FRIENDS are people who can be relied on to help in times of need. People around the world suffer everyday from circumstances such as poverty, hunger, abandonment, abuse, exploitation and the lack of access to their basic rights. When this happens, they rely on people to step forward and help lift them out of desperation. This is what it means to be a friend to people in our neighborhoods, communities, countries and the world.
Friendship Day
Friendship Day is celebrated around the world on both July 30th and August 6th. The UN officially declared Friendship Day in 2011 to underscore the important role of friendship to diffuse negative situations and promote the well-being of others. In schools, colleges and offices, Friendship Day is usually marked with a celebration that involves exchanging cards, gifts and taking to social media to express our appreciation and affection for those we call our friends. But for many people, friend is an unknown word. For as long as they could remember, they have been alone, abused and left in poverty and neglect.
This Friendship Day, here are 5 groups of people you can be a friend to:
Be a friend to missing children at railway stations
Each year, thousands of children go missing across the country. These missing children are either runaways or those who were accidentally separated from their families. In many cases, the children end up at railway stations where they are surrounded by strangers and there is a high risk of kidnapping and abduction. Once these children have been forcefully taken to other locations, they are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, child labor and even forced prostitution. SATHI (Society for Assistance to Children in Difficult Situations) is an NGO based in Bengaluru that has a presence in more than 25 railway stations across the country. The expert SATHI team stands guard throughout railway stations looking for children who are lost, unsupervised and terrified for their lives.
The team carefully approaches the children and once it is confirmed that they are missing, they are taken to the SATHI safe home with the approval of the local police, authorities and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Once at the home, the children are counseled by a team of trained professionals and a process begins to reunite the children with their families. SATHI needs your support to afford the costs of keeping the shelter home open to continue sheltering and caring for missing children. To help SATHI, donate here to make sure missing children do not fall into the hands of criminals and traffickers.
Be a friend to girls who cannot afford school
The classroom is where young girls should spend their time learning, expanding their minds and planning their futures. But around 40% of all adolescent girls in India are out of school, according to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Denied an education, these girls are at home where there is a greater chance of child marriage, child labor and the lack of opportunities to grow into womanhood being equipped with the agency to forge their own paths. Give’s Mission: Every Girl in School aims to place girls back into classrooms where they belong and help these children have the academic foundation to build strong futures for themselves.
Mission: Every Girl in School covers the financial cost of sending girls to school, something that families living in extreme poverty cannot afford to do. Mission: Every Girl in School provides the cost of tuition fees, books, uniforms, school supplies and other education expenses for girls whose families are unable to send them to school. Your monthly contribution of ₹1,000 educates one girl for one month and allows her to have access to one of her fundamental rights – the right to an education. To support Mission: Every Girl in School, donate here and send girls back to school, where they belong.
Be a friend to abandoned orphans
For the 30 million orphans across India, there is more to be worried about than not having parents or guardians. Only a fraction of these children are in a care home – around 500,000 to be exact. This means that the majority of orphaned children are unsupervised and live in dangerous conditions or on the streets. Without any care or protection, these precious orphans are vulnerable to being abused or trafficked and taken to places far from their home states to forcefully work – or worse. Give’s Mission: No Child Orphaned works with partner NGOs across the country to give these children a chance to have safe and happy childhoods.
Mission: No Child Orphaned takes care of children who were orphaned either due to the deaths of their parents or being abandoned by their families. One of the reasons for abandonment includes being born with disabilities. In these cases, the children are left in public places where they are found by our partner NGOs. Once in the care of the NGOs, the children are given safe shelter, nutritious meals, academic support, healthcare and the environment to live as carefree children. Your monthly charitable donation of ₹1,000 helps our partner NGOs continue providing for the children in their care and reaching out to help the millions of orphans in dire need. To support Mission: No Child Orphaned, donate here and help care for India’s orphans.
Be a friend to abandoned senior citizens
For the 100 million elderly people in India, there are multiple issues to deal with such as the physical effects of aging and coping with a rapidly changing world. While this is difficult enough for many people to deal with, there is the emotional burden of abandonment. At an age when most elderly people look forward to relying on their children and grandchildren for support, many are thrown out onto the streets by their family members and left to fend for themselves. This is a heartbreak too heavy for many to survive. Share and Care is an NGO based in Tamil Nadu that cares for abandoned senior citizens and gives them a reason to smile again.
Share and Care provides neglected and abandoned senior citizens with dry food rations, healthy meals, clothing, blankets, medical care, geriatric counselling, physiotherapy and the opportunity to form lasting friendships among the elderly who live in the area. Founded in 1984, Share and Care takes care of around 400 senior citizens who have no one else to look after them, but the high cost of the supplies means that the NGO needs your support to continue helping these lonely elders in desperate need. To help Share and Care, donate here and give these abandoned senior citizens the care they need to live their lives with dignity.
Be a friend to abused working animals
Equine animals, such as horses, ponies, mules and donkeys are frequently used across India to carry heavy loads on their backs and pull vehicles at beaches, hill stations and other tourist destinations. These animals are called working animals or draught animals and while there are laws to protect these animals from being overworked, the reality is that abuse and overwork often lead to the torture and death of equine working animals. People For Animals Uttarakhand runs a sanctuary called the Happy Home Sanctuary where rescued animals are cared for and given a safe and peaceful environment to live.
People For Animals Uttarakhand rescues working animals from the dangers of their harsh working environments and gives them a safe place to graze and live, immediate medical care and nutritious meal concentrate so they can recover from the physical and mental trauma of overwork and abuse. But there are still many working animals being drugged and overworked for up to 24 hours a day. People For Animals Uttarakhand needs your support to rescue and care for these animals. To help People For Animals, donate here and give working animals the chance to live their lives free from human abuse.
This Friendship Day, as we celebrate our friendships with those around us, let’s reach out to those in need and be a friend to those who need a helping hand. Happy Friendship Day!
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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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