The Inspiration
The inspiration to start Prachodhan Development Services (PDS) cannot be explained without recalling the vision of the founders of the ESAF group of social enterprises. ESAF was established in 1992 by a group of professionals under the leadership of Mr. K. Paul Thomas, a philanthropist, along with Mrs. Mereena Paul and Dr. Jacob Samuel sir with a vision to facilitate the transformation of disadvantaged sections of the society. Today, ESAF as an organization has grown with 30 group entities catering unflinchingly to the Founders’ motto of ‘Fighting the partiality of prosperity’.
Revisiting the journey of Prachodhan Development Services, a major turning point was the intervention started by ESAF in the eastern region headquartered in Dumka, Jharkhand. During these days, the now Directors of PDS were stirred deeply by the need and scope of development interventions in the underserved regions of Rural India. Hence started the operations of PDS in Assam and Jharkhand.
The Making of Prachodhan Development Services
Prachodhan Development Services, which began its work in Assam and Jharkhand soon spread across several other remote areas of the Central, Eastern and North Eastern states of India. The major focus areas of PDS includes Education and Child Development, Livelihoods and Community Development in tribal and non- tribal underserved belts.
Today PDS has 120 active volunteers and has positively made a difference in the lives of more than 165651 people across 8 states in the last 6 years. Most of the areas where PDS is operational are areas with a lot of growth potential in terms of development interventions.