Mumbai: Shoeshine boys and coolies are part of a quiet movement for change at the 400-odd literacy centres of a voluntary organisation: Reach Education Action Programme (REAP). These centres, which aim at educating needy children and selfhelp women groups in Mumbai and Nashik, earned Reach a place in the sun when it won the $ 1 million international Opus Prize on Wednesday.
Founder Fr. Trevor Miranda, a Jesuit priest, and administrator Naresh Tajnekar are to receive the award at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on November 7.
In an interview from the US, where he is on his first holiday in seven years, Rev. Miranda said the award will strengthen Reap’s commitment to social change. Q. How did it happen? A.The very next day of my arrival in the US, the Opus Foundation invited me to dinner where its founder chairman Gerry Rauenhort broke the news to me, leaving me rather speechless with disbelief. We had no idea that their recent Mumbai visit was related to an award. I dedicate it to my team. Q. What will you do with the reward?
A.We intend putting the entire amount in a corpus to support the ongoing and new literacy centres for underprivileged children and womens’ programmes. Q. You have seen both: the initial indifference towards education and resistance to change. How do you stay put? A.Among the many heartening moments in this work, the happiest one is seeing the smile of an underprivileged child, when he proudly holds up his workbook sprayed with colours and says: “I can do it.’’ Also, it’s good to see that more number of parents are asking us to enrol their children. With women, it is heartening to see them unite for taking up issues affecting the community.