By Matters India Reporter
Varanasi, December 26, 2019: Lenin Raghuvanshi, a rewound social worker from Varanasi, received from Rotary International’s Vocational Excellence Award in recognition of his extraordinary to life skills of youth and children.
He received the award on December 21 during the 36th District Rotary Conference in Varanasi along with famous film director Raj Kumar Santoshi.
Raghuvanshi is the CEO of Jan Mitra Nyas (People friendly trust) that engages in health, nutrition and educational issues in northern India.
“It is a great honor for us because of our continuous work has been for life skill of youth and children at schools, colleges, madarasa and communities,” Raghuvanshi told Matters India.
He also shared how his trust impacts people’s lives.
One such example is Jyoti Kumari from Baghawanala slum of Varanasi.
She joined Jan Mitra Nyas’ non-formal school at Baghawanala when she was six.
Jyoti was the first learner in her families and she studied in non-formal school up to grade five and then completed her post-graduation in sociology.
Now she is staff of Jan Mitra Nyas project of maternal and neonatal health at slum Bazardiha.
The 28-yar-old Jyoti was also selected for Norway-based Fontes Foundation’s Fellowship under the South Youth Exchange program of Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation (NOREC).
NOREC is a Norwegian governmental body financing two-way mutual personnel exchange between companies and organizations in Norway and similar companies and organizations in the global South – that is countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Since 1996, Jan Mitra Nyas’ has educated and empowered 7,000 like Jyoti.
“Life skill is important to change knowledge, attitude and practices for a better world and more dignified life,” Raghuvanshi said.
But normal life skills in education, Information Technology and health and child protection, Jan Mitra Nyas has reached out over 3 million from Varanasi, Sonbhadra, Badaun and Ambedkarnagar districts of Uttar Pradesh and Koderama of Jharkhand.
The 49-year-old Raghuvanshi is one of the country’s most prominent Neo-Dalit Rights Activist and Human Rights Advocate.
He has made innumerable contributions to the advancement of the downtrodden, especially co-founding the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights.
PVCHR creates awareness for preventive measures through breaking the culture of silence and secondly provides direct support through multi-layers and multidimensional support.