SNEHALAYA

Dr Girish Kulkarni’s NGO, Snehalaya, strives every day to ensure that every child and woman has the right to live a life free from inequality, cruelty and discrimination.

We are often programmed to ignore certain sections of society; even talking about them or moving around their habitats is considered taboo. While a bunch of progressive thinkers may speak about the stigmatisation and ostracisation of sex workers, only a handful are bold enough to come forward and make some efforts to build an inclusive environment for them and their families.

Dr Girish Kulkarni — a former journalist, a professor, a PhD scholar and an active social worker — belongs to the latter-mentioned tribe, and Snehalaya is his endeavour to bring that positive change for the ones who society likes to ignore.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Antyodaya, which means the rise of the last person,

Home of Love

Dr Girish Kulkarni’s NGO relentlessly works for the welfare of children and women who face injustice and exploitation.

Recalling the moment that led to the start of Snehalaya, Dr Priti Bhombe, spokesperson for Snehalaya says, “Dr Girish Kulkarni was eightyear-old when he started taking a shorter route to go for his tuition classes. This route took him through one of the city’s red-light areas, where he saw girls his age sitting outside brothels and selling their bodies to the highest bidder. Even at this young age, the injustice of the situation had a profound impact on him. Especially, when he witnessed a naked child, contracted with syphilis, being beaten and

By Shweta Kulkarni

tortured, as she would no longer be able to work. He felt extreme helplessness, and his inability to intervene haunted him into early adulthood. When he started college, he was reminded of what he had witnessed when a friend took him home to the red-light area where his mother, sister and grandmother were all sex workers. He had joined youth volunteer organisations, but their slogans of changing the world did not seem to offer the direct action he felt was necessary. Realising that his own time and resources were limited but also wanting to ease his conscience, he decided to at least do something. He approached some sex workers to ask how he could help, and they asked him to save their children. So, each day Dr Kulkarni would turn up to pick up two children and take them to a park, buy them snacks, tell them stories or teach them how to ride bicycles. Word soon spread, and within four months, he was entertaining 80 children and was building the trust and respect of the sex worker community.”

Remarkably, Girish was hardly a 19-year-old young lad, when he embarked on this small project, which soon translated into his lifetime mission. Dr Priti adds, “In 1989, Dr Kulkarni founded Snehalaya, appointing three sex workers as trustees. When HIV and AIDS started ravaging the community, Dr Kulkarni set up a ‘Death with Dignity’ program, where a few roadside huts and a bike attached to a cart provided palliative care to some of India’s first AIDS casualties.”

Dr Girish Kulkarni’s actions, three decades ago, are proof that the smallest acts have the power to bring about a sea of change. Today, Snehalaya has saved countless lives and has given dignity back to those marginalised by society. The NGO works across 23 projects in rehabilitation, health, and education and spreads awareness about social issues about women, children and HIV AIDS, wherein nearly 200000 people have befitted from its initiatives.

Thanks to Dr Kulkarni’s persistent effort, today, there are no underage women in the flesh trade in the Ahmed- nagar district of Maharashtra, India. He has also ensured the rehabilitation of sex workers and their children by stopping second-generation prostitution. His organisation, Snehalaya’s, commitment to ensuring a life free from inequality, cruelty and discrimination for every woman and child has brought several admirable achievements. It has been estimated that Snehalaya’s healthcare projects’ attempts have helped reduced sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, by 90 per cent in Ahmednagar. The number of HIV cases has dropped from 17 per cent to 3.4 per cent, while the number of STDs have dropped from 56 to 2.3 per cent. Currently, over 2000 children are enrolled in extracurricular and educational classes in Ahmednagar’s slums as well as over 20000 people have benefited from the support services that Snehalaya provides. Snehalaya also provides vocational training at the IT centre in the city for over 200 young people. To further work at making the environment for marginalised sections of society more inclusive, Snehalaya has also been inspiring and mentoring over 25 grassroots non-government organisations to work on important social issues. Snehalaya and Dr Girish Kulkarni’s noteworthy work was also much-admired on the TV show Satyamev Jayate, which was conceptualised and anchored by Indian film actor Aamir Khan. Snehalaya has also been honoured by Dr Durgabai Deshmukh National Award for its outstanding and innovative contribution to women’s welfare and empowerment for over three decades.

Snehalaya’s dedication towards empowering women, children and LGBT communities affected by poverty and the commercial sex industry is undoubtedly commendable and applaud worthy, however, it has not been an easy journey.

We carry a large selection of designer & fashion sunglasses, frames, contact lenses & accesories

Talking about the challenges faced by the organisation, Dr Priti discloses, “Initially we faced major challenges as the work done was totally against the tide. Snehalaya faced bullying and pressure from societal elements, brothel owners, people in high places with vested interests in the sex industry, and many more. Dr Kulkarni was often threatened by the so-called white-collar citizens and the who’s who of the city for trying to uplift the lives of sex workers. When a major sex scandal about the trafficking of minor girls was busted by Dr Kulkarni and his colleagues, the majority of the big names in the district were exposed. Those were highly testing times, but ultimately the results were great as the criminals were sentenced to 22 years of double life imprisonment. After this incident, Snehalaya’s work has been recognised far and wide, and the challenges have reduced.”

In its 32 years journey, Snehalaya has been a pioneer in working on the most burning issues of society, and with changing trends, Snehalaya has made it a point to include newer initiatives. “We have also changed how we reach out to our beneficiaries/donors/stakeholders, but also continue with some of the age-old time-tested ways. The projects which were not relevant were closed and replaced by newer and innovative projects. Since inception, two female sex workers and one representative of the MSM or LGBTQ community have been on our trustee board. Many of our ex-beneficiaries