Like all proud Indians and NRIs, we too, want to make India a better country. Even after the typically fierce “but India has a great history” retort, we look down embarrassed and helpless in terms of our rural youth being misguided and unemployed. The education system in rural India suffers both on poor infrastructure as well as an abysmal quality of education.A short clip above gives an overview of our work. Also there are related articles by Dr. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Indore. We have been very lucky to have had the stalwarts from the education &amp; social entrepreneurship sector (Professors from IIM Indore, Bangalore, Udaipur &amp; TISS; Caring Friends, Mumbai, Other NGO entrepreneurs like Vinayak Lohani) and tie-ups with institutions like Head-Held High &amp; Goonj Delhi) guide us through our journey of trying to bring around this paradigm shift. 
 We need your contribution to help the youth realize their dreams. Lets together give them our support and guidance and do our part in giving back to the society we feel proud to be a part of!SSES through its educational initiative SSISM empowers the rural youth with access to quality higher education and employment opportunities. It offers graduation courses with transportation to rural students from the interiors of Madhya Pradesh (70 KM radius). Free computer access education is provided to school children. Special focus is on girl education and parent counseling. Out of 1050 students; 70% are girls, few being university toppers. SSES provides placement &amp; entrepreneurship opportunities to students by exposing them to current industry needs every 6 months via industry visits, training, updated curriculum, vocational training etc. Spoken English classes from Head-Held High, Bangalore headed by CNN IBN Awardee aims to bridge the crucial communication gap that poses a big challenge of these students. 
 SSES target to impact minimum 10,000 direct beneficiaries per year. These include students, their families and all who wants to become self reliant.Since 2010; we have imparted courses &amp; training's to nearly 6000 people. A paradigm shift from being aloof to being aware and focused to parents encouraging their girls to study and become independent have been our key achievements. Some of the achievements are: 1050 total students, 60% girls from 200 villages, 4000+ villagers trained in the basics of computers, 10+ entrepreneurship projects, 14 university toppers, 3 university sports captain and 70+ placements in national and multi-national companies.SSISM alumnis being role models, girls making an exemplary mark by being independent and proving themselves, Emergence of local entrepreneurs. Girls who decide to stay in village are much sought after as teachers at primary and secondary schools, allied industries and occupations like dairy farming, retailing, etc. They are proving to be more aware and dedicated for their family occupation, like farming.

Empower rural youth for a brighter future

Disadvantaged students face many obstacles when trying to pursue an education. The expense to go to school combined with their parents expectations for their children to work and earn a living, means many discontinue their education. This leads to poor employment options in the future.In a country like India, where the majority of the population are youths, the overall effect of this problem multiplies. Societies progress and the economies growth rate both deteriorate as so many people are uneducated. 
 We have started an initiative to support bright but underprivileged students post the 10th grade to pursue further studies in literacy; leading to employment. We cover the cost of scholarships, books, and all skill training.Each student is carefully selected based upon academic performance and economic assessments. Our volunteers visit student’s homes to get a better understanding of their financial situation. As we have such a big network of volunteers covering a vast area, we can ensure that we reach as many students as possible. 
 Through our efforts and the support of others like you, more than 5000 students have received employment through Vidya Poshak and over 4000 students have reached the next level of literacy. Also, 60 free of cost rural book banks have been opened where students can borrow books and educational material.

Provide opportunities to deserving underprivileged students

Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) is one of the most disparaging crimes crippling India’s social development and economy and threatening the dignity and security of women and children. In this context, the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are no exception. These states continue to constitute the core destination areas for the victimization of trafficked women and children for economic profiteering at the cost of their human rights. Despite the absence of official statistics on CSE in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, civil society organisation estimates suggest that one out of every four victims rescued from CSE is a child and 60 per cent of all rescued children from CSE are HIV positive. Further, 75 per cent of females in the Telugu region between the ages of 15-35 years are found to be engaged in sex work.[1] Reports in the print and digital news media also indicate that sex trafficking of both vulnerable women and children is progressively on the increase. Given the scale of the issue, the government has not placed due attention and priority on the rescue and rehabilitation of CSE victims in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In addition, there is a lack of systems and capacity to conduct MEL and research, weak and uncoordinated monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) of existing programs and no investment in empirical research to understand gaps and issues. Rehabilitation of trafficking survivors remains the most persistent challenge within the current legislative framework. Rescued victims require specialised support services to recover from and overcome the years of trauma-induced mental health issues, physical atrocities and social stigma attached to being former sex slaves. In the absence of statutory rehabilitation that ensures complete and sustainable reintegration into society, CSE victims, even if removed temporarily from their immediate environment marked by social, economic, sexual, psychological and physical extremities, are highly likely to end up in the same vicious cycle of sex trafficking, either through the nexus of same perpetrators or new agents who are on the lookout for feeding on their aggravated vulnerabilities for the second time around. On-ground organisations lament that CSE victims who only receive piece-meal assistance and support post-rescue remain uncertain about their future prospects in absence of hope for alternate opportunities to sustain themselves and end up going back to sex slavery. The circumstances surrounding this lack of choice with CSE victims are marked by haplessness and isolation due to lack of specialised support services for destigmatizing their identities and acute availability of comprehensive rehabilitation measures. Given the scale of CSE in both Telugu states, the following issues have emerged:<ul><li>There is no comprehensive protection and rehabilitation policy in place for CSE victims, either in the states or at the national level. Nor there are adequate budgetary allocations in the two states. In fact, Andhra Pradesh does not even have a budget line for CSE rehabilitation facilities and services.  </li><li>Rescue operations for removing victims of CSE from situations of abuse are ill-conceived and ill-executed due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the crime and tactical expertise and a lack of industry standards for conducting such raids and rescues.</li><li>Institutional infrastructure (shelter homes/protective and rehabilitative homes/child care institutions) for rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of CSE is insufficient and severely ill-equipped to address their complex needs for recovery and effective, holistic rehabilitation, whose numbers are advancing with each passing year. As per an article published in the Indian Journal of Gender Studies, there is a lack of comprehensive protection services such as psychological counselling from trained counsellors through the Ujjawala and Swadhar schemes. This issue was further exacerbated in 2014 after the bifurcation of the Telugu region between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana 2014, where most rehabilitation homes fell under Telangana’s territory and Andhra Pradesh was left with close to none. At present, both states have 5 shelter homes each, for women.</li><li>There is a severe gap in meaningful and relevant data to even gain an understanding of the gaps and barriers in the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of CSE victims. A study suggests that though there is abundant literature on trafficking worldwide as well as in South Asia, we still do need region-specific and locally-contextualised data that will yield theoretical and empirical insights, and lead to relevant policy interventions.</li></ul> 
 Sex trafficking is a multi-dimensional problem especially with regard to its impact on the lives of the victims. The tormenting experiences of being betrayed, sold and exploited by the people around (largely includes pimps, brothel owners and customers) takes a long-term toll on the victims. This traumatic situation combined with sexually transmitted diseases, chronic depression, suicidal tendencies, alcohol and drug addiction complicates the cycle of rehabilitation. Hence, the process of rehabilitation has to be an interlinked chain of psychological healing, vocational empowerment, economically viable and socially acceptable. In order to address the physical, emotional and psychological brokenness of the sex-trafficked victims, Prajwala formulated a holistic, therapeutic approach to support the rehabilitation process. The overall aim is to help the victims to overcome their trauma by providing them with psychological and coping skills and tools required to regain stability to lead a normal life. Therefore, the rehabilitation in Prajwala is a blend of psychological healing, civic empowerment and social identity. The three-pronged stages of rehabilitation spearheaded by Prajwala include:<ul><li>Psychological Rehabilitation: Trauma Care, Counselling, Psychiatric Care</li><li>Economic Rehabilitation: Life-Skills, Employability Training, Education/Livelihood program</li><li>Civic Rehabilitation: Aadhar Card, Bank Account, Interim Relief, Compensation</li></ul>A therapeutic community as a safe shelter has been established that provides holistic rehabilitation and has been instrumental in the social reintegration support of thousands of victims 
 600 victims of sex trafficking will be supported every year

Therapeutic Community For Victims of Sex Trafficking

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Education

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

Women Empowerment

Organisational History: Mahila Abhivruddi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS) is based in the Belgaum district of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. MASS mainly works with dalit women with a focus on ex-Devadasi women and their children. It is a membership association of ex-devadasi women and was registered as a society in September 1997 under the Karnataka Societies Act of 1960. MASS evolved as part of the withdrawal strategy of the Devadasi rehabilitation projects of Karnataka State Women Development Corporation (KSWDC) and MYRADA with funding support from Oxfam NOVIB. ‘Devadasi’ is an old tradition[1] in some parts of India, wherein a young dalit girl is dedicated to a local deity/goddess and is expected to lead a life in service of the goddess. However, over the centuries these women have been prone to exploitation and discrimination by society and in some cases, forced into prostitution. Through the dedication of devadasis is banned by law since 1982 in Karnataka, the tradition has continued to remain alive in the region because of socio-economic factors on the side of those who dedicate and a lack of enforcement of the law from the side of the Government. However, the Karnataka Government (through the Women’s Development Corporation) has been concerned for a long about the need to support devadasis with economic inputs to improve their living conditions. As a result, during 1989-90, a special programme was launched by the Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation to train devadasis in skills and support them with generously subsidised loans to take up income-generating programmes. The assistance of an NGO – Myrada – was requested to help implement this programme. With the involvement of Myrada, the focus of the programme expanded to implement not just the economic aspect but also a concerted effort to prevent more girls from being dedicated and to organise the women already dedicated into an institutional framework that could protect their interests and build their self-esteem. In the beginning, self-help groups seemed to be a feasible option. Over time, it was seen that self-help groups would only serve a limited purpose and that an institution more substantial and visible would be necessary. After many months of meetings and discussions with the devadasis in around 509 villages of the district, MASS was registered in 1997, not as a federation of devadasi women’s self-help groups but as a membership organisation to which any woman of Belgaum district dedicated as devadasi could join in her individual capacity. The current membership of MASS is 3844 ex-devadasi women. Its primary constituency was and continues to be the devadasis of the Belgaum district. There are pressures from the devadasis of other neighbouring districts that they should be allowed to enrol as members as well, but so far this has not been considered as it might make the organisation too big and unmanageable. Besides, in Belgaum, the organisation was formed through a long and participatory process, and it is necessary for women in other districts to go through a similar process rather than join a readymade organisation since the process is what has been empowering the women of Belgaum. Hence, MASS has been readily sharing its processes of formation with people and institutions of other districts also.[1] A note is attached on the devadasi tradition as an annexure

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Sitavva Dundappa Jodatti

MAHILA ABHIVRUDDHI MATTU SAMRAKSHANA SAMSTHE

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.

This nonprofit is registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. This means it can accept donations from foreign nationals.

Raghav Menon

The vile Devadasi system must be done away with once and for all. But despite being outlawed, there are still little girls being pushed into this practise of exploitation, from which few escape. That's why we at Mahila Abhivruddi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS) urgently need your help. Together, we can prevent more girls from being exploited and rescue those currently subjected to this system. In the period April '25 - September '25, we have made great strides toward this end. Read on to see what we have done to help these poor girls: * Supported 450 children through structured Child Activity Centers (CACs)* Delivered daily academic support and homework guidance to improve learning outcomes* Conducted regular assessments to track children's academic progress* Organized life-skills and awareness sessions for holistic child development* Improved school attendance and retention through continuous follow-ups* Held parent engagement meetings to strengthen family involvement in education* Facilitated community participation to create a supportive learning environment Although this is a great start, we need to be doing more. But our efforts are curtailed due to a dire lack of funds. We need the help of our donors to provide legal support, educational support, counselling, etc. Help us end the Devadasi system for good. Donate now and multiply our impact.

Impact report

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“I was 12 when my family expected me to earn through flesh trade. By the time I was 14, I already had two children. I used to dread sunsets and nights. I went hungry many times because of the pain,” says Sitavva Joddati, a former Devadasi and CEO of MASS, an NGO fighting against the illegal Devadasi system.Thousands of girls are still being forced into a life of exploitation under the garb of illegal and banned Devadasi system. Sitavva, once a victim of exploitation fought tooth and nail to protect these girl children and was even awarded the Padma Shri for her efforts. However, she can not fight this battle alone and needs your help. Stand with her against exploitation. Donate nowDonate 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).A mission to free every girl from crueltyIn many parts of India, the Devadasi system, though officially banned, continues to destroy lives. Young girls, some as young as 10 or 12, are dedicated by their own mothers and later pushed into a life of exploitation. Once trapped, there’s little hope for escape. “My parents told me I had to earn for the family and that’s why I was made a Devadasi,” says Sitavva. “But today I want no girl to go through the exploitation I faced at such a young age.”<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/3a9f53e4-b809-4f23-a431-c9a3ed973984.webp" />Sitavva became CEO of Mahila Abhivruddi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS) — a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating women and girls caught in the Devadasi system. MASS is run by former Devadasis and works for those still struggling to escape. Sitavva never got to live a childhood. She lived years without safety, dignity, or peace. But she chose to break the cycle, and now helps others do the same.Today, MASS helps hundreds of women with education, legal aid, financial independence, shelter, mental health support, and community outreach. But Sitavva and her team cannot do it alone. They need your support.An injustice that continues in silenceDespite being banned by law, the Devadasi system survives in pockets across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. In some villages, girls are still being raised with the idea that they are meant to earn for their families and not through work or education, but through abuse.And when these women try to break free, they face threats, stigma, and poverty. Without urgent support, many fall back into the same system they tried to escape.“Had I been married, at least there would be someone to share the burden. But as a Devadasi, I was on my own,” Sitavva adds.Since its inception, MASS has supported over 4,000 women and continues to campaign to end this practice permanently, but lack of resources remains a huge challenge.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/12aac8b9-1f09-46ca-b12c-f4b36fad0d11.webp" />Help Sitavva free more women. Donate now to end this system of exploitation forever.Donate to help them reclaim lost livesEvery woman Sitavva helps represents a powerful story — of courage, of healing, of survival. A girl rescued from abuse. A mother reunited with her children. A survivor who now earns with pride and dignity. These aren’t just statistics — they’re lives being rebuilt from the ground up.But these transformations come with effort, care, and cost. MASS urgently needs resources to continue their work — from shelters and legal aid to vocational training and community education.Your donation can change a lifeWith your support, MASS can continue to:<ul><li>Rehabilitate rescued Devadasi survivors</li><li>Provide safe shelter, food, and emotional care</li><li>Offer skill training and economic empowerment</li><li>Prevent second-generation exploitation through education</li><li>Campaign for an end to the Devadasi system</li></ul>Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s most trusted online donation platform, to support Mahila Abhivruddi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS) in its fight against exploitation of young girls and children.

Help ex-Devadasi and Padma Shri awardee Sitavva rebuild the lives of women and children rescued from exploitation

Mass has been working for the last 25 years for devadasi women &amp; their children. There is a lack of education for these dalit children &amp; also the livelihood of ex-devadasi &amp; dalit children. Also a lack of information on the rights of children &amp; women 
 <ul><li>Training on women's rights &amp; providing livelihood to these women</li><li>Child activity centres will be started to give free tuition classes to these dalit children</li><li>Preparing the children for morarji/navodaya residential schools</li><li>Providing higher education funds.</li></ul> 
 <ul><li>Women will get information about women's rights. They will get their own livelihood</li><li>Around 1000 children will get tuition classes from our child activity centres</li><li>200 children will get admission is Morarji schools.</li></ul>

MAHILA ABHIVRUDDHI MATTU SAMRAKSHANA SAMSTHE

Help ex-Devadasi & Padma Shri awardee Sitavva rebuild the lives of women & children rescued from exploitation

Securing & Protecting Rights Of Children & Women With Specific To Dalit Families

Empower rural youth for a brighter future

Provide opportunities to deserving underprivileged students

Therapeutic Community For Victims of Sex Trafficking

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