Mohammad Siraj, the founder of Pahchan Foundation, is a child rights activist from West Bengal who advocates for climate change. He has undertaken over 100 initiatives in the fields of education, health, and environment, all in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Siraj has been awarded several prestigious accolades, including the “Social Volunteer Award” 2020 from the Institute of Social Volunteering, the “Kolkata Hero” award 2021, and the “V-Awards India 2022” from UNV India. In 2022, he was appointed “UN India YuWaah Advocates” by the United Nations India for his work on climate change.
Siraj grew up in the slums of Titagarh, West Bengal, where he witnessed men gambling and abusing their wives and children. At a young age, he realized he wanted to make a positive change and impact lives. He started as a children’s group member of a non-governmental organization working to improve the lives of children and communities in his area. With effective leadership skills, he evolved to become a part of the youth group and then the leader of the youth group. He represented the issues of slum and street dwelling children in various national forums, including participating in a live debate show at Lok Sabha TV on the issue of communal peace and harmony, representing West Bengal.
Siraj faced financial difficulties on his path to doing social work and delayed his higher education. He worked for caterers and factories at night to support his family financially while volunteering during the day. Despite the challenges, he remained dedicated to his passion for social work. He has been actively working as a volunteer and community leader with various organizations at the state and national levels to address matters of children, community, hunger, and ecology. In 2017, he founded Pahchan Foundation, which has had a tremendous impact on the lives of over 200 children.
Under the banner of Pahchan Foundation, Siraj launched a volunteering-based organization called “Insan Teri Ganga Maily,” which is a Ganga clean-up drive campaign. Youth volunteers and young people devote their Sundays to clean the Ganga Ghat nearby the area. After a year of relentless voluntary clean-up, they removed tons of garbage, including discarded clothes, food waste, human waste, hair, mobile covers, sanitary napkins, coagulated industrial effluent, and human feces to unearth clean sand without assistance from any government agency. The initiative started in 2020 to pay tribute to the legendary pioneer’s dream of Clean India and take the lead forward. Since then, they have collected over 10,000 kg of waste in 117 weeks from two Ghats, Titagarh Peer Ghat and Glass Kal Ghat.
Through clean-ups, reforestation, and advocacy, Siraj’s Pahchan Foundation is activating grassroots supporters to spread a message on the critical issues facing the planet and to be part of the solution. His mission is to build the world’s future by creating better access to education, healthcare, and protection for every child and young person. Siraj’s work is an inspiration for many and a reminder that everyone can make a positive difference in their communities.
