"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

“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 Environment For the purpose of testing I will use the word Hunger & HomelessnessHunger & HomelessnessHunger & Homelessness.

Hunger & Homelessness

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

Women in rural India are being subject to atrocities like domestic violence, abuse, hunger, ill-health, and lower societal status due to gender discrimination. Many take their own lives by committing suicide. Women had no information on their rights as they are illiterate and no power to change their fate as they have no voice in the patriarchal male-dominated society.Hope Welfare Trust decided to empower these marginalized women to fight for themselves by various appropriate programs like literacy programs, information about government welfare schemes, health, and hygiene, self-defense training and most importantly forming a Green group of 15-25 women so the single lone voice becomes strong voice collectively so it can be ignored by society.The idea of Hope is to bring out sustainable development in Indian villages and involving women to play a key role. Thus, Hope work strategically towards rural development and women empowerment.HOPE's major achievement is that most villages where the Green group is working is completely drug/alchohol/ gambling free which was the main reason for domestic violence and poverty. Children who were roaming on the streets are now going to school. Teachers who used to be absent are coming to teach every day. Now men contributing their time towards the betterment of family instead of spending whole day gambling. Realizing the potential of these women, the local police administration supported their cause and assigned them the title of ‘Police Mitra (friend_’ and gave then ID cards to keep an eye out for any kind of criminal activity. This has given the women an immense amount of power. Working vigorously for the upliftment of the marginalized, Hope has created a green group of 900 women in various villages who in turn helping thousands of people in their own communities.HOPE also increased their financial income by educating them about the right methods/ tools of farming which is yielding better crops resulting in better income. He has identified 7 villages to initiate village tourism which will help women to earn living by hosting guests who want to have a glimpse of real India.These women are not only advocating for an alcohol-free society but also pushing for other positive changes by working on cleanliness, healthcare, education, voters’ awareness, and developing infrastructure.  These women, who were once afraid to step out of their homes, are a catalyst for transforming rural villages.

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

Divyanshu Upadhyay

HOPE Welfare 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

Listen to the story of a leprosy survivor and their hardship. Following his leprosy diagnosis, Dwarka and his wife migrated to Varanasi many years ago in search of a new life after losing their old one. Faced with rejection at every turn, even a leprosy colony turned them away, forcing them to sleep with the sky as their roof. Finally building a meager settlement under a bridge, the old couple survived on whatever they could earn from begging on the streets. Their life is made all the more difficult as a result of Dwarka's disfigured face and his beloved wife's blindness. When Hope Welfare Foundation discovered them in such a miserable state, we took steps to ease their living conditions, including providing dry rations for their sustenance. But we need your help to do more for them! Just like Dwarka, innumerable people all over India suffer from no fault of their own. Driven by stigma and superstition, leprosy survivors are denied the most basic requirements of life. But together, we can change their fate. Please help us provide leprosy survivors the materials and support they need to live with dignity. Join us to save these poor souls from a wretched existence. Donate now and save a life.

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Due to COVID-19 Lockdown, Majority of migrants/daily labour population has returned back to their villages on foot/cycle and other means, resulting losing all saving on roads. The impoverished Indian villages already were not able to provide to its inhabitants will have to bear the burnt of new influx of migrants resulting in starvation and devastation. HOPE Welfare Trust is already working in over 100 villages with the help of its 900 women collectively called #Green Group. These women have proven themselves by fighting against social vices like gambling, hooch alcoholism, starting schools for children, voter awareness, improvement of livelihood and most important helping local police by tipping them of any criminal activity in the area resulting in crime free villages.Currently due to COVID-19 these women are selflessly working day and night and walking on foot to give dry ration to poorest or poor in far flung remote areas where no one is able to reach due to absence of infrastructure. Due to our very limited funds, we were only giving ration to widow/single women with children and old destitute women in these naxal affected areas.Now we have exhausted all our resources, and looking for funding to continue our eforts as these far flung naxal affected villages at at brink of starvation due to loss of livelihood for last 61 days. 
 Below is the action plan in 4 steps:1) First step is to address urgent need of starvation so will be giving ration to over 100 naxal affected villages in 6 districts of Eastern U.P 2) Second step is to provide better quality seeds so poorest of poor can start growing 4-5 different vegetables in front of their hut/mud homes so they do not go hungry and become self-reliant. Gram Pradhan are not able to provide food security due to scarcity of ration. We are already in touch with various professors of Benaras Hindu University regarding seed quality and farming. As soon as we have funds, we will start buying and dispersing them.3) Third step is to provide means of earning livelihood like giving stitching machines to adult girls and newly married brides so they can earn some income to feed family.4) Will be giving interest free loans to 2 weakest families of the village to open 2 shops: Tea stall and kirana (ration) shop . 
 Below are the Impact we wish to create :1) Mitigation of mass starvation death by providing ration to villagers immediately.2)Ensuring food security for each and inhabitant of villages by providing seeds to grow vegetables/ fruits for their own consumption. It will also reduce desperate migration to cities in search of food or begging.3) Making young adult girls and women financially independent by giving them stitching machines.4) Opening of Tea shop and kirana / ration shop will help earn some income and villagers will not have to go to far away places to buy much needed ration. Once the entrepreneur able to return the investment sum, the same money will be invested in another village for same purpose to continue the cycle of rural upliftment.

Mitigation of starvation death/ Rural sustainability

This Navratri, 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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