"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

“What will happen to them after me? I am 80+. I spend sleepless nights,” worries ex-Air Force officer, Group Captain AC Barua while talking about the future of the 28 destitute women under his care. “They have nobody in this world, sometimes they don’t remember their own names. They are absolutely alone,” he informs us as he goes from one room to the other meeting all the women who live at Seneh, the only home where they are loved and taken care of. After fighting for his country all his life, this octogenarian is now fighting to rescue homeless and abandoned women from dying on the streets. But he cannot do it alone. “Everyday I keep on getting calls from here and there. ‘Oh! there’s a woman lying here. Can you help?’ But I don’t dare to go and help because I don’t have the money. I don’t have the resources, our resources are very limited,” explains Gr. Capt. Barua who is lovingly called ‘Sir’ and ‘Deuta’ (father in Assamese) by the residents of Seneh. With your help, 80-year-old Group Captain Barua can fulfill his mission of rescuing abandoned and homeless women from dying on the streets, alone. Donate nowDonate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking. All 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).Seneh- a home filled with love, care and hopeThe residents of Seneh often don’t remember who they are, where they have come from. Many times these are women with mental health conditions and considered being a witch due to superstitious beliefs and beaten up as a result. They are victims of domestic abuse or widow mothers who are considered to be a burden on the family. Group Captain Barua has not only rescued them from critical conditions, he has provided them with urgent medical care, food and above all, a free safe shelter where they can live with love and care. Among these residents is Sarala Kalita who fled to save herself from the tortures of her alcoholic husband only to face neglect and trauma from her brothers- and sisters-in-law. “Both my brothers and their wives urged my father to leave me somewhere as they didn’t want to take care of me anymore. One day my brother’s wife didn’t even let me have food at home. She just wanted me to leave and go away. So that’s why, my father got in touch with Seneh through someone, and handed me over to Sir to take care of me,” says Sarita who has found joy in living at Seneh. “Coming to Seneh, it felt like I got a new life altogether. Sir has given me a harmonium. I love singing. It makes me forget everything and takes me to someplace else entirely,” she adds. More women like Sarala can find their way to a loving home like Seneh. All they need is a little bit of your kindness. “It is difficult to make both ends meet”To sustain their daily expenditure, Capt Barua needs approx ₹3 lakh a month and arranging the funds is a mammoth challenge for the NGO. “Our expenses are growing day by day. Residents are growing older, their sicknesses are increasing. At times we have to give them special food. They require more care so we have to get more employees. About half of them require leading around, 1-2 has to be fed also. It will be very difficult to sustain it unless we get help,” he added. One act of your kindness can save these abandoned women, with no one in this world, from struggling on the streets to survive. At 80+ Gr. Capt. Barua cannot sustain Seneh on his own. “With folded hands, I appeal to all. Please come and please help us. Let us help these people, these old people who have nobody in this world. They are dying. They will die on the streets,” he urged. Donate to this fundraiser by Give.do to support retired Air Force officer, Group Captain Barua in his mission to rescue abandoned and homeless women from dying on the streets.

After fighting for India, former Air Force officer is now fighting to save abandoned women. Help him, donate now

Cattle, bred for profit and abandoned after they stop producing milk, are often found malnourished, injured or sick on city streets. Many face bitter winters, starvation and death in road accidents - a sad fate for cows in a country where they are revered by lakhs of people. To save cows from such a sad end, Swami Ishwar Das started Shree Krishnayan Desi Gaushala, currently home to 18,000+ abandoned cows. But with the rising costs of fodder and medicines, he is struggling to provide the quality of care such mistreated animals deserve. “It was in 2010 when I witnessed abandoned cows from the streets in Uttarakhand being transported in a truck. The cows were administered anesthesia and stacked one above the other like lifeless goods. When me and a few of my acquaintances brought the cows off the truck, two of them died before my eyes and that sight shook me to the core. It was then that I started Shree Krishnayan Gaushala with 11 abandoned cows in a small donated land,” says Swami Ishwar Das.Swami Ishwar Das is unable to bear the rising cost of nutrition and medical care for injured cows and needs support to continue to save these voiceless animals. Donate now. All donations on this platform are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India), &amp; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA).<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/ead01668-6b4d-4a8c-85de-30b43e174f22.JPG" />Every life matters“Here at Shree Krishnayan Desi Gaushala, it is our resolve to leave no stone unturned in caring for helpless cows. No matter what the cost of treatment may be, we make every possible effort to aid ill and injured cows. Our only objective is that a cow should not lose its life for the want of medical care, food or water,” says Swami Ishwar Das. In order to provide the best quality of care and treatment to its adopted cattle, three well trained veterinary doctors attend the gaushala 24/4. The NGO - Shree Krishnayan Desi Gauraksha Avam Golokdham Seva Samiti - spares no expense in providing nutrition either. From jaggery and grains to a healthy mix of green and dry fodder, cows are given meals best suited to their needs.With cost of fodder on rise the Gaushala needs help<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/93e7eafe-4438-40d6-ae40-6972feaf0988.jpg" />Swami Ishwar Das and his team, however, are struggling to keep up with rising costs of nutrition and medical care for cows. “The cost of fodder has risen by almost three times in the last couple of years. From food to medicines everything has become expensive. And we will never compromise with the quality of care and love that we want to give to our cows,” says Swami Ishwar Das. Help Swami Ishwar Das provide the best care and love to abandoned cows while saving them from a desperate life of starvation and suffering on the streets.

Help Swami Ishwar Das rescue cows on roads, abandoned as they no longer produce milk

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

Community & Rural Development

Dilasa help initiate and sustain novel irrigation methods to support agricultural development for tribal people and small farmers in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. The Vidarbha region in Maharashtra has 3.4 million cotton farmers, of whom 95% struggle with debt and an unstable income. In 1995-2010 alone, 50,481 farmer-suicides were reported mainly due to the inability to repay debts, dependence on monsoons, small land-holding, and restricted traditional methods of farming. We provide low-cost technical solutions to address these issues using improved irrigation methods and mixed cropping. We have also created 7650 self-help groups (SHGs) for women and encourage locals to explore natural resources such as organic farming and creating medicine from natural plants. So far over 125,000 people have directly reaped the rewards from our programmes and over 100,000 others have in some way been positively affected.Dilasa is Non-governmental voluntary organization established in 1994. Dilasa works in close cooperation with 125 other smaller NGO’s in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. It runs Farmers Support Centre spreads information on various government schemes meant for the benefit of the farmers and rural population. Presently Dilasa has been reached out to 95000 beneficiaries from 1260 villages of Maharashtra State.

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

Komal Madhukar Dhas

Dilasa Sanstha

Moroti Marekar, a resident of Waghapur, Yavatmal, has been a dry-land farmer for 15 years. Moroti relied on conventional methods of dry-land farming that produced an insufficient amount to support the six members of his family.

Dilasa identified her problem and set up a small Phad irrigation system for him. Now three acres of his land are using the system while other farmers in the area have taken on this innovative concept and grown crops of wheat using the technique. Moroti no longer depends on rain and grows crops in all seasons, doubling his annual income. The quality of life his family now enjoys far surpasses the way they were forced to live before.

Moroti revives his small farmland with Phad irrigation

One of the farming methods Dilasa has encouraged and supported in the region is the PATA method that mixes a variety of legume, cereal and vegetable crops to reap the benefits of the soil’s nutrients. It’s an ancient method that is helpful for small farmers to sustain their families as well as improve their income.

Mrs. Geetabai Choudhari, who hails from Sawarkheda, initially invested Rs. 5 into PATA. Now she has earned Rs. 6,000 from the growth of her sesame crop; a wonderful profit, unattainable without the use of this method. So far Dilasa has helped around 40,000 farmers adopt this method and looks to reach out to many many more.

PATA: a boon for small farmers

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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In the last 16 years, Vidarbha has recorded the largest number of farmer suicides. Farmers quickly lose hope when facing problems such as regular droughts and crop failure.In Yavatmal, farmers use reservoirs of water gathered in dams following monsoons. However, many of these dams have crumbled or cracked, with precious water flowing out unhindered. The water does not reach most of the farms, thus hampering the yield. 
 We identified Phad Irrigation as an effective and sustainable solution that does not depend on rain. It is a low-cost and eco-friendly method that uses rainwater from nearby rivers instead of electricity, through a diversion weir and contour canal or PVC pipe. The technique works remarkably well with areas that have comparatively low rainfall.Our trained staff and volunteers have implemented Phad irrigation systems at more than 20 locations in Yavatmal, repaired all dams in the region and help all farmers to build the system on their land. 
 With Phad irrigation, farmers have found that yields in their cotton fields have gone up substantially. Access to water also means that farmers don’t have to depend on rain and are able to grow a second crop of pulses or wheat easily.We plan to help 25 farmers and their families living in distress by investing around Rs. 500,000 in Phad irrigation systems.

Sponsor a farmer to learn low-cost farming methods

Reports suggest that a farmer commits suicide every 30 minutes in India. While 60% of the population relies on agriculture and agricultural jobs, they continue to struggle with issues such as debts holding high interest rates and dependence on rainfall.Vidarbha, in the eastern region of Maharashtra, is included in the country’s 250 most backward districts, and is often referred to as the ‘suicide belt’ of India due to its high rate of farmer-suicides. 
 To help prevent farmer-suicides, we are trying to revive the traditional, low-cost farming practice PATA, in which the main crop is combined with strips of inter crops (fruits, vegetables, legumes and spices) to optimise the use of soil.We provide extensive training to our volunteers and staff so that they can educate the villagers on advantages of PATA farming and initiate its first stage. The technique helps in controlling specific weeds, pests and diseases that are associated with particular crops. It also improves the structure of the soil by sowing different kind of crops and increasing soil nitrogen levels by growing legume crops. 
 The project is helping 12,300 farmers to improve their economic condition significantly, stopping them from giving up completely and leaving their children fatherless. With just Rs. 80, a rural farmer can improve his living and banish all thoughts of suicide.

Sponsor a farmer to learn low-cost farming methods

Sponsor sustainable farm training and help prevent farmer-suicides

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

After fighting for India, former Air Force officer is now fighting to save abandoned women. Help him, donate now

Help Swami Ishwar Das rescue cows on roads, abandoned as they no longer produce milk

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