#IAmPratham: How Centre Head, Bharti Prajapati has been transforming the lives of young people through Pratham Skilling in West Pench

Working closely within a tight-knit community often means going beyond the call of duty, which is exactly what Bharti Prajapati, Cluster Leader and Centre Head of the Pratham Skilling Centre at Pench Tiger Reserve, has been doing for the last 17 years. Her empathy and fearlessness combined with her dedication to the community has led to major impact on the ground in the West Pench area.

As a Cluster Head, Bharti’s responsibilities include, ensuring the centre is running smoothly, checking that the mentors are effectively working in the field and clearing any issues that they may be facing. She frequently meets with students too, either during assembly or in free time to talk to them about their training and health.

Bharti, says: “I try to motivate them by sharing my experiences and alumni stories. I often talk to the families of alumni students too, who live outside of the area due to the jobs and ask about their well-being and stay connected with them.”

For almost two decades, Bharti has not only navigated a challenging landscape to reach remote families within the community, often travelling by boat to fulfil her mobilisation work, but nurtures learners from several different hamlets. Giving them the hope and confidence to build a brighter future.

Bharti, gushed: “Working with Pratham has given me my own identity, and the strength to face any situation. Every day is a new day for me at Pratham.”

Pratham Skilling was launched in 2005 to train youths from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and has provided an incredible 31,000 young people in 18 states with the necessary training to pursue higher-paid and skilled careers between 2022 and 2023 alone. There are now over 1,500 heroes in Pratham Skilling who make this incredible work possible.

Watch Bharti’s, “Day in the Life of a Pratham Hero” video below to learn more about Pratham Skilling and how our heroes behind the scenes are changing the lives of countless young people.

Your support can pave the way for more young people like those in Bharti’s community to experience the transformative power of learning. By making a donation to Pratham today, you’ll enable us to reach even more youths with life-changing learning programmes that will give them the skills needed for accessing more job opportunities.

Make your donation today and change a young person’s life!