"My son used to kick me when he was in my womb. Why make an issue when he kicked me in my old age?" reasons a very forgiving Shakti Dasi. The widow travelled 2300 kms from Tripura to Vrindavan after her only son violently beat her with a burning plank of wood and broke her knee one evening. She had to leave behind the business she had built with her husband who had died a few years back. Shakti ended up on the streets of Brindavan begging for food and shelter. But when Winnie Singh of Maitri saw Shakti in a frail state in tattered clothes, she brought her to the shelter home where Shakti gets food, care and medicines. What more, with Maitri’s intervention, Shakti reconciled with her son - and daughter-in-law, and now travels home to Tripura twice a year to spend time with her grandchildren. But she is not leaving Maitri, as this has become her family.Not every elderly widow who comes to Vrindavan after being abandoned by her family gets as lucky as Shakti. Many of them often end up living a lonely life and begging to survive on the streets. Maitri aspires to take care of every widow in need of help.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/ce101369-528c-4d37-bc1d-1118b9925af3.jpg" />Maitri’s Project Jeevan to the rescueAbandoned, elderly widows are the amongst the most vulnerable in India. After being thrown out of their often abandoned by their own children and are forced to beg for food and shelter. “Through Project Jeevan, Maitri houses aging widow mothers in two ashrams in Vrindavan and Radhakund (Mathura), providing them with wellness and well-being. The programme also reaches out to widow mothers beyond the ashrams with fruit, milk and healthcare services,” explains Winnie Singh, co-founder and executive director, Maitri India.Save homeless elderly widows from begging on the streetsMost widows who make their way to Vrindavan are abandoned by their families, often after years of abuse. They come here hoping they will spend the rest of their days in prayer and devotion. But most live in impoverished conditions on the streets and in dingy rooms. Since poor living conditions often cause a wide range of health ailments, including respiratory infections and chronic conditions, Maitri comes to their rescue through its Project Jeevan.The project aims to:<ul><li>Provide 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 on and engagement around the struggles of abandoned widow mothers</li></ul><img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/1abfb906-563b-4747-85b8-8af2071a2856.jpg" />Project Jeevan needs your support to help those in need of food, healthcare and well-being. Donate now.“Maitri urgently needs your support to provide food, clothing and healthcare to sustain these widow mothers who are prone to more illnesses as they age,” appeals Winnie.Maitri believes in a woman’s right to dignity in life and death, more so a mother. 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.

This Navratri, save abandoned, elderly widow mothers of Vrindavan from begging on streets

In the dark and dingy alleys of red light areas, injustice, pain and suffering run rampant. And the worst affected are the children who grow up in red-light areas and are subjected to constant abuse and violence. “The sight of a 12-year-old girl being gang-raped by a group of men near a house l haunts me to this date. I was filled with anguish and resolved to do something,” says Girish Kulkarni who has made it his life’s mission to rescue children from red light areas and give them a safe and secure childhood. In the last 3 decades Girish has saved over 1100 girls from a life of abuse in red-light areas, giving them a loving home, education and medical care. He has further supported over 20,000 children with a better life.Sadly, 250 of the children rescued from abuse and exploitation are HIV positive. The high cost of medication has left Girish struggling for funds. Your support can help him provide these children with the care and upbringing they need. Donate now.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), &amp; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA). A movement to protect vulnerable children“Growing up in Ahmednagar, the experiences I had as a child witnessing the horrors of sex trade defined the path of my life. I had even seen my friend’s 15-year-old sister and 70-year-old grandmother being forced to do sex work for the price of a cup of tea”, recalls Girish. “I started by merely feeding and teaching children of sex workers initially with the intention of giving them some respite from the horrors of life of abuse in red-light areas. Gradually more and more mothers started coming to me and asked me to take their children away, even if it was just for a couple of hours,” he further adds.The work that Girish started in his youth gradually grew to become a movement, with many more joining his cause. His NGO Snehalaya to date has transformed the lives of millions. Girish’s work is crucial for the survival and safety of vulnerable children of sex workers. Snehalaya is almost entirely dependent on donations from the public and your support can strengthen his mission to save children most in need. Donate generously.The horrors of life in red light areas“The cruelty and abuse that children as young as 6 or 7 years of age face is something that I can’t explain in words. Young daughters of sex workers are made to watch their mothers being raped, are brutally assaulted and forced into sex work. No child deserves to grow like this, Girish says in anguish.Sad reality of life for children growing up in red light areas is that they are deprived of even the most basic needs like proper food, safety and education. Moreover, a majority of children rescued by Girish are diagnosed HIV positive. The task of securing medication, providing them quality education and much needed nutrition is one that requires constant support from donors. Moreover, the increase in healthcare cost has left Girish struggling to keep his home for children going. But your support can enable him to give his children a loving environment and save many more who still remain trapped behind closed doors.Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to help Snehalaya give hundreds of children rescued from red-light areas a life away from violence and abuse.

Help Girish give 250 HIV+ children, rescued from abuse in red-light areas a new life

“They insert a candle in the vagina, fingers are inserted (in the vagina) and tortured, and if children don’t relent even then, they put chilli powder so that children will say “yes” because of the burning of the skin… There are teeth marks on their bodies, and their vaginal parts are burnt. When children stay in these conditions, it is painful even to hear,” says Lalitha SA of Society for Participatory Integrated Development (SPID), in course of talking about many heart-rending stories of trafficked children in red-light areas.In over three decades, the SPID led by Lalitha, has saved over 3000 children from the red-light areas, many from clutches of sex trafficking.Sadly, many more children need to be rescued and in need of a loving home. But Lalitha needs our support to carry on the mission, to move out of her small facility so that she can rescue more children, house them in a permanent location and give them all the love they deserve. Your support can help her give these children the care and upbringing they need. Donate now.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).A movement to protect vulnerable childrenAs a social worker, Lalitha has worked for decades in GB Road, the red-light area of Delhi and helped many women escape the clutches of being forced into sex. But it was the exploitation of children, many of them hardly ten or twelve or even less. The SPID has focused on rescuing such children and giving them a new life.Lalitha plays a vital role in the survival and safety of vulnerable children in the red light areas. As SPID is almost entirely dependent on donations from the public, we can support and strengthen SPID’s mission to save children. Donate generously.Donation to SPID’s fundraiser on Give.do“I have limited funds and very limited space, and if I had the funds, I would be able to rescue many more children and provide them with more comfort. With folded hands, I plead with you that you help us with funds in large numbers and support us in providing us children with a decent life. Become a part of the mission,” pleads LalithaDonate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to help Lalitha give hundreds of children rescued from brothels a life away from violence and abuse.NGO's 80G number: AADAS3217RF20212NGO's 12A number: AADAS3217RE20214

This Navratri, help Lalitha give kids rescued from abuse in red-light areas a safe and loving home. Donate now.

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 Children. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Childrenchildrenchildren.

Children

Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) is an anti-human trafficking organization established in 1998 which serves the women in brothel-based prostitution and their children. Our vision is to provide the tools and resources for empowerment to trafficked brothel-based prostitutes, their daughters, and children in Mumbai’s Red Light District, to prevent the cycle of inter generational prostitution.Our Mission is to provide a caring and supportive platform of wholesome services to help women, girls and children in the Red Light Area make choices for a dignified and better quality life. Hence, AAWC introduced three programs to cater to the identified three different needs of the red-light district.

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Silvia Paul

Apne Aap Women's Collective

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.

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Umeed for women in brothel-based prostitution: The objectives of the Umeed Program are to help women who have been trafficked into prostitution with their physical, mental and economic well-being. Umeed is a constant empowerment program, which aims at a holistic and overall development of the beneficiaries through services such as outreach- the outreach team helps identify potential beneficiaries, conducts home visits, provide aid in obtaining identity documents (Voter Card, Ration Card, PAN Card, Aadhar card) which enable them an access to government benefits and schemes. Finance/ financial literacy, empowerment/ vocational training, education/ adult literacy, health- mental &amp; physical such as medical referrals, medical monthly check up/ health camps/ nutrition, counselling, recreation and shelter home placement. Since these women enter prostitution at a very young age, they are uneducated and therefore unskilled, which makes such an empowerment process imperative.Udaan for their daughters (5-18 years): While serving the women in brothel-based prostitution, AAWC realized that their daughters were at a greater risk of entering the cycle of inter-generational prostitution due to their close proximity to sex trade. They were normalized to the act of becoming a prostitute, did not have any positive role models, and thus no alternative aspirations for the future. Hence, our Udaan program aims at providing these young girls with various services, utilizing education as the main tool to break this inter-generational cycle of prostitution. We equip our girls to pursue aspirational professions and enable genuine socioeconomic mobility. The services provided to the girls include formal and informal education which involves enrollment in government and private school, tuition after school, mentor mentee programmes, exposure visits, educational vocation classes, educational workshops and career guidance oriented exposure visits which exposes the beneficiaries to various professions, health includes both physical and mental health which consist of monthly check ups, medical referrals, quarterly medical camps, daily nutritional meals and multivitamin supplements, counselling, art therapies, involvement in extracurricular activities such as dance, drama and music, recreational activities and shelter home services. Along with these services various job skill trainings are conducted and Job placements are provided to the beneficiaries for their economic independence away from red light area after the completion of their education.Umang for the toddlers of the women (2.5-5 years): The objective of our Umang Program is to help toddlers (ages 2.5 to 5) develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially in preparation for formal schooling. AAWC realized that when the women beneficiaries are busy during their work hour the children are left unattended. They witness explicit sexual acts, various illicit activities prevalent in the area such as drug peddling and gambling which makes them easily vulnerable and gullible for the dealers to use them as couriers. Moreover, the exposure of the community has an overall unhealthy impact on their young minds. as behaviour which is visible in the form of foul language used, and mimickery of the violence they witness in the area. They aspire to become the most powerful goon of the community and the area. As a result, AAWC started working with the children in the red light community by providing them with a safe and secure environment through various services such as regular kindergarten classes, e-learning sessions, social and life skills sessions, health services both physical and mental which includes daily nutritional meals and multivitamin supplements, medical referrals, monthly medical checkup , quarterly health camps, counselling sessions, therapies, recreational activities, shelter home services and boarding placements.  
 We are conducing following activities regularly:                          Outreach: AAWC outreach workers conduct outreach on a daily basis. They visit beneficiaries’ homes and  provide  them  with  on-field  services,  disseminate information, raise awareness, and provide any necessary support  that  they  may  require  along  with  identifying potential  new  beneficiaries  who  can  benefit  from  our services.  Education: We ensure that Udaan children are enrolled in schools and provide them with extra tuitions at our center so that they can reach their potential. We also encourage Udaan girls who wish to attend English medium schools to do so and provide them with extra tuitions to help the transition, as a financial support. At our center, we offer regular workshops (for example, art, music, dance) and computer literacy classes. There, we also provide daily kindergarten classes for Umang children to help them with  the  development  of  basic  social,  intellectual  and emotional  skills.  We  recognize  that  red  light  district residents inevitably struggle and are marginalized if they do not speak English or Hindi.Therefore, as well teaching Umang and Udaan children these languages, we also offer adult  literacy  classes  in  Hindi  and  English  for  Umeed womenHealth  (a)  Physical:  Umeed  women  receive  first  aid, quarterly medical camps (general health, dental, vision, malaria, cancer detection), and regular health workshops (hygiene, nutrition, reproductive health, maternal/child health). A counselor helps them address personal and relationship issues like substance abuse, violence, sexual health,  childcare,  and  alternative  employment.  Women living   with   HIV/AIDS   or   tuberculosis   receive   daily nutritional   supplements;   those   who   need   long-term treatment   or   hospital   care   are   provided   subsidized medication and/or hospital referrals.Udaan and Umang beneficiaries receive daily nutritional meals   and   supplements,   monthly   physical   check-ups, quarterly medical camps (general health, dental, vision, immunizations,  malaria,  cancer  detection),  and  regular health workshops (hygiene, nutrition, and for Udaan girls, reproductive health). If HIV/AIDS care or hospital care is required,  we  provide  hospital  referrals  and  diligent follow-up on treatments and medication.(b)  Mental:  A  counselor  helps  Udaan  girls  address personal     and     relationship     issues     like     academic performance,       career       choices,       puberty,       family relationships, or sexual abuse.Empowerment    -    With    a    fresh    outlook    through counselling, they are then eager to empower themselves through our skill development and vocational training workshops. We offer individual career guidance and help place  girls  and  women  in  new  careers.  Moreover,  we conduct  awareness  workshops  on  issues  such  as  HIV, menstrual health and mother-daughter relationships to help our beneficiaries feel empowered in all aspects of their lives.                                                                  Recreation – With beneficiaries from all three programs, we attend and organize activities like religious festivals (Hindu, Muslim, and Christian), park visits, theme park visits,     carnivals,     and     secular     celebrations     (e.g. International Women’s Day, Children’s Day, Republic Day, Independence Day).                                      Shelter home- We offer a healthy, hygienic &amp; secured environment in our shelter home for Umang children and Udaan girls who would otherwise have to stay in a brothel or on the streets overnight and fall prey to physical or sexual abuse. We also refer them to other shelter homes away from red light area. 
 -Potential increase in the enrollment of women beneficiaries in our adult literacy programme-Successful in providing job skill training to the beneficiaries which has led beneficiaries to quit their profession and attain job placement in reputed factories and centers.-A 100% success rate in curtailing the inter generational cycle of prostitution-Preparedness of the children for formal schooling and development of positive thinking about education which withhelds them from quitting and pushes them to continue their education.-Improved health and immunity development.-Older beneficiaries are becoming a change agent wherein they are taking up leadership and mentoring roles for the younger beneficiaries which is a step towards curtailing the second generational cycle of prostitution.

Umeed, Udaan and Umang

This Navratri, save abandoned, elderly widow mothers of Vrindavan from begging on streets

Help Girish give 250 HIV+ children, rescued from abuse in red-light areas a new life

This Navratri, help Lalitha give kids rescued from abuse in red-light areas a safe and loving home. Donate now.

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