Khelghar! It’s a dream! Of the curious eyes searching for long-lasting moments of joy! Of the minds in quest of knowledge! In short, Of the little ones seeking love and care! Who are these children? How did they find this play home? Who took them under the wings and cared for them? Who showed them the joy of learning?

“Education for the deprived” is a motto of the “Khelghar” project; currently, around 80 children participate in the activities of Khelghar. All of these children live in a slum area named Lakshminagar at Kothrud, Pune.

Khelghar has completed ten years by now. The effort that once was initiated by a concerned individual is now taken over by a group of people. The team of 15 volunteers is working with devotion and commitment. Some senior students and parents also participate in this work.

We plan to carry out present activities with the same spirit and zeal in future. We also hope to reach out to more children in Laxminagar.

We will soon be starting some activities for dropout children. Our aim will be to either get these children again in main stream education or help them to build some vocational skills of their own aptitude.

We are planning to share our skills and experience to other people who wish to initiate similar efforts.

Children face numerous social problems in slum area. Poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, inferiority complex, alcoholism and other addictions are some of the major problems these children have to live with. They are routinely exposed to physical fights and verbal abuse that goes on around them. Though the main thrust of Khelghar is children’s education, we believe that enabling children to find solutions to problems confronting them is also an integral component of education. Therefore we extend support whenever such issues arise and also prepare children and parents to find ways out. This work is certainly challenging and demanding and we are trying to cope with it with whatever resources and strength that we have.