M. Sumitra Founder of ANKURAM

Ankuram Woman and Child Development Society is a group of committed women activists, striving for the Rights of Survival, Protection, Development of girls and Equality & Equal opportunities for women to develop and lead a dignified human life. Ankuram’s founder, Ms M. Sumitra, had actively participated in various social movements in Andhra Pradesh during her student days and had often faced all forms of discrimination to complete her higher education. After completing education in Law and Political Science, she was determined to dedicate herself for the cause of girl child and women and thus she started ANKURAM (literal meaning 'sprout' which denotes "beginning") in Hyderabad. ANKURAM envisions a world in which girls and women are able to fulfill their dreams free from the constraints of discrimination, inequality and poverty. Ankuram emphasizes on girl child protection and promotion of rights like access to formal schooling, reproductive health education and rehabilitative shelter care services and vocational skills leading to income generating activities. Ankuram caters to the needs of underprivileged, trafficked, exploited girl children and till date 2,000 girls have been sheltered and brought up by them. Depending on the severity of the problem, the girls are given counseling, health care, legal aid, schooling and higher education, vocational skill trainings and even job placements with highest priority to the mainstream and compulsory education to the girls. It also runs Day care centres for migrant children in various slums where the migrant population lives. These centres are catering to the nutritional and protection needs of disadvantaged below 5 years children of migrant/construction workers. Every morning, a teacher employed by Ankuram gathers the small children in the centers where they are taken care of and provided with nutritious food, fun and games and prepared for school. Out of school drop-outs are referred to nearby govt. schools and hostels. A mobile counseling centre for migrants has been taken to the Adda coolies (migrant labourer's hub) which educates them on various legal provisions. Since girls in rural areas are the worst sufferers of child marriages, girl child discrimination apart from denial of educational and health rights, hence a rural resource centre was started in 2012 at Guntur district.

ANKURAM

# 12-13-309, Street No-19, Tarnaka,
Hyderabad-500017,

Telangana.
Phone No : 040-27017446
Email       : ankuram@yahoo.com
Website    : www.ankuram.info

Contact Person:

Ms M. Sumitra, Founder Secretary

Email: ankuramsumitra@gmail.com 

Compile from Carieng Friends, Mumbai