"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

“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.

“I used to be sexually abused repeatedly, and when I screamed in pain, they hit and threatened me with more violence,” says Priya (name changed), a rescued child sex worker. Priya was abducted by traffickers and sold into a red-light area house before she was rescued by Guria led by Manju. For over two decades, Manju has been rescuing young girls forced into prostitution across the country. She has been shaken to the core seeing some of the most horrifying crimes that young girls have to undergo. “You can’t imagine the state of girls forced into sex work. The girls are given electric shocks and burnt with cigarette butts just to get kicks out of it. And if they get pregnant, the "owners" kick them repeatedly in the womb so that the child inside dies…If you want to see hell, it is here on this planet where young girls are sexually abused,” says Manju.Manju needs your help to rescue more young girls from forced prostitution and reunite them with their families. Donate now.Guria’s work over the yearsBased out of Varanasi, inarguably the holiest place in India, Manju and her organisation Guria, fights the sexual exploitation of girls, especially minors, by taking on the traffickers head-on, and rescuing and rehabilitating them.Started in 1993, Guria has rescued over 5500 persons from slavery, sex trafficking, and child prostitution so far. It has also been instrumental in shutting down hundreds of places that housed trafficked girls and putting scores of traffickers out of business and in jail.For instance, in 2005, a Guria-led rescue operation in Varanasi's red-light area led to the freeing of 49 women and girls, including minors. Many of them were kept against their will. Some of the traffickers were also arrested and tried. Since then, Guria has rescued thousands of young girls.Manju and her husband, Ajeet Singh began rescuing girls from Varanasi’s red-light areas and then working to stop the sex-trafficking of young girls within Uttar Pradesh and outside. The organisation’s aim is to eliminate the sex trafficking of women, especially minor girls, end second-generation prostitution and child prostitution, and rehabilitate women and girls who are rescued from the trade. Manju has faced violent backlash from the traffickers and other vested interests, but it has not deterred her from carrying on rescuing young girls from trafficking. Rescue and rehabilitationBesides rescuing girls trafficked for sex, mostly from low-income families, from across the country, Guria fights on their behalf in courts and also provides education, food, vocational training, and other facilities until they are united with their families. But because of a lack of funds, Guria is finding it difficult to rescue more girls and also take care of them once they are away from the clutches of the traffickers. Take the case of Sameena (name changed), who was abducted from Uttar Pradesh all the way to Telangana. Guria took it upon itself to rescue the girl with the help of its own work and also the authorities. After months of rehabilitation, Sameena went back to her family and even completed her education. With your support, Manju can rescue many more young girls from trafficking and help them live the life of their dreams.

Help Manju rescue young sex trafficking victims. 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 Human Rights. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Human RightsHuman RightsHuman Rights.

Human Rights

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

Livelihood

Development Focus is a registered, non profit organization working towards empowering underprivileged children, youth and their communities to achieve quality of life through relevant quality education and skills training. We see education from a broader perspective as preparation for life or lifelong learning, rather than just passing grades. Hence to make education relevant, life skills are promoted for children between the ages of 6 to 14 years, at Primary schools, and livelihood skills for youth in the age group of 15 to 20 years.All our initiatives are grounded on empowering the poor communities. In the last 10 years, we implemented a Basic Education programme in 20 of the very poor districts of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh among the most marginalized communities – tribal’s and dalit’s. Our programme includes: promoting enrolment and retention of children in primary schools, improving the quality of education, community participation in education, vocational skills/entrepreneurship, sexual/reproductive health education, promoting clean energy etc. More than 200,000 children in the 6 to 14 age group have benefited, 18,000 youth have acquired livelihood skills, 30,000 adolescents in youth groups have been sensitized on their sexual and reproductive rights and in a pilot project 400 girls and boys are producing clean energy devices to make a living and reduce carbon footprint. Thousands of women's groups, children's groups and youth groups have been formed.

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

Donations through Give Foundation, Inc. a registered US 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization, are tax-deductible.

Donations through GIVE, a registered charity in UK, are covered under Gift Aid

Thomas Paul

Pearl

Development Focus

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.

The government of India, in 2008, declared January 24 to be celebrated as the National Girl Child Day every year with the objective of raising the consciousness of the society towards the girl child so that she can be valued and respected. Even today, Anisha one of the girls from our Youth Clubs does not have enough to support her needs so she plucks resources from the nearby forest to support her education. Click the link in bio to support more girls like her today! #DevelopmentFocus #girlpower💪 #nationalgirlchildday #supportus #empowerher<img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/0d2f4918-d594-4571-9e14-64da367ceca8.jpg" />

National Girl Child day...or is it?

With the overwhelming support we have received from our donors, partners, well-wishers, family and friends we have been able to start our project for Migrant returnees again. Here our beneficiaries receive 6 chickens each as a livelihood opportunity where they receive material and training for small businesses in their villages. This photograph shows the gratitude of our beneficiaries as they begin this new venture. Beneficiaries are chosen as being some of the most needy in their communities, including a window and her daughter (in the center). The chickens will provide eggs and be a source of nutrition and income for the families<img src="https://cfstatic.giveindia.org/c33c8acb-d8a2-403e-bc04-8be21432f53c.jpg" alt="0" class="update-gallery-image">#livelihoodsmatter #DevelopmentFocus #beneficiaries #MigrantReturnees

Migrant Returnees show gratitude for the opportunity

You are sitting at your computer. Either at work or in this new age working remotely from home. You’re attending one of those daily scheduled meetings. Someone is droning on about what they have done making you feel like you need a break. You glance vaguely at the clock. It has been 8 minutes. 8 minutes since you last checked the time. 8 minutes and one more child has been sold. A small child, with tiny efficient fingers has been sold into a lifetime of hard work.

Eight minutes to change a life..

Credibility Statement

&nbsp;Comment below if you recognize any!42 beneficiaries from the Secure Resettlement of the Migrant Returnees project have started the kitchen garden.#growyourownfood&nbsp;#DevelopmentFocus&nbsp;#MigrantReturnees&nbsp;#kitchengarden

Can you guess the plants that are being grown in the Kitchen Garden?

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The current status and future of tribal children and youth, especially from remote villages of Jharkhand, is pathetic and holds no hope. Lack of access and poor quality education denies children and youth from acquiring reasonable academic qualifications. There are no opportunities for livelihood in their villages, neither are they qualified for the few available jobs in nearby towns and cities. To meet basic needs is a struggle. To add to this dilemma, Tribal communities are constantly losing their land to industries. Their income from farming has taken a nose dive.Human trafficking, particularly that of underage tribal girls shipped out to work as domestic helps in big cities has been a consequence. Recent reports indicate a more heinous level of exploitation where these trafficked girls, are impregnated and made to bear children so that these babies could be sold off. Lack of basic education, traditional beliefs/practices and the girls having no say in the matter contributes to this. Families are driven to a life of resignation, struggling for survival. In this scenario, when an outside agent walks in offering a job and money for their daughter and sons in a far away, unknown world, they are gullible and fall for it. 
 This project will address the root causes of poverty leading to trafficking and abuse of hapless children/youth. The project seeks to provide education from a holistic perspective to bring them out of this complicated web of poverty and misery to transform their lives with hope for a decent and dignified future. The project will have a 3 pronged approach. 1.	Children up to the age of 14 will receive relevant and quality primary education in local government schools according to the provisions of the Right To Education Act.2.	Children/youth in the 15 to 20 age group will be provided with skills training to process non-timber forest products and other agricultural products to enhance their value. Their entrepreneurial skills will be unleashed and they will use online marketing channels to earn a decent living.3.	The Tribal communities will be mobilized and their awareness raised to see the value of their children and protect them from Outside trafficking agents. The communities will demand support from authorities to put an end to trafficking. The project will cover 20 tribal villages and will directly benefit 2,500 children/youth over a 3 year period as well as many others in the years to come. 
 Direct linkages will be established between service providers and the community groups, such that these linkages will continue even after the project period is over. The community will also be involved in advocacy and mobilizing resources. Some of the measurable Results after the 3 year project period will be:•	School enrollment rate and participation rate will be above 95% (up from the present 60%) with quality Learning•	The community will be able to provide relevant, livelihood skills to youth to add value and market locally available materials.•	The established children and youth clubs will continue to function even after the project is over•	The understanding and practice of child rights, especially child participation, will continue •	Trafficking and abuse of children/youth will be challenged by the community and greatly reduce with support from the duty bearers. This awareness and control will spread to the neighbouring villages.•	The SHGs, CLAs and Community Watch Groups will continue their activities.The capacity of the community groups, especially the Community Watch Groups will be strengthened during the 3 year project period in such a way that they can continue to approach duty bearers and claim their entitlements.

Prevention and Protection of Tribal Youth from Trafficking

One third of girls in the developing world are married off before the age of 18, and 1 out of 9 are married off before they are 15. In 2012, 70 million women between the ages of 20-24 had been married before the age of 18. India is ranked 13 with 47% of girls married before they turn 18.UNICEF defines child marriage as marriage before 18 years of age and considers this a human rights violation. Child marriages pose socio-economic and physical implications on young couples, especially the girls. In North Karnataka, 58% of girls were married before 18. 
 Child Marriage Prevention was initiated in 400 villages of Jharkhand and Odisha. It brought behavioural changes in rural communities. The program addressed issues of health, sexual rights and awareness on laws. Over 22,000 adolescents and their communities were sensitized and made commitments to stop child marriages. A similar project will be implemented in 60 villages of North Karnataka. 2 clubs with 25 adolescents will be formed per village. 6 Change Agents per village will be trained on aspects of Sexual/Reproductive Health Rights and legal recourses to prevent violation. The Change Agents will facilitate behavioural changes in the youth and their communities. 
 3,000 boys and girls, in Youth Clubs, will be aware of evils of Child Marriages and vow to prevent them. They will be advocates of change in their villages.Community Watch Groups made up of adults and youth will be formed in 60 villages. They will interact with the children and youth in the village on a regular basis and play a proactive role in preventing Child Marriages. They will act as duty bearers for the affected children/youth and take up cases for prosecution of the perpetrator.There will be improved access to education, narrowing the gender gaps in education.

Prevention and Protection of Tribal Youth from Trafficking

Prevention of Child Marriage Program

Save abandoned, elderly widow mothers of Vrindavan from begging on streets

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

Help Manju rescue young sex trafficking victims. Donate now

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