The Late Shri Bali Charan: A Tribute to the Founder Who Built Waste Pickers Welfare Foundation
Before Waste Pickers Welfare Foundation existed, there was one man with a notebook and a scooter, going basti to basti after his day job, writing down names of children who had never seen the inside of a classroom. That man was Bali Charan.
1969–2024: The Life
Born in 1969 into a modest East Delhi family, Shri Bali Charan grew up in the same neighborhoods where he would later work. He saw, every day, the children of waste pickers grow into waste pickers themselves — not because of a shortage of talent, but because of the thousand small exclusions that add up to a locked door.
He began informal weekend classes in 2008, teaching Hindi alphabets and basic mathematics under a tarpaulin tent behind Nathu Colony. By the time he formalised the organisation as a registered Trust in May 2014, he had already run those classes for six years, supported entirely by his own income and contributions from a small circle of friends.
The Principles He Left Behind
Every volunteer who worked with him remembers a few sentences:
- "Seva me hisaab nahi chalta — par imaandari chahiye." (There is no accounting in service, but honesty is required.)
- "Bachche ko padhaana hai — uske ghar ki problem humari hai." (If we are teaching the child, the home's problem becomes our problem.)
- "Jaat-paat, dharm — yeh sab gate pe chhod ke aao." (Caste, religion — leave all of that at the gate.)
These were not slogans. They were operational instructions. When a child stopped attending our CLC, someone was expected to go home, understand why, and solve it.
What He Built
- The Community Learning Centre model, now serving 500+ children
- The Aarogyam health camps, built from zero through persistent outreach to Max Foundation and CII
- The first women's tailoring unit, which seeded the SHG network that followed
- The culture of a team that does not turn anyone away from the gate
The Work Continues
His brother and co-founder, Virender Kumar, today carries forward the Trust as Secretary. The principles are unchanged. The gate is still open. If you would like to contribute to a cause he built with his hands, you can donate here. Every rupee carries his signature.
Shri Bali Charan lived a quiet life of public service. He would have refused a tribute like this in his lifetime. We write it now only because the children he taught deserve to know who first called their names.