In Vrindavan, thousands of elderly widow mothers face the harsh reality of abandonment and suffering. With no one to turn to, many are left begging on the streets, exposed to heat, cold and rain,Donate so that Maitri can provide shelter, food, clothes and medical support to abandoned elderly mothers now. Give generously.Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singn and his wife Winnie Singh and have witnessed many cases of widow mothers being abandoned on the streets of Vrindavan, one of the holiest places in India. “Children leave their mothers as soon as they become widows. The children start feeling the burden. This has become a practice in today's society that money comes first and everything else later,” says Winnie whose Maitri India, rescues widowed mothers from the streets of Vrindavan.Many widowed elderly mothers often end up living a lonely life and begging to survive on the streets. And Maitri aspires to take care of every widow in need of help, but because of lack of funds, Winnie and Maitri are in a position to do it. Gen Bhopinder Singh is like a brother to many widow mothers."Elderly widows don't have shelter. They sleep in cowsheds over sacks. They don't have a blanket. Nights are really difficult for them," shares Gen Bhopinder Singh.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/1abfb906-563b-4747-85b8-8af2071a2856.jpg" />Maitri aims to:<ul><li>Provide shelter and nutritious meals leading to improved health and wellbeing</li><li>Make physical and mental health services accessible</li><li>Offer necessary quality aged care and assisted living support</li><li>Increase awareness and engagement around the struggles of abandoned widow mothers</li></ul>Why donate to MaitriWinnie needs your support to help those in need of food, healthcare and well-being. “Maitri urgently needs your support to provide nutritious food, clothing and healthcare to sustain these widow mothers who are prone to more illnesses as they age,” appeals Winnie. “You can become the family they were denied. Hold their hands so they don't need to beg ever again,” says Gen Bhopinder Singh. Let’s rescue abandoned widows mothers from the streets of Vrindavan and give them a better future. Donate now.Our help will enable Maitri to save hundreds of abandoned widows from a life of begging, and restore the respect, dignity, and identity they deserve.

Help Maitri provide shelter and care to abandoned widow mothers

Most of Sharanalayam’s children have ‘V’ as their initial. The ‘V’ stands for ‘Vanitha,’ the founder of the NGO. For the orphaned and the abandoned kids, Vanitha is simply ‘Thaiamma’ (mother). One of them is V Dhanushya, 18, who is studying nursing. “Thaiamma has taken care of me since I was six months old. I don’t know who I was born to, but if somebody asks me my mother’s name, I will say Vanitha,” Dhanushya says.But Vanitha, at 72, is seeking your support to keep Sharanalayam running and help many more Dhanushyas. Donate now.Donations to this fundraiser are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India). <img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/519af8b4-e1d1-4974-98c3-a9a15120df8b.png" />“A sex worker’s child should not become a sex worker, and a beggar’s child should not end up becoming a beggar. Every child, in my eyes, is equal, and no child deserves to live on the streets. That is my basic philosophy,” says N Vanitha Rengaraj, chairperson of Sharanalayam.For rescued abandoned infants from bus stands, railway stations, roadsides and temple steps and orphans adopting whose parents have died, Sharanalayam has been a loving home for close to two decades. Vanitha has also been taking care of abandoned HIV-infected and mentally challenged kids. Today, over 80 abandoned kids are given shelter, food, medical care, education and other amenities at Sharanalayam.Vanitha has tried her best to run Sharanalayam from her own resources and that of her well-wishers, but the last two years have been harsh. “I have never extended my hands asking people to donate, but I have to do it now for the sake of the children under my care,” says Vanitha. Donate now.Over 80 children at Sharanalayam attend school and do well in their studies. Many of them study in private schools and Sharanalayam bears all expenses.How Sharanalayam came into beingThe NGO started its operations in 2001 from rented premises in Pollachi in the district of Coimbatore. It had seven children. The first child to be brought to Sharanalayam was a baby of four, who was mentally challenged, and her mother chained the daughter when she went out to work.When Vanitha came to know about this child, she went to inquire and saw that the baby was in a horrible state. She promised the mother that she would take care of the baby. “The baby hardly had any strength. She used to be called ‘insect’ by the people in the neighbourhood. The doctor said that she might not survive beyond a month. But she did for over a year, under my care. I named her Shakthi,” recalls Vanitha.Sharanalayam has come a long way since that time, with hundreds of children being taken care of by the NGO in the last two decades. Many have become professionals in various fields, including medical care, engineering, counselling, banking, etc.Sharanalayam needs urgent support to take care of 80 children under its care. The organisation also aspires to take care of many more orphaned and abandoned children in the coming months and years. Vanitha cannot do it without your support. Donate now.

Help 72-year-old Vanitha provide 80 abandoned orphans with shelter and care

For thousands of elderly people, homeless individuals, daily-wage workers and vulnerable families, hunger is not an occasional hardship, it is a daily reality. Danirasa Foundation’s with the help of kind supporters and donors is quietly changing this reality for hundreds each day. Your donation provides a warm meal to an elderly grandparent who has no other means to survive. At ₹25 per meal, your donation of ₹1,250 can provide a meal each for 50 elders. Donate Now.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/4638fd0e-2ec9-4c5e-b3a8-c00af652f0cf.webp" />Donate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking.Charitable donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India).From one crisis to a mission against hungerDanirasa Foundation’s journey began during the devastating 2015 Chennai floods. Founder Indu Priya witnessed families, especially women and children, struggling with displacement and hunger. She and her team mobilised volunteers to cook and distribute hot meals. What began as an emergency response became a lasting commitment to ensuring vulnerable communities have access to food with dignity and care.Today, Danirasa’s Community Kitchen serves around 4,900 people through this programme. The meals reach elderly residents in old-age homes, children from underserved communities, rehabilitation centres, homeless people, daily-wage workers and others facing food insecurity.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/83575191-6a09-495a-90d8-7d25ccfbef96.webp" />A meal can mean so much moreFor an elderly person living without family support, a nutritious meal can bring comfort. For someone surviving on irregular daily wages, it can mean one less worry. For a vulnerable child, it can provide the nourishment needed to learn and grow.But feeding thousands of people every day requires a steady supply of ingredients, cooking, packaging, transportation and dedicated people.Help serve a meal with dignity<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/7e996883-166b-4ca3-bee7-2bc0c73ceefb.webp" />Your donation can help Danirasa continue providing nutritious meals to homeless and elderly people, children, workers, persons with disabilities and families struggling to make ends meet.Help Danirasa ensure that no vulnerable person has to face the day with an empty stomach. Donate today.Donate to this fundraiser by give.do, India’s most trusted online donation platform, to support Danirasa Foundation, in its mission to feed helpless elderly and destitute people, who have no means of survival.

This Navratri, help feed warm meals to abandoned elderly and the destitute

This is a sample description for Women Empowerment. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Women EmpowermentWomen EmpowermentWomen Empowerment.

Women Empowerment

This is a sample description for Environment For the purpose of testing I will use the word EnvironmentEnvironmentEnvironment.

Environment

This is a sample description for Livelihood. For the purpose of testing I will use the word LivelihoodLivelihoodLivelihoodLivelihood.

Livelihood

This is a sample description for Community & Rural Development. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Community & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural Development.

Community & Rural Development

We are your typical middle class working women who discovered the connection between our waste and the ailments that were troubling our children. Given our experience in the corporate sector, we analyzed the issues and started to work on reducing our and our community's waste impact. Before we knew, we were part of the nationwide Garbage Sisterhood. At some point, we felt we have to step up from being an eco-warrior to an eco-entrepreneur to create products and solutions that can help people who want to make a change, and Stonesoup was born. Stonesoup Trust creates awareness on 'Zero waste living' in communities, corporations, schools, etc.

Donations through Give Foundation, registered under section 80G of India's Income Tax Act, 1961 are tax-deductible.

Stonesoup Trust

This nonprofit is registered as a charitable trust under section 12A of India's Income Tax Act, 1961.

This nonprofit is registered under section 80G of India's Income Tax Act, 1961. This means you can deduct 50% of the donation you made through your tax return.

Smita Kulkarni

Menstrual cups and weaver sarees distributed to BBMP pourakarmikas, Linkworker’s and ASHA workers of ward 46. Thanks to RT Nagar residents and Rotary RT Nagar for contributing. It makes for comfortable periods for the next 10 years and colourful Deepawali habba. Thanks to Sowmya for coordinating it all.<img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/e2a8fe24-f7fd-4861-8535-2226c8c22ae7.jpeg" />

Donation in RT Nagar

22 Oct 2020: Continuing on our campaign of #cupforcovidwarriors, the recipients of the cup and weaver saree donations in the festive time of Navratri were the link workers and ASHA workers of Hombegowda ward. The event was organised by Vinodh and other team members of the Parivartana Trust who have been involved in COVID relief work in the past few months. <img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/8d25eb5a-d784-493a-935e-65165961892e.jpg" /><img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/47d148a3-0e83-4daa-86ff-55df0b47b9d8.jpg" />

Cups and weaver sarees to Hombegowda Linkworkers and ASHA workers

On 18th Oct, the ASHA workers of Shanthinagar and Shantala Nagar took a break from their COVID duty to gather at MG Road COVID war room centre for a session on sustainable menstruation and gifting of cups They were delighted to receive the pink cups along with weaver sarees sponsored by Mission Vishwas and Rotary. <img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/bfb16546-9e61-44cd-92d5-7033ca328306.jpg" />

Cups to Shanthinagar ASHA Workers

PadSquad, GiveIndia, Rotary, Mission Vishwas, Shrenis and Stonesoup came together today at Richards Park to gift 34 of our frontline COVID Warriors (BBMP Linkworkers, ASHA workers, PHC medical staff, Policewomen) with Happy Periods and Happy Festival Season. They received Stonesoup menstrual cups to manage their periods in a healthier, earth-friendly and more comfortable way. They also received sarees sourced from distressed weavers of Banhatti and Yamakanamardi of Karnataka. Needless to say their faces were glowing!<img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/9bcf723f-d220-4b5f-acab-dce8adaba627.jpg" />

34 cups to COVID Warriors of Pulakeshinagar Ward

BBMP Health department has done a commendable job in increasing testing levels in Bangalore. The link workers joined hands with the PHC (Public Health Clinics) in every ward and have been reaching out to slums, orphanages, old age homes and people at large to get tested. These ladies are out in the field most of the time, with limited access to clean bathrooms and erratic work hours. Many manage the period days by using multiple disposable pads so they would not have to change in between. Many take leave during those days. Bangalore Cosmo Ladies Circle 105 came forward to donate 30 menstrual cups to the link workers in Yelahanka Zone. The cups were distributed on Sep 2, 2020 at Mini Vidhana Soudha in Yelahanka by BBMP Health Officer of Yelahanka Zone, Dr Savita. Smita Kulkarni, co-founder of Stonesoup explained the need for sustainable menstruation and how cups will make their jobs easier to do during periods. She also demonstrated how to insert the cups and remove and answered questions. One of the link workers, Suma, took the lead and has noted the numbers of all those who received the cup today. Videos on usage and follow up will be done over the next one month to ensure they are able to use the cup successfully. By donating these 30 cups today, the Ladies Circle team has diverted 60,000 disposable pads from the landfill and collectively saved Rs 5,40,000 for the women that would have otherwise been spent on disposable pads over 10 years by these women. We would like more and more people to come forward lead similar initiatives to gift happy periods for the special women of Bangalore City! <img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/ed2355df-d727-4504-bf3c-22523d9320d6.jpeg" /><img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/ca9586df-33a8-4e8c-bf5f-50906ec98220.jpeg" /><img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/055d2ef5-21b2-4a26-924c-dd7c78c8d5c7.jpeg" />

30 cups to BBMP Link Workers in Yelahanka

Create change with NGOs on Give.do! Explore 3,000+ NGOs dedicated to causes like human rights, animal welfare and healthcare. Your contribution matters!

Find the best NGOs in India on Give.do and Donate to Fundraisers

NGOs Listing page

According to the National family health survey 2015-16, India has 336 million menstruating women. Reports suggest that India creates staggering 113,000 tonnes of menstrual waste annually that can take over 500-800 years to fully decompose. Lack of proper disposal facilities also leads to overuse of the menstrual hygiene products beyond the recommended time which puts women at risk for infections. According to a report published by NDTV in February 2018, Disposable sanitary pads have the following side effects; causes Cancer, infertility and birth defects. The reports also suggest menstrual cups and cloth pads as a safer alternative. Stonesoup works in the area of sustainable menstruation, gifting women and girls 'Cash Free, Rash Free and Trash Free' periods.<ol><li>One Menstrual cup lasts for about 10 years and saves about 1800 disposable pads from going to the landfill</li><li>One reusable cloth pad kit lasts for about 4-5 years and saves about 540 disposable pads from going to the landfill. We recommend reusable cloth pad kits especially for school girls</li></ol> We want to gift green periods to about 80,000 women and girls. This includes menstrual cups for women in need and reusable cloth pads for school girls.

Gift a Green Period

According to MHAI India has 336 million menstruating women and 36% use disposable sanitary napkins that totals to 121 million women. This implies that India has 12.3 billion disposable sanitary napkins to take care of every year. Most of these products are disposed in unsanitary and unhygienic ways like flushing in toilets, throwing in dustbins as part of regular solid waste, by burning, by burying, by throwing it into a river etc.<ul><li> Disposable sanitary pads and tampons contain super absorptive materials like polyacrylate, when flushed absorbs all the liquids, swell up and causes sewage backflow which is serious health hazard </li><li>Deodorised sanitary products used by women/girls contain chemicals used in bleaching such as organochlorines which when buried in the soil disturbs the soil microflora and decomposition takes time.</li><li>When a used disposable napkin is thrown into a river, it contaminates the river</li><li> Burning of pads releases harmful gasses that affects health and environment. Burning of inorganic material at low temperature releases dioxins which are toxic and carcinogenic</li><li>There is enough research and evidence to show that sanitary pads contain chemicals that have adverse effect of women’s health</li></ul> 
 <ol><li>Spread awareness on Sustainable Menstruation and encourage women and girls to switch to sustainable menstrual hygiene products like cloth pads and Menstrual cups. </li><li>Develop a cloth pad making unit in 10 districts of India, making sure that the new age cloth pads are made available locally and produced locally. </li><li>Train women in every district of India to do sessions to help girls and women to think positively about their periods and promote sustainable menstruation options including menstrual cups. </li><li>For 10 women who are trained to stitch cloth pads, 20 women will be trained to spread the awareness of Sustainable Menstruation and sell sustainable menstrual hygiene products.</li></ol> 
 <ul><li>Reduce the amount of sanitary waste generated in the district. A set of 5 cloth pads reduces 1500 disposable period care product from going to the landfill. Every menstrual cup sold reduces 2500 disposable period care product from going to the landfill</li><li>Create livelihood for about 300 women in 10 districts</li><li>Ensure the that Sustainable Menstrual hygiene care products are made available locally.</li></ul>

Project GreenDot

With the onset of Corona virus pandemic, many of our tailors and the weaver communities have gone out of work. The weavers have huge piles of cloth unsold and the tailors have no clothes to stitch. We are looking at creating employment by making the tailors stitch masks out of the sarees and other material lying unsold with the weavers. What started as a livelihood project for our tailors stitching cloth pads and bags has now turned into a pan india movement to employ tailors and weavers. 
 Stonesoup trust along with other NGOs would like to make millions of these reusable cloth masks. We need help in finding large scale buyers - corporates like banks, airlines or retailers like Big Bazzar, Super Markets etc. We also want to donate these masks for the needy. Donate generously, help fight corona and generate livelihood. For corporate and retail orders write to trust@stonesoup.in 
 An order of 4 million masks will employ approx 10,000 people for 2 months. #Createlivelihood #Generateemployment A single cloth mask has 4 benefits # Saves the environment# Employs out of work tailors# Employs weavers # Creates a very comfortable on skin product that saves money too!

Project Livelihood Masks

Bangalore alone generates 4000 MT/day  of waste everyday,it has 7+ toxic landfills and 24 lakh tonnes of mixed waste across these landfills generating methane gas.Municipalities aren’t able to handle the increasing amount of waste,current solutions for bulk waste management are not scientifically managed and end up burning the waste instead of turning them into usable end product.Currently there is a huge carbon footprint of waste management and  dependency on unreliable waste pickers. Bulk generators hesitate to start composting in situ due to taboos associated with it like smell and flies. They lack expertise, fear high capital expenditure and fluctuating operational expenses. 
 Composting at source is the best decentralized waste management technique. This can be done at home level, community level, ward level etc. This saves unsegregated waste from going to the landfill and reduces dependency on Urban Local Bodies and vendors for waste pick up. At Stonesoup trust we want to work with individuals, communities, schools, corporates, Urban Local bodies et al. and spread awareness, and do project on composting at source. The compost generated through the composting projects will be supplied to the farmers who will use if for growing food. This will ensure ethical and safe farming. 
 We want to ensure that about 20,000 households start composting their waste at source. Impact on Waste Management<ul><li>A set of 3 home composters saves around 30 Kgs of waste per household/ per month from going to the landfill</li><li>A community composter can save around 600 KGs of waste/Month from going to the landfill</li><li>A leaf composter can save 2 tonnes of garden waste from ending up in the landfill</li><li>All the composters will generate nutrient rich compost to nourish the soil and grow safe good.</li><li>Reduced carbon footprint of garbage transport.</li><li>Reduced emissions of methane( greenhouse gas)</li><li>Mitigate climate change. </li></ul>Impact on Farming and Soil<ul><li>Compost is nutrient rich and provides good nutrients to the crops grown over an extended period of time</li><li>Humus in compost acts as a sponge absorbing over 50% run off water during irrigation. This helps in crops dying due to sudden loss of moisture. </li><li>Compost improves soil porosity strengthens root systems and plant resistance to pests, requiring lower pesticide application. </li></ul>SDGs Fulfilled<ul><li>SDG11:Sustainable communities:CaaS,decentralized waste management</li><li>SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and production:95% of the waste can be easily rescued from landfill if it is segregated</li><li>SDG 13 Climate Action: </li></ul>

Gift a Green Period

Project GreenDot

Project Livelihood Masks

Composting As a service to create circular economy around food waste.

Help Maitri provide shelter & care to abandoned widow mothers

Help 72-year-old Vanitha provide 80 abandoned orphans with shelter & care

This Navratri, help feed warm meals to abandoned elderly & the destitute

Disclaimer