Pillar of MKCL
Dr. Farida Lambay Profile Picture

Dr. Farida Lambay

Director

Ms. Farida Lambay born on January 01, 1951 (age 75 years) is an educationist, social activist, and the co-founder and Trustee of “Pratham”, one of India’s largest non-governmental organizations. With over four decades of experience, she is a pioneering figure in children’s education, women’s rights, and the prevention of child labor.

Her key credentials and career highlights include:

  • Co-Founder of Pratham: In 1994, she co-founded the Pratham Education Foundation with Dr. Madhav Chavan. The organization has since grown into a massive national movement aimed at ensuring every child is in school and learning well. Within Pratham, she directs mental well-being, capacity building, and people-related initiatives, while also acting as the Chairperson of the Internal Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace.
  • Academic Background: She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, in Mumbai. She later served as the Vice Principal of the institution, where she helped pioneer the Municipal School Project.
  • Children’s & Women’s Rights Activism: She leads the Pratham Council for Vulnerable Children (PCVC) and has been a driving force in the battle against child labor, sex workers’ rights (via project Prerana), and youth voluntary action (YUVA).
  • ASER: Pratham officially launched the first Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) nationwide in 2005. ASER coordinated by the ASER Centre, is India’s largest citizen-led, household-based education survey. While the ASER Centre focuses on data gathering, analysis, and report generation, Pratham focuses on field implementation based on those findings. Pratham and the ASER Centre co-lead national campaigns like Lakhon Mein Ek, working directly with ordinary citizens and community groups across 100,000 villages to address the learning gaps highlighted by the survey.
  • Advisory & Government Roles: Ms. Lambay has served on several key government bodies, including the Maharashtra State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Government of India Committee on Child Labour & Research in Education. She has also contributed to the National Education Policy and the Sachar Committee.

Beyond Pratham, Ms. Farida Lambay has systematically institutionalized social work and vulnerable community protections across urban and policy levels:

  • The Municipal School Project: Initiated during her tenure at Nirmala Niketan, this program successfully integrated a professional cadre of social workers right into the Mumbai Municipal Corporation structure.
  • Prerana: Spearheaded the launch of this critical project in Kamathipura, Mumbai, which fiercely defends the rights and protection of sex workers and their children.
  • YUVA (Youth for Voluntary Action): Organized a structured platform that channels youth volunteerism toward addressing complex urban and civic issues.
  • National Policy Inputs: Contributed structural evidence and research directly to the Sachar Committee (studying the educational status of minority communities) and early drafts of the National Education Policy.

Ms. Farida Lambay’s decades of grassroots educational reforms have earned her multiple prestigious accolades:

  • FICCI FLO Trailblazer Women Achievers Award: Honoured for her lifelong path-breaking leadership.
  • Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award: Presented by the Government of Maharashtra for excellence in social service.
  • Indira Gandhi Memorial Award: Awarded for her deep contributions to child rights and literacy.
  • Changemaker Award: Presented by the Hindustan Times for her transformative civic impact in Mumbai.
  • Sahyadri Navratna Award: Conferred by Doordarshan Kendra Mumbai for empowering underprivileged children.

As a co-founder and pillar of Pratham, Ms. Lambay has also accepted premier institutional honours on behalf of the foundation:

  • Best Civil Society Award by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance & Sustainability.
  • Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development awarded to Pratham for its exceptional scale in pioneering universal literacy.