City student wins UN medallion for voluntary work

 A student from the City’s RV College of Engineering has been chosen for the prestigious UN Karmaveer Chakra Award and REX Global Fellowship.

Rahul Prasad, the award winner, is the founder of the City-based organisation, Juvenile Care Charitable Trust, that works for the upliftment of underprivileged children.

According to the website of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Karmaveer Chakra Award instituted in 2008-09 by the Indian Confederation of NGOs in association with the United Nations, is a national medallion for proactive voluntary action. Prasad will receive the Karmaveer Chakra and REX Global Fellowship on March 23.

Juvenile Care was set up by Rahul Prasad in 2010. An unfortunate incident after class 12 is what set his mind ticking about the lack of facilities for children from humble backgrounds. An incident at his home in New Delhi – where the son of a domestic help was severely hurt when he accidentally stepped on some nails on the floor – was an eye opener for Prasad about the inadequate medical facilities for children living in slums.

“I wanted to do something for the betterment of these children. I walked through the slums in Delhi. There were several things lacking for them here. What stood out for me was the lack of access to education.” By that time he had secured admission to the RV College of Engineering in the City. With the help of like-minded, people he started ‘Juvenile Care’ here which was later registered as Juvenile Care Charitable Trust.

Today, the organisation has grown across five cities: Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Vellore (Vellore Institute of Technology) and Jaipur. Prasad is also planning to set up a branch in Nepal shortly.

Juvenile Care does extensive work to provide facilities to children in rural areas, orphanages and slums. The organisation has initiated five projects: Project Muskaan, an awareness campaign for girls, Project Vidhya where college students get an opportunity to teach underprivileged children, Project Sparsh which revolves around workshops and medical camps in villages and slums, Project Uni Ed where private and government school teachers take part in workshops for better teaching methodology and Project Ehsaas for eradicating child labour.

This year, Prasad is planning to initiate a Housewife cell which will provide an opportunity for women interested in volunteer work to interact with girl children and spread awareness about education and healthcare. He is also a motivational speaker and conducts soft skills training. Trained to be an engineer, Prasad wants to take up a career in public relations. “That will be my bread and butter to keep Juvenile Care afloat,” he says.