Dakshini Prayash has been a registered society since 1994 and now has facilities that include a comprehensive primary and secondary school. The society provides sewing classes, manual looms, sewing machines and a platform to sell manufactured products to help the women of Madurdaha to be self-reliant. Health care services are also provided, with weekly health clinics, free regular check-ups, provi
sion of medicine, eyeglasses and a nutritious midday meal to all the students. The society has grown rapidly over the years and wants to continuously expand its reach and involve as many programme participants and volunteers as possible. Nalini Mukerji, the Founder of Dakshini Prayash used to go on morning walks through the settlement of Madurdaha on the outskirts of Calcutta, India. The village children would follow her and laugh at the greying lady wearing a salwar kameez and sneakers. Nalini took the banter in her stride and slowly built a relationship with the children who later became her students. Sitting under the shade of a tree, she would teach them how to read and write in Bengali and English. A small act of compassion turned into a full-fledged effort to alleviate the condition of the largely uneducated daily-wage workers and their families living in Madurdaha.
