"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

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 Community & Rural Development. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Community & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural Development.

Community & Rural Development

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

Livelihood

Diksha Foundation offers holistic education to children and youth from socially and economically marginalized communities in India. Since 2010, Diksha’s movement has been towards creating “transformative learning spaces for children”. Our idea of education is not confined to literacy alone, we focus on the holistic education of children by looking at the social, creative, and moral development of each student. Holistic education stresses on the overall development of an individual which includes core academics, emotional development, social skills with civic understanding, critical thinking skills, conflict resolution skills, personality development, and knowledge about self. While seeking to educate the whole person the basic three R’s of Relationships, Responsibility, and Reverence for all life, are taken into consideration. We believe that education is a journey of self-discovery, self-love, and self-esteem and that it is a process of change from within, a change in one’s habits and worldviews and one’s relationships and responsibilities with the community.Last year our world was caught off guard when a deadly pandemic struck in the form of COVID - 19. Throughout last year we have tried to strengthen our community with safety and personal hygiene, COVID-19 awareness and necessarry precautions we need to take in order to safeguard the community. The pandemic did not only present itself as a major health risk but also threatened the livelihoods of people. The worst hit sector due to the lockdown to resist the virus, was the unorganized sector throughout the world. In Patna, Bihar most of our students families lost their livelihoods for several months due to continued lockdown. Ins such situation, Diksha Foundation tried to reach out to our students through telephone. We offered them tele counseling to help through the lockdown. We initisated the Annapurna campaign through which we provided ration kits to the families of our students. The ration kit contained all the necessary items that were required to sustain a family for the month. We continue the campaign under the name of Aushadhi - Annapurna Campaign which has been extended to cover medical kits, oxygen necessities along with ration kits of the COVID -19 patients.So far we have been able to distribute these kits to over 1500 families in Patna and Hilsa so far. In further attempts, we have extended our KHEL facilities to ensure our students are never away from learning. Our libraries are open so that students could issue books for reading.

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Gautam Gauri

Tanya Pandey

Shibasis Sahu

Diksha Foundation

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.

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The 2014 Education Report shows that only 66.6% of students studying in Grades 3 to 5 could read Grade 1 texts, ﻿while only 58.7% have basic computational skills in government schools. There is also a lack of opportunities for students belonging to socially and economically deprived communities. These children face widespread discrimination on lines of caste, religion, gender, and class identities in general. This stunts their social, emotional and educational growth. 
 Having identified the weakest link, Diksha, through its Knowledge Hub for Education and Learning, works primarily with displaced children between the ages of 5 - 18. These are primarily first generation learners whose parents are primarily daily-wage earners unable to provide access to steady or quality education to their children. In addition to addressing the gap of numeracy and literacy, the children are given access to tech tools; taught how to use computer programmes and use the internet. 
 <ol><li>A)round 300 marginalized children get direct benefits from this activity. These children are better placed to access opportunities that will allow them to contribute better to their society. Primarily, focusing on the girls' education and their access to technology , confidence and builds their creativity so that they are able to voice their aspirations meaningfully alongside their male peers. In the long run, this results in an overall community transformation.</li><li>Partnered with the American Embassy for English Access MicroScholarship programme for 50 students in Patna </li><li>4 children from Diksha participated in an event organized by UNICEF and CSEI in order to raise the voice against all the odds a youth has to go through also become a part of Patna Youth Forum.</li><li>Sonu Kumar got selected for Bachelors in Economics in Banaras Hindu University.</li><li>Vishal Kumar cleared the 6 round of test and interview and got selected for 1 year course of computer sciences at NavGurukul</li><li>Two of our students Khushi Rani and Khushboo Rani were able to perform well and clear their polytechnic examinations.</li><li>Priyanka Kumari an alumna of Diksha KHEL center recently joined Bihar Police. </li><li>Prince Kumar and Aryan Sahu, two of our students got selected as 75 creative minds of tomorrow at 52nd international film festival of India held in Goa.</li></ol>

Educate 300 marginalized children in Bihar

The pandemic has affected the mental growth and education of children, especially the girl child. Diksha Foundation seeks to reestablish the connection between students and their education by supporting 300 students in Patna and Nalanda. ₹500 is the cost of providing books to 5 children. More importantly, the organisation is giving these 300 students access to online classes and video recordings by providing them with internet packs at the total cost of ₹2,500.Many children have lost their connections with schools for various reasons especially due to prolonged closure of schools and lack of knowledge to use ICT as a medium of education. In a recent ASER Report (2020), less than 50% teachers admitted to receiving training or brief on student engagement during school closures. This furthered the issues of school dropouts and early child marriages of girls. Online learning, as indicated by the numbers, is not becoming a reality due to infrastructural problems such as lack of access to an electronic gadget or internet connectivity. Apart from this, children have also lost their interests due to lack of access to resource materials such as books, stationery etc.Girl children are being forced to marry because of financial constraints on their parents as many of them lost their livelihoods during the lockdown. The reason for early child marriages have been varied including return of male family members from their work, societal pressure etc. According to the National Family Health Survey, Bihar accounts for 11% of all child marriages in India for girls. These girl children are now struggling with pregnancy, low levels of education and nutrition. 
 Diksha Foundation, through this project, seeks to reestablish the connection between students and learning of 300 students directly by taking the following measures:-<ul><li>Strengthen Access to Study Material -  We are planning to ensure door step delivery of library books, work books, stationery etc to our students in order to ensure their accessibility to resource materials</li><li>Online Teaching -  We plan to introduce conference line teaching with our students with provisions of video as well as audio lectures</li><li>Video Recordings - These video recording of classes of different topics will be made available to our students in order to ensure their learning </li><li>Mobile/Data Plan - This will allow students  with smartphones to join the classes as many students come from marginalised sections of the society</li><li>Blended Learning -  Further, as the COVID cases take a downward direction and the government eases out on the lockdown rules, we plan on introducing blended learning through which the students will be able to join classes through ICT as well as in the traditional method. </li><li>Teacher Resources- Tablets and smartphones to teachers with data plans</li><li>Sessions beyond academic courses- Mental health, meditation and decision making skills to reduce early child marriage .</li></ul>We will design our course content by including core subjects such as Math, English, Hindi and Computer along with life skills content such as mental health, meditation and decision making skills as provided in the module of My Life, Mere Faisley developed by Pravah. 
 <ul><li>Reduction in school drop out rates</li><li>Reduction in child marriages</li><li>Continued access to learning material will help in retaining knowledge</li><li>Better mental growth of children </li></ul>

KHEL Digital Resource Hub

Bharat Education Foundation has partnered with Diksha Foundation to roll-out Bharat Education Scholarship for economically underprivileged high school students in Bihar, who aspire to attend college. Bharat Education Foundation has a mission to unlock the potential of underprivileged students in India by providing comprehensive scholarships that cover higher education, living expenses &amp; subsidy to the families of such students.To learn more about Bharat Education Foundation, please visit BharatEducation.info/ and to learn more about Diksha Foundation please visit <a href="http://dikshafoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">dikshafoundation.org/</a> THE PROBLEM- Many high school (senior secondary school) students from underprivileged backgrounds in India do not pursue undergraduate (college) education because their parents cannot afford it, or worse still, the family needs to rely on wages from its children’s labor to run the household. This forces the children to seek pre-mature employment in the informal economy (eg. daily wage laborers in construction, rickshaw pullers, drivers and household help).These children, once employed in the informal economy, can rarely exit, and decades later, they in turn cannot afford higher education for their own kids. Thus begins a vicious cycle that is hard to break, and keeps generations of such families in abject poverty. While myriad scholarships for underprivileged students are available in various forms, students are still reluctant to attend college, as they know that their families need financial support from their labor, leaving them with no choice but to join the informal economy. Such decision making is forced also by lack of role models and career guidance. Sample field research interview snapshots, conducted in conjunction with Diksha Foundation at their center in Patna, Bihar.<ul><li>Education ongoing but not sure if they can make it to college</li><li>Lack of role models in extended family and social circle</li><li>Low visibility into professional careers</li><li>Aspirational but despair setting in</li><li>Expect most likely outcome to do something similar as parents – joining the informal economy</li><li>Family living under Rs. 15,000 per month income</li><li>Precedent already or expectation by family to support financially now (part time) or soon (leaving education)</li><li>Parents would like their children to study but don’t think they will be able to support.</li></ul> 
 THE SOLUTION- We hope to fix the route cause of the problem – the lifetime value of the student attending college should be greater than providing a source of income to the family in the short term. We will unlock this by providing the family a financial subsidy, in addition to paying for the college education, room &amp; board, travel expenses for the student. We will fund the family &amp; the student for the entirety of the college education time frame typically 3 – 4 years.Our endeavor is also to ensure that the student can find suitable employment opportunities in the organized sector, in a professional setting so that she has a path towards sustainable employment and a shot at bringing her family out of poverty. 
 SCHOLARSHIP-Our program has been kicked off in Bihar (one of the poorest states of India) with a dismal record of education continuity. The enrollment rates for Bihar start lagging versus rest of the country by senior secondary school and drops quite significantly by college, especially compared to urban states such as Delhi (14% versus 45%) but even versus the India average (25%). We plan to expand this program to other states over the next few years.Bharat Education Scholarship (and family financial support) grant details:<ul><li>Scholarship for up to Rs. 6 Lakhs per year, will cover full costs for attending a nationally reputed college that would culminate in a Bachelors degree in 3 – 4 years:</li><li>College fees, cost of boarding or lodging for the student</li><li>Other student college attendance expenses including travel costs</li><li>Up to Rs. 1,20,000 per year grant for the family</li><li>Active mentoring of the student to ensure retention &amp; launch professional career post-graduation</li></ul>THE ASK-We are targeting to fund at least 2 students &amp; their families in the next academic year for 3-4 years, to be able to attend a top 100 university / college / engineering institute in India, as part of this pilot and need to raise INR 50,00,000 (US $60,000). Any excess funds will be used to sponsor more students. Your help in achieving our goal will help families break the vicious cycle of poverty through education. The urgency of the problem calls for immediate action.

Educate 300 marginalized children in Bihar

KHEL Digital Resource Hub

Bharat Education Fellowship 2023 - An Initiative by Bharat Education Foundation and Diksha Foundation

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

Help Lalitha give kids rescued from abuse in red-light areas a safe and loving home. Donate now.

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