Milaan Be the Change

About us

Milaan Be the Change is a youth led non-profit organization, registered in 2007, that works to educate children, enable youth and empower communities in rural India.
The name Milaan comes from the combination of two words: Milan, meaning coming together and Elaan, meaning declaration, which signifies the coming together of young people for a declaration of change. The three words on our logo, Educating, Empowering and Enabling, are a reflection of our philosophy. Together they recognize the fact that providing education in itself is not sufficient to bring change. It must be education that not only provides knowledge but also develops the abilities, skills, and attitudes of disadvantaged children and youth so that they become capable of reaching out and grasping the opportunities around them.

Our mission
Milaan´s mission is to create a world of opportunities to fulfill a million dreams. We make this vision a reality by enabling the youth in rural areas to educate children and empower communities. Milaan´s aim is to spearhead the movement to transform the rural education sector by focusing on increasing access to quality education. We will achieve this aim by leveraging the most potent force that India has today, its adolescents.

Programs and projects:
• Swarachna Learning and Resource Center: The center is a creation of the collaborative efforts of the local community and Milaan. The center, besides providing education, acts as a creative learning space for the children, introducing them to the larger world, by means of books, magazines, critically selected movies as well as documentaries and then encourages discussions, debates and exploration of these new ideas. Milaan´s Midday Meal program at the centre provides the 450+ children studying at the Swarachna Learning and Resource Centre a complete meal as part of their daily routine during the school day. This program was initiated when after a health check-up camp, we realized that 85% of our children were malnourished.
• Swabhiman: Milaan started this program at its Swarachna Learning and Resource Centre wherein all necessary support was provided to the girls who have dropped out to return and complete their secondary school education. This includes visiting their parents to convince them to allow their daughters to finish secondary school. Swabhiman provides adolescent girls with the necessary support required for them to return to school and not only complete their secondary education, but also build leadership skills through workshops and exposure visits, so that they become change-leaders in the communities.
• Milaan Girl Icon Fellowships: Milaan Be the Change invites girls in Uttar Pradesh to apply for the Girl Icon Fellowship. Girl Icons are youth leaders, between 12 to 18 years of age and residing in Uttar Pradesh, dedicated to advancing their own education and giving back to their own communities to create social change.
• Milan OutreachProgram: This is a school intervention program that works towards enhancing the experience of adolescents in govt schools in rural areas. The program focuses an creative teaching and learning tools to make schooling in Grade 6 - 8th exciting with emphasis on Math, Science and English through a life-skills approach to deepen their self-awareness, boost confidence and develop their conceptual understanding of topics in the curriculum.
• Making Schools Menstrual Friendly: Initiative with an aim to make menstruation a non-issue in India. Menstruation is one of the major factors causing girls to drop out of schools. The initiative investigates, understands and enables the societal, environmental, interpersonal, and biological factors that aid school girls in adequately managing menstruation.
• Natpurwa Project: Natpurwa is a village that is known primarily for prostitution. Milaan is actively involved in helping them build a base of operations, a centre where they can educate the children that can also double up as a place for gatherings and meetings in an effort towards ensuring a better future for the girls of Natpurwa.

Dhirendra Pratap Singh is the Co-founder & CEO of Milaan Be the Change.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.