In Vrindavan, thousands of elderly widow mothers face the harsh reality of abandonment and suffering. With no one to turn to, many are left begging on the streets, exposed to heat, cold and rain,Donate so that Maitri can provide shelter, food, clothes and medical support to abandoned elderly mothers now. Give generously.Winnie Singh has witnessed many cases of widow mothers being abandoned on the streets of Vrindavan, one of the holiest places in India. “Children leave their mothers as soon as they become widows. The children start feeling the burden. This has become a practice in today's society that money comes first and everything else later,” says Winnie whose Maitri India, rescues widowed mothers from the streets of Vrindavan.Many widowed elderly mothers often end up living a lonely life and begging to survive on the streets. And Maitri aspires to take care of every widow in need of help, but because of lack of funds, Winnie and Maitri are in a position to do it."Elderly widows don't have shelter. They sleep in cowsheds over sacks. They don't have a blanket. Nights are really difficult for them," shares Winnie Singh. <img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/1abfb906-563b-4747-85b8-8af2071a2856.jpg" />Maitri aims to:<ul><li>Provide shelter and nutritious 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 and engagement around the struggles of abandoned widow mothers</li></ul>Why donate to MaitriWinnie needs your support to help those in need of food, healthcare and well-being. “Maitri urgently needs your support to provide nutritious food, clothing and healthcare to sustain these widow mothers who are prone to more illnesses as they age,” appeals Winnie. “You can become the family they were denied. Hold their hands so they don't need to beg ever again,” she adds. Let’s rescue abandoned widows mothers from the streets of Vrindavan and give them a better future. Donate now.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.

Help provide shelter, food, clothes and medical support to abandoned widow mothers of Vrindavan. Donate now

Most of Sharanalayam’s children have ‘V’ as their initial. The ‘V’ stands for ‘Vanitha,’ the founder of the NGO. For the orphaned and the abandoned kids, Vanitha is simply ‘Thaiamma’ (mother). One of them is V Dhanushya, 18, who is studying nursing. “Thaiamma has taken care of me since I was six months old. I don’t know who I was born to, but if somebody asks me my mother’s name, I will say Vanitha,” Dhanushya says.But Vanitha, at 72, is seeking your support to keep Sharanalayam running and help many more Dhanushyas. Donate now.Donations to this fundraiser are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India). <img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/519af8b4-e1d1-4974-98c3-a9a15120df8b.png" />“A sex worker’s child should not become a sex worker, and a beggar’s child should not end up becoming a beggar. Every child, in my eyes, is equal, and no child deserves to live on the streets. That is my basic philosophy,” says N Vanitha Rengaraj, chairperson of Sharanalayam.For rescued abandoned infants from bus stands, railway stations, roadsides and temple steps and orphans adopting whose parents have died, Sharanalayam has been a loving home for close to two decades. Vanitha has also been taking care of abandoned HIV-infected and mentally challenged kids. Today, over 80 abandoned kids are given shelter, food, medical care, education and other amenities at Sharanalayam.Vanitha has tried her best to run Sharanalayam from her own resources and that of her well-wishers, but the last two years have been harsh. “I have never extended my hands asking people to donate, but I have to do it now for the sake of the children under my care,” says Vanitha. Donate now.Over 80 children at Sharanalayam attend school and do well in their studies. Many of them study in private schools and Sharanalayam bears all expenses.How Sharanalayam came into beingThe NGO started its operations in 2001 from rented premises in Pollachi in the district of Coimbatore. It had seven children. The first child to be brought to Sharanalayam was a baby of four, who was mentally challenged, and her mother chained the daughter when she went out to work.When Vanitha came to know about this child, she went to inquire and saw that the baby was in a horrible state. She promised the mother that she would take care of the baby. “The baby hardly had any strength. She used to be called ‘insect’ by the people in the neighbourhood. The doctor said that she might not survive beyond a month. But she did for over a year, under my care. I named her Shakthi,” recalls Vanitha.Sharanalayam has come a long way since that time, with hundreds of children being taken care of by the NGO in the last two decades. Many have become professionals in various fields, including medical care, engineering, counselling, banking, etc.Sharanalayam needs urgent support to take care of 80 children under its care. The organisation also aspires to take care of many more orphaned and abandoned children in the coming months and years. Vanitha cannot do it without your support. Donate now.

Help 72-year-old Vanitha provide 80 abandoned orphans with shelter and care

“I never imagined I would have to sleep at the bus stand despite having an able-bodied son. I was a building contractor, and it was all fine till the time I was earning well. But as soon as I lost my leg in an accident, I came on the streets. My son assaulted me and deserted me,” recalls Laxman Parasram Ajrekar, a beneficiary of Jeevan Anand Sanstha’s home for elderly, a sanctuary for over 230 seniors like him.Over the last decade Sandip Parab and his NGO Jeevan Anand Sanstha, despite facing financial hardships himself, have been a saviour for over 3,000 elderly.  With your support, Sandip can continue to rescue the elderly parents who are abandoned by their own children and give them the love and care they deserve. Donate nowDonate 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 fate worse than death“Just imagine the plight of an elderly mother who, despite coming from a well-to-do background is compelled to live the life of a beggar on city streets. The condition of elderly women who have been abandoned by their children is the worst because they face so many problems and threats on the streets. They lie starving on the streets with festering wounds and incapable of even moving,” says Sandip while talking about the pain of homeless seniors. Sandip has made it his life’s mission to protect and care for such senior citizens and has resolved never to rest till he can reach every elderly who is in need. The only hurdle Sandip faces is that of funds. Your support can enable him to reach countless more senior citizens who have been abused and abandoned by their families.How your donations helpSuch has been Sandip’s resolve to save the elderly from the streets that he has been rescuing them on his two wheeler. Today he faces a huge challenge in providing rescued senior citizens nutrition and medical care. “I treat each and every person at our home for elderly as my own parents. I do everything for them from bathing and cleaning to feeding them. But the problem I am facing is that the number of elderly at our home is increasing with each passing day. I need support in getting rations and medicines for this family of mine” shares Sandip.“When I was in my 20s, I found an elderly person lying unconscious near a railway station. I took him to my friend's home, cleaned him, bathed him and began taking care of him. I later found out that he was the principal of a school. His son was a professor but despite that he had been lying on the road. It is for helpless seniors like these that I decided that I will dedicate my life to care for them.Join this mission to protect vulnerable and helpless senior citizens who are in urgent need of medical care, food and shelter. Donate nowDonate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest online donation platform, to support Jeevan Anand Sansthan and other NGOs working in this cause to further their mission of rescuing abandoned elderly from the streets and giving them a loving home.

Help Sandip rescue and care for abandoned elderly left to beg on the streets. Donate now

This is a sample description for Art & Culture For the purpose of testing I will use the word Art & CultureArt & CultureArt & Culture

Art & Culture

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

Livelihood

Kattaikkuttu theatre is an integral part of the intangible Tamil cultural heritage. At the Sangam, we maintain and develop this traditional theatre form by adapting old plays and creating new, original works. We make Kattaikkuttu’s embodied know-how accessible to multiple audiences to ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy and take part in its rich story repertoire, its vigour and aesthetic beauty.Founded in 1990 by actor, director and playwright Perungattur P. Rajagopal, together with theatre scholar Dr Hanne M. de Bruin and 15 actors and musicians, the Kattaikkuttu Sangam is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to uphold the prestige and quality of the Kattaikkuttu theatre.Our Vision: To realize Kattaikkuttu’s full potential as a carrier of traditional artistic knowledge and skills and a contemporary theatre that is attuned to the cultural and economic demands of today’s society.Our Mission: As a democratically representative body, the Sangam works towards maintaining and developing Kattaikkuttu as a respected art form of exceptional quality and craftsmanship and a sustainable profession for its performers.We strongly believe that all art forms count equally and should be inclusive and accessible to all.

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

Hanne M. de Bruin-Rajagopal

Kattaikkuttu Sangam

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.

Read our latest Kattaikkuttu E-News to know more about the Festival: https://mailchi.mp/8ce14a86bbc1/mahabharata-festival-in-full-swing?fbclid=IwAR3Y7TKStTHVfg8NaW455qm1FyQsORGE6o2P9RfUb_5EOzSlt28mt2cCIzI Join us for the upcoming performance of Arjuna's Tapas on Saturday 28 Oct, 5 pm

The Mahabharata Festival is in full swing!

You can follow the Festival's inauguration, dedicated to the memory of Dr MS Swaminathan, and its shows on our website. Missed a show? Go to the recording on our YouTube Channel. Read The Hindu's review of Day 1 of the Festival. And please continue to support us by making a donation or buying an "I love Kattaikkuttu" Support Pass for Rs. 1000. By doing so you support each show with Rs. 100. We are deeply touched by the donations and volunteer support we have received so far. Thank you so much! We are deeply touched by all the donations and volunteer support we have received so far. Thank you so much!

Follow the Festival on our website and YouTube channel

The Programme of the Mahabharata Festival is out. You can find it on our website as well as on our social media. Please book your donor-support pass or sponsor a show! We count on you to help us safeguard Kattaikkuttu for you, your children and grandchildren.

Festival Programme

Create change with NGOs on Give.do! Explore 3,000+ NGOs dedicated to causes like human rights, animal welfare and healthcare. Your contribution matters!

Help provide shelter, food, clothes and medical support to abandoned widow mothers of Vrindavan. Donate now

Help 72-year-old Vanitha provide 80 abandoned orphans with shelter and care

Help Sandip rescue and care for abandoned elderly left to beg on the streets. Donate now

Disclaimer