🚉 The Beginning of Hope
On 7th April 1985, Mrs. Inderjit Khurana, Founder of Ruchika School, met children who called the railway platforms of Bhubaneswar their home. They were hungry, frightened and alone. They slept under the open sky, survived on scraps of food, and lived each day vulnerable to abuse, violence, trafficking and exploitation. For many, childhood had been replaced by a relentless struggle simply to stay alive.
While countless people passed by, Mrs. Khurana stopped. She looked beyond their torn clothes and weary faces and saw children with dreams waiting to be discovered. She believed that poverty should never decide a child's future and that every child deserves love, protection, education and the opportunity to dream.
That belief gave birth to a small Platform School on the railway station—a place where children found not only lessons, but also warm meals, safety, affection and hope. What began with a handful of children soon became a movement to restore childhood to those who had almost lost it.
As the need grew, so did the mission. The initiative evolved from the Social Service Wing of Ruchika School into an independent organisation, formally registered in 1997–98 as Ruchika Social Service Organisation.
Over the past four decades, that single act of compassion has grown into one of Odisha's leading child rights organisations. Today, Ruchika reaches more than 15,000 children and youth every year and empowers over one million community members through programmes in child protection, education, healthcare, nutrition, skill development, livelihood promotion, gender equality and access to justice.
Our journey is far from over.Thousands of children still face poverty,exploitation,violence and exclusion.With your continued support, we can reach every child who is waiting for someone to believe in them.
Together,we can ensure that every child is safe, every child is valued, and every child has the opportunity to build a future filled with hope, dignity and endless possibilities.