A Million Livelihoods

Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCF) is on a mission to build empowered communities through life-skills, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for a million disadvantaged youth across India.

A Million Livelihoods

Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCF) is on a mission to build empowered communities through life-skills, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for a million disadvantaged youth across India.

Latest News

Vanderlande board members visit Lighthouse in Kasba Peth

In a recent donor visit, the Vanderlande board members, including Frank van Dijk, Mart Corbijn van Willenswaard, Martin Maasland, Shaun Roper, and Shelley Caratozollo, visited the Lighthouse in Kasba Peth on March 5, 2023. The team was ecstatic to witness the progress...

Aurangabad Lighthouse reflects on two successful years of empowering youth with 1094 enrollments and 341 successful placements!

As we look back on two successful years, we are delighted to announce that Aurangabad Lighthouse completed another momentous chapter on March 19th, 2023, with an enrollment of over 1000 promising youth in our program. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, we...

Over 300 candidates participate in a job fair organized by DSEU-Lighthouse and Harijan Seva Sangh

On March 16, 2023, the DSEU-Lighthouse in Malkaganj partnered with Harijan Seva Sangh to organize a job fair at Gandhi Ashram in New Delhi. It was a remarkable event, with 317 candidates participating, and more than 75% of them being Lighthouse youth. Fifty-one...

DSEU Lighthouse at Kalkaji celebrates its first anniversary, shining bright with remarkable success and impact

Nestled amidst the vibrant and bustling Kalkaji slum community, the DSEU Lighthouse shines bright as a hope and opportunity for the students who walk through its doors. The Lighthouse celebrated its first anniversary on March 9, 2023, marking a year of remarkable...

Women’s Empowerment Takes Center Stage at Aurangabad Lighthouse’s International Women’s Day Celebration

The celebration of International Women's Day at Aurangabad Lighthouse was a remarkable event filled with great enthusiasm and zeal. The occasion was graced by the presence of Sneha Nair, the Project Officer, and Arpita Sharad, the Media Analyst from Smartcity, who...

From Idea to Reality: Junoonis Learn Business Planning and Marketing Strategies

Ninad from Dheya team, sparked the entrepreneurial spirit of the Junoonis this month. The Junoonis attended an online workshop on "How to make a business plan?" on February 3rd and had one-on-one interaction with Ninad and Vallabh on Feb 7th and 8th at the Aundh...

Lighthouse Celebrates 10,000 Job Placements for Youth from Low-Income Communities at Connecting Pathways Event

On the evening of February 24th, The Residency Club in Bund Garden Road was buzzing with energy and excitement as the "Connecting Pathways" event celebrated a remarkable achievement. We at Lighthouse have been working tirelessly to help young individuals from...

Empowering Bhubaneswar’s Youth to Soar High: Lighthouse Program Lifts Spirits with Job-Ready Skills

On 31st January, the Odisha Lighthouse team and Bhubaneswar Municipality hosted a crucial meeting with corporators to discuss the impact of the Lighthouse program on community reformation and livelihood generation. Under the chairmanship of Addl. Commissioner Shri...

Entrepreneurs Learn Creative Ways to Design Their Business for Maximum Efficiency and Impact

On January 21st, IDFC FIRST Bank organised a transformative webinar on the art of "Working on the Business, not in the Business." Led by Anand Desai, CEO and Founder of Dheya Career Mentors, the webinar was a treasure trove of valuable insights on strategically and...

Lighthouse Celebrates 74th Republic Day with Pride and Patriotism, Aims to Provide Skilling and Sustainable Livelihoods to 1 Million Youth by 2030

Today, we at Lighthouse celebrated the 74th Republic Day with a spirit of pride and patriotism. Our Chairman, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, unfurled the flag and reminded us of our mission to provide skilling and sustainable livelihoods to 1 million underserved youth by 2030....

Our vision

 

Our vision

Underserved youth realising their full potential through sustained livelihoods and good citizenship.

We envision a future India where youth from low income households thrive

The youth of India are its future. Millions of young people are struggling to build better lives for themselves and their families. COVID-19 pandemic has further pushed low-income communities into extreme poverty. We are on a mission to change that by enabling sustainable and prosperous livelihoods.

Making a difference

Making a difference

Impact of Our Work

Lighthouses guiding youth towards full potential

Lighthouses guiding youth towards full potential

Slum communities covered

Youth enrolled in the livelihood journey

Youth completed training or placed after Foundation Course

Youth are placed/self employed

Youth opted for higher education

%

Youth who are placed, are still at work post one year

Slum communities covered

Youth enrolled in livelihood journey

Youth completed training or placed after Foundation Course

Youth are placed/self employed

Youth opted for higher education

%

Youth who are placed, are still at work post one year

Success Stories

Lighthouse Provides a Safe Haven for Digvijay to Flourish

Digvijay's journey has been tough, battling schizophrenia from 2012-2013. Despite his struggles, he pushed himself to complete his post-secondary education, passing with a first-class grade of 63% while taking medication. From 2013 to 2016, Digvijay struggled with his...

Against All Odds: How Sonu Fought for a Better Life for His Family

Sonu Kumar Saw's journey from Patna to Pune is a tale of grit and determination. Despite his humble beginnings, Sonu always had a clear vision of his career path. Growing up, he saw his father work tirelessly as a farmer while his mother managed the household. As the...

Against All Odds: Smita Barve’s Determination to Achieve Her Dreams

Smita Dhulaji Barve has always been a hardworking girl, but life has not been easy for her. Losing her mother in 11th grade was a major setback, but she did not let it deter her from pursuing her dreams. With the help of her father, grandmother and brother, she ...

Breaking barriers: Ruby’s journey from a small village to becoming a Medical Representative

Ruby, a young woman from a small village in Bihar, is a story of resilience and determination. Her family, including her parents and two younger siblings, moved to Delhi to provide their children with better education. Her father worked as an auto-driver, while her...

Meet the inspiring women of Lighthouse Communities Foundation: Celebrating the Power and Resilience of Women on International Women’s Day

On the occasion of International Women's Day, we celebrate and honor the invaluable contribution of women to our society. At Lighthouse, we take pride in our predominantly female workforce, which has been the case for the past seven years. Seventy percent of our...

22 Women from Wanowrie Lighthouse Break Barriers and Drive Forward with Maruti Suzuki Driving School and ChauffHER

We're proud to share that 22 determined women from Wanowrie Lighthouse are breaking barriers and hitting the road! Through the Four Wheeler Driving course at Maruti Suzuki Driving School, they're mastering a new skill and driving their careers forward. And with our...

Neelam's life had always been a struggle. Living in a cramped house with her parents and siblings, she often wondered how they would make ends meet. Her father's meager income as a private bus driver barely managed to keep the family afloat. Neelam, the eldest among...

From isolation to empowerment: Alisha’s journey to finding acceptance and success with the help of Lighthouse

Alisha Thapa is a native of Nepal, also known as Suraj earlier. It wasn't until she started seeing changes in her body and hormones as she grew up that she realized she was transgender. When her family learned about her, unlike most families who would force their...

Vandana Pagar at 57 is on a journey to be a successful entrepreneur

For Vandana, age is just a number. Married at 21 and raising three kids, she subsided her dream of starting her own business. But at the age of 51, she realized that now is the time to take the step! Before joining the Lighthouse, Vandana had completed a Food...

Vishal aspires to be an entrepreneur through his Art skills

One of the second cohort students is thirty-two-year-old Vishal Jogdand, who resides with his family in the Indira Vasahat slum community in Aundh, Pune. His father worked as a driver throughout his life. His mother is a housewife, while his two elder brothers work to...

About us

Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Lighthouse Communities Foundation is a beacon of hope and opportunities for youth from low-income households to make their dream of a better life, a reality. Our flagship program, the Lighthouse fosters agency, skills, and workplace competencies in youth, makes them employable and enables them to get employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

About us

Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Lighthouse Communities Foundation is a beacon of hope and opportunities for youth from low-income households to make their dream of a better life, a reality. Our flagship program, the Lighthouse fosters agency, skills, and workplace competencies in youth, makes them employable and enables them to get employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Our Board of Directors

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan

Chairman, Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Ruchi Mathur

Director & CEO, Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Ashwini Malhotra

Managing Director, Weikfield Foods Pvt. Ltd.

Pradeep Bhargava

Independent Director, Persistent Systems

Rajan Navani

Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Jetline Group of Companies

Pervin Varma

Trustee – CRY

Malini Thadani

Senior Advisor, FTI Consulting

Ujwal Thakar

Chairman – Educate Girls

Rajnish Kumar

Ex Chairman SBI

Vinatha Nathan

Sr. Payments Leader, Crane Payment Innovations

Our Board of Directors

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan

Chairman, Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Ruchi Mathur

Director & CEO, Lighthouse Communities Foundation

Ashwini Malhotra

Managing Director, Weikfield Foods Pvt. Ltd.

Pradeep Bhargava

Independent Director, Persistent Systems

Rajan Navani

Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Jetline Group of Companies

Pervin Varma

Trustee – CRY

Malini Thadani

Senior Advisor, FTI Consulting

Ujwal Thakar

Chairman – Educate Girls

Rajnish Kumar

Ex Chairman SBI

Vinatha Nathan

Sr. Payments Leader, Crane Payment Innovations

Our Partners

We work together in a unique Public-Private partnership with government, corporates, nonprofits and citizens. This pioneering collective action model ensures that each partner plays a specific role in achieving the goals.

Government Partners

Donor Partners

Placement Partners

Global Partners

Ecosystem Partners

Government Partners

Donor Partners

Placement Partners

Global Partners

Ecosystem Partners

City-Specific Programs

As part of our other social transformation initiatives, we are implementing a large-scale program for livelihoods (Global Opportunity Youth Network, Pune), digital empowerment for low-income citizens and quality education in public schools.

Pune City Connect

Celebrating 5 years of communities transformation

Lighthouse Communities started its first initiative in Pune, Maharashtra in partnership with Pune Municipal Corporation. We operate in Pune with a vision of “Sampoorna Pune” (Pune Fulfilled) and work with youth through the Lighthouses while also identifying further opportunities through the Aspen Institute “Global Opportunity Youth Network” partnership.

We also have a comprehensive Digital Empowerment initiative, inspired by the Prime Minister’s National Digital Literacy Mission to make one person in every family digitally empowered. We have been facilitating holistic Education through the “Shikshak Sahyogi” or Teacher Mentor program as well as the “Models of Excellence” program that aims to take Social Emotional Learning across PMC schools.

Pune City Connect

Pune City Connect

Celebrating 5 years of communities transformation

Lighthouse Communities started its first initiative in Pune, Maharashtra in partnership with Pune Municipal Corporation. We operate in Pune with a vision of “Sampoorna Pune” (Pune Fulfilled) and work with youth through the Lighthouses while also identifying further opportunities through the Aspen Institute “Global Opportunity Youth Network” partnership.

We also have a comprehensive Digital Empowerment initiative, inspired by the Prime Minister’s National Digital Literacy Mission to make one person in every family digitally empowered. We have been facilitating holistic Education through the “Shikshak Sahyogi” or Teacher Mentor program as well as the “Models of Excellence” program that aims to take Social Emotional Learning across PMC schools.