On January 17, 2026, at Neetu Mandke I.M.A. House in Pune, BELIEF organized a felicitation ceremony for Anganwadi workers who wholeheartedly participated in the Shakti project. For the past three years, BELIEF has been implementing Shakti, a child education empowerment program, in the Anganwadis of Mundhwa and Hadapsar in Pune. The event was held to appreciate the participating Anganwadi workers, and to present the program’s effectiveness, experiences, and challenges. Chief guests Shubhada Joshi (Trustee, Palakneeti Parivar and Director, Khelghar, Pune) and Hema Honwad (child activist and senior educationist) honored the Anganwadi workers with mementos and certificates of appreciation.
Mukta Navrekar, Director of BELIEF, highlighted the important role of the Shakti project in the organization’s mission. She emphasized that along with Anganwadi workers, helpers and parents were also encouraged to actively participate in children’s education. She acknowledged the crucial support of the Integrated Child Development Project and donors who provided funding for the initiative.
Atul Gaikwad, CEO of BELIEF, presented the outcomes of the Shakti project. He explained that the training given to Anganwadi workers was aligned with the government curriculum but adapted to local conditions, focusing on how activities could be conducted and the rationale behind them. As a result, positive changes were observed in Anganwadi activities, in the roles of the workers, and in increased parental involvement in children’s education.
Among the participating Anganwadi workers, Smita Kshirsagar and Preeti Joshi shared their experiences. They said the program helped them introduce numbers and counting to children in engaging, playful ways instead of rote memorization. They expressed that BELIEF’s work gave them new confidence. They appreciated that BELIEF not only provided training but also supported them in addressing challenges at the community level, suggesting solutions and motivating them to continue their work.
Chief guest Shubhada Joshi spoke about the social and economic challenges faced at the community level, and how these affect children’s attendance and learning at Anganwadis. She emphasized the importance of the close, reassuring bond between teachers and children. Chief guest Hema Honwad highlighted qualities adults should learn from children—such as enjoying wholeheartedly, forgiving, and forgetting without holding grudges.
The event was coordinated primarily by Damini Nimbarthe and Rohan Gandhale from BELIEF, with compering by Sayali Tamane.