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Mr. Prafulla Kumar Senapati
Founder
The inspiration behind the Jeevan Jyoti organization is provided through the vision of Mr. Prafulla Kumar Senapati. After losing his father at a very early age he was adopted by his Aja (maternal grandfather), who wanted him to manage his large holding of properties in the village. Mr. Senapati finished his high school and enrolled in college even as he felt a lack of purpose in his life. Having missed the love and care of parents in his early years, his mind was filled with thoughts of helping the needy. A critical event that occurred during a trip to Bhubaneswar in 2002 brought a new direction to Mr. Senapati’s journey in life.
He encountered two children who had been abandoned by the side of the road by their family. After notifying the police, he took the two brothers back to his village. However, as his family was very resistant to raising the children, Mr. Senapati decided to bring them back to Bhubaneswar where he was able to find an ashram that agreed to shelter them. A small piece of land was located nearby and the ashram moved into a sturdier building in 2005 through small donations from many people. The ashram was inspected and approved by the relevant government authorities and was able to accommodate more orphans as support grew from his family in the village and others. Presently the ashram cares for seventy children. As word spread in the community about the care the orphans were receiving, senior citizens started showing up at the door seeking shelter. In 2014, a new wing was added for old age people and registered with the authorities as the Jeevan Dhara facility. It presently house eleven residents.
As the facility has been operating in temporary quarters since 2005, the board started a search for private donors to acquire an appropriate piece of land and build permanent buildings. In late 2019 two generous private donors deeded a large plot near Bhubaneswar to the organization. The board is now seeking monetary donations to fund the construction of the buildings, for which the plans have already been submitted to the relevant municipality agency. To date the organization has not received any monetary support from any governmental source.
The Jeevan Jyoti Charitable Trust was established in 2005 as a non-governmental, non-profit organization to work with
orphaned or abandoned children to help them grow into self-sufficient, mature adults who are valued members of society.
While living in a safe environment, they grow academically while also learning valuable skills that will help them develop
into responsible adults.
In 2014, we added a separate section for senior citizens where the aged can lead a self-reliant, dignified and secure
life during their later years without worrying about the many demands of day-to-day living.
The orphanage seeks to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children, who may not have a supportive family, can learn and develop. The Old Age/Brudhalaya seeks to provide a safe and secure environment for the aged so they can live their “golden” years in a dignified and engaging manner. Our vision is to one day have a self-sustaining community consisting of permanent facilities for an orphanage, school, training center and a home for the elderly.
The primary mission of the orphanage and the Old Age/Brudhalaya is providing the orphaned, destitute, outcast, unloved, needy and elderly persons with a home, love, happiness, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual nourishment, the highest level of education possible, and a hope for a bright future.
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Prafulla Kumar Senapati is the founder of Jeevanjyoti Ashram. He is married and has two children. He and his family spend most of their time at the Ashram.
Mrs. Ranjita Mohanty currently resides in the USA with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. She has worked for over twenty five years with a leading investment bank. She spends most of her spare time volunteering for the Sri Jaganaath Society of North Carolina and other local charities. Upon retirement, Mrs. Mohanty plans on spending most of her time in Odisha working with the Jeevan Jyoti Ashram and other non-profit organizations.
Mrs. Senapati is the wife of the founder of the JJA, Mr. Prafulla Senapati. When she joined the organization in 2006 she expanded her family from her own two children to the 75 other children who already resided at the large home. She spends a lot of her time and energy growing crops and vegetables on their family property to feed all the children who live at the home with pure and nutritional meals. The rest of the time she spends looking after the welfare of the children including overseeing their educational and medical needs.
Mrs. Manaswini Mohanty has been a member of the JJA Board since 2008. She lives in Bhubaneswar with her husband Ashok. She has been actively involved in several projects to improve the quality of life in the ashram.
Mrs Mousumi Pattnaik joined the JJA Board in 2011. She lives with her husband and family in Bhubaneswar. She is dedicated to monitoring the safety and welfare of the residents in the ashram.
Mrs. Pattnaik is married and lives with her husband in Odisha. She joined the JJA in 2008 with a strong desire to work closely with all its residents. Since joining the organization, she has worked tirelessly to keep the smile on the face of all the children and senior citizens of the home.
