INDERJIT KHURANA
2007 HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Ruchika Social Service Organization
India
Millions of children living in the slums of India are fighting for daily survival. Near the train stations, “the children of the slums spend their days begging, stealing and selling their bodies just to survive,” said Inderjit Khurana, a professional teacher and guardian angel. “Education is a child’s life insurance policy for a brighter future,” she said. “If the children cannot come to the school, then the school must come to the children.”
Founder of the Ruchika Social Service Organization (RSSO) in 1985, Ms. Khurana opened schools on the railway platforms. Though she passed away in 2010, her legacy lives on. Today, RSSO operates 12 platform schools and 63 schools in slums. Education is free and supported entirely by private donations.