Pune: 7 Young Community Leaders from AASRA Project Felicitated for Mentoring 100+ Children
Kondhwa, 4th March 2026: The Welfare Association of Youth (WAY) felicitated seven youth volunteers at a ceremony held on March 1 at Ishrat Bagh in Kondhwa, recognising former participants of its AASRA project who have taken up leadership roles in community initiatives.
The event honoured young volunteers who now conduct Creative Club activities for more than 100 children and adolescents in Ishrat Bagh and Shivneri Nagar. The Creative Club initiative is supported by Pratham.
WAY’s AASRA project, launched in 2016, provides after-school academic support to nearly 500 children and adolescents from underserved urban communities in the two localities. The programme was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the closure of its learning centre and reduced engagement until 2023.
In 2025, the organisation received its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from CTR Manufacturing Industries, enabling the reopening of dedicated centres in Ishrat Bagh and Shivneri Nagar and the revival of community programmes.
The recognitions were presented by Prajakta Kumar, graphic designer and director at CTR Manufacturing Industries. She interacted with participants, shared her artwork and gifted custom-designed study materials on science and mathematics concepts to the organisation.
Kumar completed her graphic design studies at the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art in Mumbai and pursued further education at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel in Switzerland. She has also undertaken courses in Management Essentials and Finance at Harvard Business School.
CTR Manufacturing Industries, established as a technology-driven engineering company, has been implementing CSR initiatives since 2009. According to company data shared at the event, its rural development initiatives in Maharashtra have included planting 23,000 trees, increasing milk production in adopted villages from 15 to 850 litres per day, constructing 302 toilets, providing health insurance to over 500 families and building 120 farm ponds, among other activities.
The youth champions felicitated at the ceremony were:
- Juveirya Shaikh, BSc Computer Science graduate and IT professional
- Taslima Siddique, 8th standard dropout pursuing fashion designing
- Sadiya Khan, Class 11 Science student
- Arman Shaikh, Class 11 Commerce student
- Maula Shaikh, Class 11 Commerce student and aspiring rapper
- Shahbaz Khan, first-year BCA student
- Mustafa Shaikh, Class 11 Commerce student and freelance graphic designer
Maula Shaikh, a volunteer, said receiving the certificate at the event boosted his confidence and motivated him to continue working with the organisation. He said he has been associated with AASRA since Class 7, when the project was launched in 2016, and credited the programme for academic and personal guidance.
Juveirya Shaikh said she joined AASRA as a participant and later completed graduation in Computer Science before working in a company. She said she has now joined AASRA as an intern to support children in the community.
Founder and CEO Mohammad Saif said the youth recognised at the event were among the first participants when the organisation began its work in Ishrat Bagh in 2016 and are now leading activities for the next generation.
