SAHAJ began its journey as Shishu Milap, working with street children and their families to promote the value of education. Through libraries, summer camps, and enrolments in government schools, we fostered joyful learning and non-formal education. Alongside this, we organized waste-picking women in Vadodara and carried out action research on traditional midwifery practices, planting the seeds of our twin focus on children and women.

This decade saw a deepening of our commitment to children’s education. We established non-formal education centres, organized book exhibitions, and made affordable books and toys accessible. With initiatives like AVESHIKA and Shodhkhol, we strengthened science and mathematics learning through innovative workbooks and low-cost lab kits. At the same time, we advocated for the abolition of child labour and expanded our work with women through the women-centred health project in Mumbai.

Transitioning into SAHAJ, we broadened our scope. With children, we continued to promote quality education and child rights, while the discovery science resource group trained teachers to make learning engaging and practical.

Our work with adolescents grew significantly, offering life skills education, scholarships, and peer leadership initiatives in both urban and rural Gujarat. We promoted sexual and reproductive health and rights, livelihood opportunities for girls, and encouraged adolescents to take collective action for social accountability.

For women, our focus sharpened on maternal health, documenting maternal deaths, and advocating for comprehensive healthcare. We also worked with urban poor communities on the right to shelter and strengthened local committees to improve access to basic services.

This period also marked SAHAJ’s entry into strategic partnerships and national alliances.

In recent years, SAHAJ has built inclusive spaces for children in bastis, strengthened preschool education in anganwadis, and emphasized literacy and life skills.

With adolescents and youth, we expanded scholarships to include career guidance, revived livelihood initiatives, and fostered leadership for social accountability with a strong focus on inclusion of marginalized groups, including adolescents with disabilities and those from sexual minorities.

Our women’s health advocacy scaled up to local, state, national, and international platforms, linking maternal health and quality of care to broader gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We engaged in research, community accountability, and public awareness campaigns to reduce maternal deaths and strengthen health systems.

Organizationally, we deepened and diversified our partnerships, sustained active membership in key coalitions, and brought together feminist groups, civil society, and academia to push for systemic change.

From the very beginning, SAHAJ has engaged in relief and rehabilitation, empowered communities and grassroots change agents, and remained committed to sustainable and inclusive outcomes. Our four-decade journey reflects a continuous evolution, rooted in children’s education, expanding to women’s health and rights, and growing into a holistic movement for equity, justice, and collective well-being.