Childhood in India is often described as a time of promise, yet for millions it begins with work instead of learning. A child’s first earnings may come from a tea stall, a factory floor, or carrying bricks, long before they can write a sentence. The paradox is striking: schools are visible across towns and cities, but for many families, education remains out of reach.

National figures reflect the scale of this quiet crisis:

• 54% of Indian children in primary school fail to reach minimum reading proficiency by Grade 5 (World Bank, 2024).
• The ASER 2024 report shows just 23.4% of Class 3 government school students can read a Class 2 text, a modest rise after years of decline.
• 3.2 crore children between 6 and 17 remain out of school nationwide (UNESCO, 2023).
• The last Census recorded 10.1 million child labourers, most of them from vulnerable, low-income households.

In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, the RAH Foundation has attempted to break this cycle. Registered in 2015 by Mr. Ubaidur Rahman, the organisation opened its first centre in Hasan Manzil in 2019 with 15 children.

Today, it runs three literacy centres serving more than 850 learners. Unlike conventional schools, children are grouped by ability, not age, and tested every quarter to track progress.

The initiative also recognises the economic pressures that drive child labour. By training mothers in small-scale livelihood skills, it allows families to earn without pulling children out of class.

During the pandemic and floods, the organisation organised mobile health camps for 10,000 people and distributed 35,000 ration kits, reinforcing the link between survival and schooling.

India’s challenge is not simply to enrol children in schools but to make education stronger than poverty’s pull. RAH’s model suggests that dignity, livelihood, and trust may be the real foundations of learning.

Join this movement, support RAH Foundation and help turn ₹50 wages into futures of learning.