Inspired by childhood memories of inmates walking with their mothers behind bars, Kiran Bedi launched a prison crèche at Tihar in 1993 planting the seeds of compassionate reform. The following year, she institutionalized this vision by founding the India Vision Foundation (IVF) in 1994, with a mission to transform prisons through long-term, dignity-centered interventions.

IVF now operates across over 20 prisons in states like Delhi, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra, serving more than 300,000 beneficiaries annually through its “4S” Inside Prison Program combining Shiksha (education), Sanskar (values), Swasthya (health), and Skills (vocational training).

The Foundation’s pioneering Early Childhood Care Programme provides safe, developmental nurseries (balwadi and nursery) inside prisons soon making prison crèches mandatory by legal decree. For children beyond age six, the Children of Vulnerable Families Program offers hostel placements, psycho-social support, and school continuity providing a “cradle-to-career” lifeline. Impressively, all 450+ alumni remain crime-free, working in stable careers and living meaningful lives.

Beyond inmates and their children, IVF trains prison staff through its “Samvad” sessions, fostering a rehabilitation mindset over punitive norms and is expanding reintegration efforts with Project Sakaar, offering sewing and computer skills for post-release livelihood.