THESE fundraisers support NGOs that help separated families who experience tumultuous feelings of helplessness and heartache when a child or an elder goes missing or becomes lost on the dangerous streets. The world outside is a harsh place where unexpected things happen, and this is even more true for vulnerable groups of people such as children and senior citizens. There are criminals and traffickers who exploit the vulnerable by snatching children and elders to be used for forced labor or worse. Those also caught in the clutches of criminals are not lost or missing, but are elders who have been chased out of their homes by their own children for reasons such as money, property or the refusal to care for them. When they are pushed out onto the streets, they find themselves unprotected and exposed to harm and danger, in their frail and old age.
For these vulnerable groups of people, NGOs across India keep a watchful eye out to rescue them from danger and bring them to a place where they can be safe, comfortable and fulfilled for the rest of their lives. Their fundraisers allow compassionate individuals to become a part of the collective effort to save and protect the most vulnerable from a lifetime of harm. Each May 15th, International Day of Families is celebrated and observed as a day set apart to raise awareness of the issues that cause great harm and concern to families, pledge our support to stopping these issues from happening and reaching out to help victims.
Here are 5 NGOs whose fundraisers are working across India to reunite families:
Railway Children of India
In India, more than 170 children go missing each day, according to CRY research. These children get separated from their families and often end up at crowded railway stations where they are vulnerable to criminals who lure or abduct them away from their families, after which they are lost forever. Railway Children of India is an NGO that has a presence in 35 major railway stations across India. Their teams are trained to spot unaccompanied children, help them find their families and bring them to the NGO’s safe home with the assistance of the police and local authorities.
The rescued children are given good food, medical attention and counseling at the safe home, after which, trained counselors obtain enough information to locate the children’s families and reunite them. For parents in anguish over their missing children, Railway Children of India is a light in their darkness. The NGO shares that “if the children aren’t reached within 15 to 20 minutes, we will lose that child,“ making support for fundraisers like theirs urgent and paramount. To support Railway Children of India:
Maitri
In many parts of India, widowhood is associated with a stigma that discriminates against women who have lost their husbands and places unfair burdens on them. Due to long held cultural practices, some widows are cut off from society and forced to live in isolation, whether young or old. In other families, widows are considered to have “outlived their usefulness” and are abused at home or pushed out onto the streets. Maitri is an NGO that rescues abandoned widows from the streets of Vrindavan and cares for them with love and affection.
Once Maitri brings the women into the NGO’s home for widows, the women are given safe shelter, regular meals, medical care, counseling and a sense of companionship with the other widows. But bringing families together is an important part of Maitri’s mission. For women who can be reunited with their children, the NGO brings them together in a spirit of reconciliation to work through their problems. Fundraisers run by NGOs such as Maitri support abandoned widows living in loneliness and give them a life of smiles and laughter. To support Maitri:
Urja Trust
The human fight-or-flight response often sends people running far from their homes when abuse, especially sexual abuse, has occurred. For young girls who are frightened after horrific incidents of sexual abuse, seeking a safe place is of prime importance. But the world outside is filled with people who will also harm them. To protect young girls who have run away from their homes because of abuse, Urja Trust is an NGO that ensures girls have a safe place to stay and access to basic needs including academic and employment support to build their futures.
Urja Trust’s trained counselors also work with girls who can be reunited with their families, after determining that it is safe. The Mumbai-based NGO tracks down their families and starts the process of reconciliation and restoration. To ensure the girls are safe and protected at home, Urja Trust conducts periodic follow ups and home visits to ensure the girls are not exposed to any dangers. To help Urja Trust reach out to more girls exposed to exploitation, make a charitable contribution to their fundraiser and support survivors of abuse. To support Urja Trust:
Ashadeep
People with mental disabilities often become lost or go missing while running errands or taking a walk. But when they cannot find their way home, they experience panic and distress and this worsens the situation. Unable to find their way home, they roam the streets and end up far from places they recognize. This worsens their mental state and they either cry or break down on the streets. Ashadeep is an NGO that brings in homeless people with mental disorders and cares for them with a home, nutritional care, medical attention and psychiatric support..
Ashadeep focuses on rehabilitation and offers opportunities to be productive while also taking the time to understand what each individual needs when it comes to their families. Dr. Anjana Goswami, the founder of Guwahati-based Ashadeep, shares that “we have been able to reunite over 1,000 people with their families after completing their treatment” and working with each person to understand their individual needs. With support, Ashadeep can rescue more people from the streets to rehabilitate and reunite them with their families. To support Ashadeep:
Atchayam Trust
Elders are often mistreated by their own children who either keep them at home in miserable conditions or throw them out of the house. Homelessness is challenging, but for old people who are homeless because of harsh separation from their families, the mental and emotional suffering makes the situation worse. On the streets, elders have no access to shelter, food, water or medicine and are in danger of being further robbed and beaten by strangers. For these elders, Atchayam Trust is an NGO that rescues, shelters and rehabilitates.
Atchayam Trust does their best to restore relationships between the elders and their families. The NGO prioritizes helping the senior citizens in a holistic manner and this includes helping them reconcile with their families, if it is possible. In some cases, the elders are back in touch with their children, even if they do not live in the same home. But for most of the elders, being back with their families places them in danger. For them, the NGO offers safe and permanent shelter and skills training to help them live in dignity and independence. To support Atchayam Trust:
Lend your support to these fundraisers reuniting families
These 5 NGO fundraisers each explore a different sort of person – a lost child, an abandoned widow, a trafficked minor and homeless people with mental disorders and begging on the streets. Each of these people have been separated from their families – either by accident or choice – and this has placed them in a dangerous and vulnerable position.
But your support can help rescue them and either restore them to their families or take them to a safe place. This International Day of Families, your support to these 5 fundraisers can help entire generations of people – just by helping one.
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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