"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.

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 education. For the purpose of testing I will use the word EducationEducationEducationEducation.

Education

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

Children

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 Women Empowerment. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Women EmpowermentWomen EmpowermentWomen Empowerment.

Women Empowerment

The story of Ayang starts with a small tribal village called Kulamua in Majuli – the world’s largest inhabited river island. The villagers, unhappy with the education that their children were receiving, requested Bipin, who was volunteering at a local community school, to open a school for their children. 19 villages came together, donated all materials, land and built the school in 3 months. The Hummingbird School started functioning in January 2017 with 70 children. Today there are 240 children studying there from marginalized tribal communities. 70 children of them from the most disadvantaged families are staying in the hostel and studying fully free. From the beginning, The Hummingbird School was envisioned as a learning community of children, school staff and the village community. Everyone learns with and from each other. At the heart of all of this is the vision to foster self-learning, critical thinking, and compassion in the children. Due to the dismal education system all over the Island, the school team decided to work with existing schools and partner with them towards school improvement, based on their learnings from The Hummingbird School. They registered an organization – Ayang “which means love in the Mising language”.

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

Aswathy Preetha Jayakumar

Bipin Dhane

Prashanti

Ayang 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.

Raghav Menon

Field Update: The Hummingbird School, MajuliField Visit Date: 4th March 2024Field Visit By: Anmol Singh, Stakeholder Delight Team The Hummingbird School in Majuli, Assam, stands as a testament to the resilience and hope of a community striving for a brighter future. Our visit, led by the school's founder Bipin, and the dedicated team, provided insight into the transformative impact education has on the children of this remote island. Upon arrival, the infrastructure and well-resourced facilities, particularly the library, impressed us. Interactions with the staff and a group of confident, courteous tenth graders revealed a deep-seated appreciation for the school's environment and the comprehensive education it offers. Students like Karan and Mohini (names changed), who have found a second home here, shared their experiences and ambitions, highlighting the school's role in shaping their futures. The structured daily routine at the hostel and school, emphasizing education, well-being, and personal development, caters to 282 school children and 94 hostel residents. Our visit coincided with the inauguration of a new village library, underscoring Ayang Trust's commitment to extending its educational reach. The students follow a rigorous daily timetable at the hostel, starting with personal care and academics in the morning, followed by a multitude of assignments and activities throughout the day, and interspersed with hearty and delicious meals. They return to the hostel at 4:00 PM where they are given time to do their homework and socialize before having one last nutritious meal before the day begins again. A memorable classroom visit showcased the dedication of the diverse teaching staff, bringing together expertise from across India to benefit Majuli's children. Their passion for teaching and the student's eagerness to learn was palpable, illustrating the mutual determination to overcome geographical and socio-economic barriers. During the visit, we witnessed a community united by the belief in the power of education. The Hummingbird School, supported by Ayang Trust, is more than an educational institution; it is a beacon of hope for the children of Majuli, offering them a pathway out of poverty and towards a world of possibilities. The funds provided have been meticulously used to cover the cost of running the operation of both the hostel and the school. Support The Hummingbird SchoolThe aspirations of Majuli's children and the dedication of Ayang Trust's team call for our support. The most inspiring part of the visit was the interaction with the 10th graders. We were impressed by their motivation to do better for themselves and their families and work to better their station in life. Their thirst for knowledge and desire to explore the world beyond their state was palpable. We spoke about their dreams, and their determination left a lasting impression. The Ayang Trust's sincere efforts to educate these children leave visitors with hope for the future of this tribal community. By contributing to The Hummingbird School, you can help ensure that education continues to serve as a lifeline for these children, empowering them to build a future beyond the constraints of their current circumstances. Donate liberally and make the world a brighter place.

Field visit

📚 "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela 🌟 🙏🌟 Heartfelt gratitude to our incredible donors! Your unwavering support has ignited a beacon of hope at The Hummingbird School for Majuli Island's children. With your contributions, over 280 children from tribal areas access quality education, a gateway to a brighter future. The school requires Rs. 84,11,277 annually to provide the best education, covering:📚 Textbooks👕 Uniforms✏️ Stationeries📖 Teaching learning materials💼 Staff salaries⚡ Running costs (water, electricity, repairs, maintenance, etc.) Join us in investing in education, transforming futures, and nurturing dreams. Donate now and be a part of this journey towards change! ❤️📚✨

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Majuli is an island district on the river Brahmaputra, with a population of about 170,000, majority of whom are tribal communities. 75% of the population practices subsistence agriculture. In the last 25 years, Majuli has shrunk to half its size due to flood and erosion. Annually many of these farming communities are displaced, losing their lands to the Brahmaputra. And, there is no way out of this, for them or their children. Despite there being 932 schools in Majuli island District with reported 90% enrollment of children, the quality of education is most often substandard. The 2018 ASER District data draws a grim picture. 68% of Class 5 students cannot do basic subtraction, while 60% cannot read a Class 2 text. Frequently just one or two teachers manage an entire school. Many children eventually discontinue their education with the system failing them, and without employable skills go back to sustenance farming, starting their families young. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Unfortunately, students from this very system become the next generation of teachers. Not surprisingly, the local community wants teachers from outside, but this is neither feasible nor sustainable. Majuli’s unique flood-prone situation also makes it challenging to monitor the quality of education in schools. Importantly, even if the local teachers are motivated and qualified, there are no institutes available on the island where they can go to get trained in the latest pedagogical practices and better their skills. 
 1) The Hummingbird School- A Model School.The Hummingbird School was envisioned as a learning community of children, school staff and the village community. Everyone learns with and from each other. At the heart of all of this is the vision to foster self-learning, critical thinking, and compassion in the children. Most of the children who joined in the first year were from government schools and the majority could not read or write neither English nor Assamese. A lot of focus was given on self-learning, teaching life-skills, leadership and even agriculture. This brought an all-round development, including the learning levels. To this effect, the Hummingbird School is being developed as a model school for curriculum, pedagogy, infrastructure and school management in the context of rural, marginalized communities.2) Developing teaching and learning resource center The biggest component of Majuli’s dismal education system is the lack of competent and well-trained teachers. Complementary to the development of the curriculum and pedagogy will be the training of the local teachers and committed youth from the local community. The researched and tested findings from the model school would be part of the teacher training, apart from specific needs. The resource center is envisioned as a hub for all stakeholders with interest and passion for education in Majuli to access information, tools, and techniques on teaching and learning.3) Being a knowledge, resource and strategy partner to the government and affordable private schools Within the first year of functioning, the school received requests from all across the island to open more schools. However, it was not possible or even a feasible solution to start more schools. Starting a school from scratch is a huge task. Majuli already has over 900 existing schools. Thus, the school team decided to work with existing schools and partner with them towards school improvement, based on our learnings from The Hummingbird School. They registered an organization – Ayang “which means love in the Mising language”. Towards the mission, they launched the Whole School Transformation Program, where Ayang partners with Government and low-income community schools for 3 years towards school improvement. They do this primarily through building capacities of stakeholders and enabling systems and structures in schools for sustainability, and by empowering local youth to be change-makers through the 2 yearlong Ayang Manthan Fellowship. 
 Most of the children who joined us in the first year were from government schools and the majority could not read or write neither English nor Assamese. We focussed a lot on self-learning, teaching life-skills, leadership and even agriculture. This brought an all-round development, including the learning levels.One such girl was Appun, when she came to us 2 years ago, she didn't even know counting. She was so shy that the first few months she would not talk to anyone. And today, she studies in Grade 5, is the President of the student council and can resolve a conflict quicker than any of the teachers just with dialogue. Her dream is to become the principal of our school. All our children have stories like hers – of resilience, growth, and love.This proved to us that, despite having no resources, no good infrastructure, first-time teachers from the community, when an involved school leadership, motivated teachers, and engaged community comes together, it can lead to an immense change in children’s learning levels. Within one year, all of our children were exceeding their learning goals

Support the education of 250 tribal children in the flood affected Majuli Island of Assam

Yaram Gungli is an active woman farmer, from Bana, East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, who looks after her vast farmland and family. Even though she has invested her all time savings and efforts into her farmland, she can hardly derive any significant return from it. The issues such as frequent landslides disrupting water channels to her fish ponds, absence of transportation facility to carry her agri outputs to nearby markets, frequent power disruptions, absence of mobile network coverage are some of the challenges the farmers like Yaram Gungli are facing on a daily basis. That said, the North East is a region full of abundant natural resources and possibilities yet filled with its own challenges and hurdles in the path of achieving financial social mobility. Even though women here in these locations are very active and are forthcoming, they lack any proper guidance, required skill sets, adequate capital investments and necessary infrastructure facilities. Though the women farmers from these regions are known for a variety of organic products like ginger, turmeric, mustard, orange, black dal and green cardamom, they are unable to make any significant progress in terms of outcome. The challenges such as cheap import of produce from nearby countries such as China, abundance of produce in the local market, knowledge gap and no proper market linkage for their hard earned products need to be addressed.  
 We, Ayang Trust, for the last 6 years have been working extensively towards promoting women entrepreneurships through skill development, providing required capital investments and technical handholding. Across the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh we have implemented several training programs in bakery &amp; café, weaving &amp; tailoring, handicrafts and food processing. These skill development initiatives have resulted in women coming together and starting with their own entrepreneurships. Across Majuli, Assam the women have started a chain of shops comprising bakery, weaving and handicrafts products thereby making a sustainable livelihood. Ayang Trust firmly believes in the idea of bringing women together. Through which they become able to aggregate agricultural produce, value addition, do proper packaging and sell it in the market. The value addition part will certainly help in diversifying the outputs in the market and fetch a better price for them in return. It will also help the women farmers to work together and make their life better. So far, Ayang Trust has been working with 2000+ women farmers in both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. We have collectivized them under 2 Farmer Producer Companies and provided in-detail training programs making sure that they are capable of leading the business. The women have decided to establish and run value addition units, such as a pulverizer unit and candy making units for ginger and turmeric and an oil extraction unit for mustard, for their products before selling it in the market. Together with proper branding and packaging systems, it will certainly revolutionize their livelihood mobility aspects. As per the plan, below are the direct project cost in detail;<ol><li>Per women training expense: Rs. 10,000/-</li><li>Capital support for per women to start their business: Rs. 50,000/-</li><li>Capital investment for per women group entrepreneurship: Rs. 5,00,000/-</li><li>Investment for per women collectives: Rs. 2,00,000/-</li></ol> 
 The impact of this intervention is manifold. While it provides an opportunity for 2000+ women farmers to aggregate their products, process it, label it and market it for a better price, it will also be a great motivation for women farmers to come and be a part of the same. It gives them a sense of higher agency and takes ownership of something that originally belongs to them. Having a source of income generation, it will make them financially independent and an opportunity to make decisions. Lekope, a women run one stop solution center in Majuli, was a great success in terms of imparting skill development programs, providing capital investments and effective hand holdings. It has directly impacted more than 300+ women farmers in Majuli. The same idea has been getting much relevance in other areas too as the women from multiple locations have shown interest. The women-led food processing centers in the north east will be a milestone as it will be efficient enough to process 1500 tonnes of ginger, 2000 tonnes of turmeric, 1000 tonnes of orange and 500 tonnes of mustard. Enabling women entrepreneurs to bring the community together and impart necessary technical support not only materializes a sustainable livelihood generation source but also help them realize their true potential. Finally, the vision of establishing a sustainable livelihood source requires certain strategic intervention focusing in and around capital investment, infrastructure development, skill development training programs and handholding. Ayang Trust as an NGO will be working towards this goal using collectivization and farmers producer organization as a medium to success.

Support the education of 250 tribal children in the flood affected Majuli Island of Assam

Establishing Women Led Food Processing Centers in North-East

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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