PEACE brings to mind images of pure happiness, comfort, good health, laughter and safety. It is the ideal which we all strive to create in our families, communities and nations. But in a moment, we can lose our peace through conflict, health complications or the death of a loved one. While we dread such moments and try our hardest to create safeguards against it, there are billions of people we share the planet with who only know the opposite of peace.
The major circumstances that rob people of their peace are serious and grave conditions such as the lack of food to eat, medicines to keep us alive or having no home to give us shelter or education to improve our lives. If this wasn’t enough to deal with, people without these resources are constantly abused and exploited because of their helplessness.
International Day of Peace
International Day of Peace was designated in 1981 as a day to observe 24 hours of an absence of violence and bring about a ceasefire. But what does it mean to promote non violence and ceasefires? In addition to military conflicts, violence could also mean issues such as hunger and starvation, as Mahatma Gandhi indicated when he declared that “poverty is the worst form of violence”.
We each have the opportunity to end violence around the world, starting with these 5 issues that rob people of their peace and five fundraisers to support:
Hunger and starvation
It is estimated by the Food and Agricultural Organization that over 220 million people in India are undernourished and lack nutritious food and regular meals. Due to this, people suffer from deficiencies, diseases, weakened bodies and shortened life spans.
Annamrita Foundation provides nutrition packed meals to children in schools who are from poor and underprivileged backgrounds. In providing healthy meals every day, the NGO ensures that children receive the nutrition they need during their formative years and do not suffer from malnutrition or stunted growth, which is common among children who do not have enough food to eat. “I once saw a pack of dogs and a group of small children fighting over a piece of roti,” shares the founder of Annamrita Foundation. That made him determined to ensure that no child in India should ever experience hunger and starvation. Annamrita Foundation has set up safe and clean kitchens across the country and served over 1,000,000 children with healthy meals in 21 cities. When you make a charitable donation of ₹1,000 you can provide one underprivileged child with nutritious meals for one year and ensure that they stay in school. To support Annamrita Foundation, you can donate here.
Abuse and exploitation
In the dark and dangerous back alleys of red light districts, children are caught up in a crime they are far too young to understand: sex trafficking. Their mothers are forced and exploited into prostitution and they too become victims of the mental, physical and sexual torture that occurs there.
Snehalaya is an NGO that rescues children from the red light districts and gives them a safe home, medical care and an education to help them have a safe and promising future. “I am still haunted by the sight of a girl aged 12 being gang raped by grown men,” shares the founder of Snehalaya. He was overcome with shock and anguish and this led him to start rescuing young children who were vulnerable to being raped in the red light districts. The children who are stuck in the red light districts are deprived of all their basic rights including shelter, food, education and basic safety and live in terror of the men who come to the red light districts. In the past 30 years, Girish has saved over 1,100 girls from being abused and many of them are HIV-positive and require extensive psychological and medical treatment. To support Snehalaya, you can donate here.
Homelessness
For the 103 million senior citizens in India, a future of peace of security is all that can be hoped for. But in many homes, elderly people are beaten, pushed, kicked and thrown out of their homes by their own family members.
SHEOWS (Saint Hardyal Educational and Orphans Welfare Society) rescues old, abused and abandoned people who have been disowned by their families and have nowhere to live, and gives them shelter, medical care, nutritious food, emotional support and a future of hope. “I’ve seen mothers in old and torn clothes, their bodies smelling and their hands and feet rotting and covered in maggots,” shares Dr. Bhagat, the founder of SHEOWS. Since 2003, the NGO has rescued over 10,000 elderly people from the streets. It has a dedicated rescue team that saves the elderly from the streets and gives them immediate medical care upon their arrival at the home. Once their immediate needs are tended to, SHEOWS provides free shelter, nutritious food three times a day, clothing, medical care, recreational activities and emotional support to abused and disabled elderly people. The NGO also makes the effort to reunite the senior citizens with their families if there is a chance at reconciliation. To support SHEOWS, you can donate here.
Lack of healthcare
The World Health Organization has found that there are only 23 health workers per 10,000 people. Without access to healthcare and prompt medical attention, people suffer and die of preventable conditions and diseases from diarrhea to Diabetes.
Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF) brings medical services to underprivileged communities and holistic healthcare to people in desperate need of medical attention. RHFC has primary healthcare centers that offer high-quality and low-cost treatment. The NGO also conducts door-to-door screenings in rural households for early detection and treatment of illnesses. Since 2010, Rural Health Care Foundation has brought medical care to over 3.1 million people in remote areas including general, optometrical, dental and surgical care for operations such as cataract, Cleft palate, pterygium and more. Through its 10 centers, RHCF appoints teams of doctors and medical staff to support the poor and underprivileged with high-quality medicine and treatment. In addition to treatment, the NGO also provides spectacles, wheelchairs, blankets and other aids to people who need but cannot afford them. To support Rural Health Care Foundation, you can donate here.
Lack of access to education
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) reported that nearly 40% of adolescent girls in India are out of school. These girls, without access to education, are vulnerable to child marriage, child labor and cannot improve their futures.
Every Girl in School is a mission that aims to raise funds to cover the education costs of 15,000 girls across India. The funds will cover the cost of tuition fees, books, uniforms and other school-related expenses to make sure that every girl has access to an education. Since the Every Girl in School mission started, girls like young Akanksha have the chance to go to school. Akanksha comes from a poor family and was forced to drop out of middle school when she began menstruating. Her brother was able to continue going to school, but Akanksha had to stay home to do the household chores. But because of the Every Girl in School mission, Akanksha’s low-income family can now afford to send her to school. Each morning, Akanksha wakes up, gets ready for school, enjoys her classes and dreams of becoming a police officer when she grows up. To support the Every Girl in School mission, you can donate here.
What’s the opposite of peace? The issues that plague people and place them in helplessness and despair. But these can be turned around through the effort of NGOs and the charitable support of people around the world who want to make life better for others.
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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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