Farida Lambay

Farida Lambay completed her Master’s in Social Work from College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai. She initiated the Municipal School Project with her alma mater which led to social workers becoming a part of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation structure. This was the first glimpse of the ideology that she strongly propagates of converting best practices into policy and working in collaboration with the government. 

The highlights of her extensive career have been her post as Vice Principal of College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, and Co-Founder and Trustee of Pratham. Pratham, an NGO established in 1994 from the slums of Mumbai, has grown to great heights, receiving the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award, 2010. Through Pratham, Farida Lambay swore to ensure “Every Child in School and Learning Well”, becoming a crusader for education, and she has led the battle against child labor – first in Maharashtra, later making it a national movement. In acknowledgement of her contribution in this field, she has been appointed member of the Maharashtra State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.

She has also initiated the projects Prerana (working for the rights of prostitutes) and YUVA (Youth for Voluntary Action, an organization working on social issues with youths). She has spearheaded Disaster Relief efforts during the 1992 Bombay Riots, the Latur earthquake, Bihar floods and Mumbai terror attacks, to name a few. She has been a member of state and national committees including the SSA, Sachar Committee and the Maharashtra State Security Council, and has participated in national and international conferences. Her efforts have been acknowledged through numerous awards, most recently the Ahilyabai Holkar Award, presented by the Maharashtra Government. 

Mrs Lambay is more than just an educationist and a social work professional; she represents honor, compassion, dedication and above all humility that make her the institution that she is today.