR, with 40 students in each.

3 - Second Innings

In August 2015, Sarthak Prayas started an old age home for the destitute, poor and abandoned senior citizens in Delhi. It strives to give them a secure, healthy and happy environment where they can start afresh.

4 - Adopt An Elder

In another initiative, Sarthak Prayas visited the slums and identified 13 old age people who were in the worst condition and unable to work or earn. They now receive a monthly ration via Sarthak Prayas, as well as quarterly clothing and toiletries for their survival.

5 - Green India, Clean India

Sarthak Prayas is also involved in generating environmental awareness in schools and colleges, and works with corporate partners to enable plantation of trees at the right places. They are also keen to collaborate with companies and recycling donated newspaper into notebooks that could be used by the poor children.

“Our mission at Sarthak Prayas has always been to help people in need. And fortunately for us, help comes in our way even before we ask for it. Whether it is in the form of a recently donated bus, contributions for the monthly birthday celebrations we do, or volunteers. And to be honest, this is what keeps me going. The feeling of satisfaction that I get when I get up every morning. I would choose this over anything else, anyday.” - Harsh Arora (President & Founder)

Why AkshiNarmis Chose To Feature It

Harsh Arora started Sarthak Prayas 20 years ago, and from then on have worked to the maximum of his ability to better the lives of others. Very often, their programs are funded by the board members themselves if they do not have donors. While the current situation of the NGO is sustainable with the help of permanent supporters and board members, what troubles Harsh is that they are unable to help more people. For the already existing programs can be maintained, but to scale up they need more hands, more support, more miracles.

“We have come a long way from the initial days, there is enough to carry on, but we are always on the lookout for more. To grow vertically, educate more kids, provide continuous medical assistance to the extremely old people, donate more, increase our network of blood donors. The costs are high, and to scale up we need support” - Seema Arora (Project Head – Build A Foundation & Second Inning Home)

What You Can Do

Sarthak Prayas offers you endless opportunities for way of support.

• Register yourself as an “Emergency Blood Donor” and contribute towards saving lives

• Financial support for the Mission Save Life initiative by registering for their ‘ Celebrate your Birthday’ scheme under which you can donate a minimum of Rs 250 on your special day

• Sponsor the education of kids, or their stationery, or food, for as little as Rs 250 per month

• Sponsor the cost of ration items for a senior citizen for Rs 1,000 or sponsor their food for a day for Rs 2,100

• Celebrate your loved one’s special days with their kids or in old age homes

• Buy items from their list, and drop them at their office in Punjabi Bagh or call

• them to pick from Delhi/NCR

• Become a volunteer at their education centers, or help in office work

• Be their eyes and ears, and refer any abandoned senior citizen to their old age home

• Spread their Blood Helpline number 8375860860 (Available from 8 am to 8 pm, 365 days) PAN India to allow patients in need get blood donor asap.

Or if you want to be a corporate partner, Sarthak Prayas can benefit from your in kind donations or sponsorships. And you can always contribute through CSR (Corporate

Social Responsibility) with a step towards the betterment of the society and the environment.

To know more about Sarthak Prayas, and their programs, visit their website www.sarthakprayas.ngo or write to them at <harsharora [at] sarthakprayas [dot] org> or call/whats app at +91 97113 11354 if you wish to collaborate.

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