ELF’s Pragati Mela 2026- What inclusive growth looks like

Chembur will host a grassroots showcase of social change on March 7 as Enrich Lives Foundation (ELF) opens its doors to Pragati Mela 2026 at Shri Ahobila Mutt Mandir (Ground Floor, near Diamond Garden) from 10 am to 8 pm.Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, this non-profit has spent the past six years working across slum communities in Govandi, Mankhurd and Antop Hill, and in tribal pockets beyond Mumbai, focusing on education, women’s empowerment and youth employability.The mela is designed as an open house for the neighbourhood- bringing together donors, volunteers, beneficiaries and local residents to witness the scale and texture of ELF’s work.

Through Khushiyon Ki Paathshaala, its after-school programme, more than 4,000 children from nine informal settlements have received academic support blended with creative learning in music, art and crafts. Ashiyana day-care centres provide a structured start for rag-picker girls who have never attended school, preparing them for formal education. ELF has also adopted the Parmanandwadi BMC School, supporting 200 children, and runs the Koshimbade Education Project for 519 tribal students.

On the livelihoods front, young people trained at Yuva Pragati Kendra are now earning between ₹13,000 and ₹18,000 a month, while more than 600 women have built income-generating skills through the Hastakala initiative.At Pragati Mela, these outcomes will take tangible form- through student exhibits, skill demonstrations and interactions with the women and youth driving their own change. The objective is clear: build awareness, invite volunteer participation, and allow current and prospective donors to see the impact first-hand.Founder Rashmi Balwani, who transitioned from careers in industrial engineering and the F&B industry into social entrepreneurship during the pandemic, began with the Annapurna Movement- connecting families in crisis with food and essential supplies. That emergency response evolved into ELF, structured around the belief that education and employability are the most reliable levers of dignity.As Mumbai debates inclusion and opportunity, a neighbourhood NGO in Chembur is making its case not through rhetoric, but through results.