"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

For a mother who has spent her entire life loving and raising her child, being beaten and mercilessly thrown out onto the streets by her own son is too heartbreaking to overcome. But this is a common story among the elderly residents of the Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram. “I’ve seen mothers in old and torn clothes, their bodies smelling and their hands and feet rotting and covered in maggots,” shares Dr. G.P. Bhagat, founder of the ashram. These abandoned elderly men and women lay starving on the streets hoping for someone to rescue them from their suffering. But most people walk past them without a second glance. “Like this”, Dr. Bhagat explains, “many elders die on the roads.”Since 2003, SHEOWS (Saint Hardyal Educational and Orphans Welfare Society) has rescued over 10,000 elderly people from the streets and given them a home with care and support. The elderly staying at the ashram have all been abandoned by their families and have nowhere else to live. Your support can give them comfort after their abandonment. 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). Safe and loving homeFor 20 years, SHEOWS has been providing free shelter, nutritious food three times a day, clothing, medical care, recreation activities and emotional support to abused and disabled elderly people rescued from the streets of Delhi. The Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram has a dedicated rescue team that saves the elderly from the streets and gives them immediate medical care upon their arrival at the home. To tend to the multiple health complications of the seniors, the home has a medical facility with doctors and nurses, a physiotherapy unit, a pathology lab, a digital X-ray monitoring machine and a pharmacy to provide 24-hour care to older adults anytime they require assistance, even during emergencies. Dr. Bhagat prioritizes the health of the seniors and ensures that they receive three balanced meals a day based on their precise health requirements. Need for the fundraiserThe humanitarian mission of SHEOWS is making an impact in the area, as more and more people are being rescued and brought to Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram. To meet the financial costs of running the home, SHEOWS needs support to continue providing the residents with all the facilities that they need. This includes constant care and round-the-clock medical attention, nutritious food and maintaining a hygienic environment to keep the seniors in comfort and good health. Dr. Bhagat explains that as the number of residents is increasing, SHEOWS needs support for food and medicines. “I request you to help these elderly parents lead a peaceful life.”Donate now to help Dr. Bhagat continue caring for the 500 destitute elderly and giving them shelter, food, medical care and the will to carry on living despite their tragic abandonment by their families. Your support will enable SHEOWS to keep serving abandoned senior citizens and help them recover from the trauma of abandonment and life on the streets. “I have been serving these elderly as if they were my own parents”, shares Dr. Bhagat. “I want only one thing - their tears should vanish and they should have a smile on their faces.” To help Dr. Bhagat achieve this dream, your support is critical. Donate now to help SHEOWS care for more abandoned elderly. Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest online donation platform, to support SHEOWS in their mission to rescue the abandoned elderly from the streets and give them shelter, food, medical care, recreational activities and emotional support.

This Diwali, help Dr. Bhagat care for 500+ elderly parents rescued from abuse and homelessness

“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

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

Healthcare

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 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

With a committed passion for children, Samvedana reaches out to the economically weaker section of the society. With a belief that education empowers, Samvedana was founded as a registered charitable trust in 2003. We evolved with years while doing grass root work with the bottom of the pyramid while learning about the needs of the development sector in India, staying committed to nation building.Founder, Janki Vasant, passionate for her work with children and facilitating them with the right opportunities was awarded ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ by the President of India in 2016.With a 360 degree approach towards integrated development of the vulnerable communities, Samvedana works under the heads of these five Initiatives-‘Vasant Pathshala’ is about empowering rural kids with quality education focusing on English as a language tool and 21st century skills to strengthen their roots and elevate their communities through sustainable and collaborative solutions.'Akshara', our initiative caters to sound foundations for early learning for children from age group 3 to 8 years.'Sattva', Samvedana's initiative focuses on nutritional needs at the foundations. It caters to children below the age of 6, includes pregnant and lactating mother's to give the 1000 day benefit to the child.'Eklavya', Samvedana's initiative works with the extraordinary students from municipal schools, gives them scholarships, mentoring tie ups and counselling. 'Udgreev' is about empowering women at the grassroots by giving them vocational skills and creating livelihoods.Initiated with 30 children, passionately leading the above interventions in communities, we are happy to have reached out to over 300,000 beneficiaries today in 2019, having created a meaningful and sustainable ecosystem with all stakeholders.

Janki Vasant

Samvedana Trust

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"A school under a Banyan tree… sounds so perfect !"Here, along with the romance of an ideal school also comes- Splashes of heavy rains one day; extreme heat the other; and may be a scary reptile the third day! Surely our open class is open to one such unpredictable reason each day to unsettle the class.With an aim to give quality holistic education to rural India, Samvedana began a challenging yet much needed initiative of filling the gap of English education in villages by starting a holistic english medium school in Lana, a small village near Ahmedabad. All set with well qualified teachers from Ahmedabad as well as Mumbai, with Parenting modules by experts, in a temporary structure we started on a very positive note with 70 kids from 14 small villages on June 13th 2019.The real challenges began with the first snake crawling up in the class the first week &amp; after a month the first rains, breaking open the roof of one after the other three classrooms. The moments of Joy...when Adarsh, our first grade kid spoke a full sentence in english was marred by the chaotic shifting we finally had to do due to the leaking roofs!!  
 A sensitized volunteer and architect with Samvedana, joined us in our endeavor to overcome this challenge. Together we have a sustainable solution ready to this unsettling hurdle and create a learning environment matching with their urban peers:  A foyer for the assembly and opening circle with kids. The same space can be used for their lunch break and parent meetings- This space is planned to create an inclusive environment in the school. Smart class- To bring the world exposures into a rural classroom making them global citizensComputer lab- Giving them digital literacy. Library - with Board games, Bilingual books, activity tools- Enhancing their critical thinking, logic, mental math, language with Fun and Learn approach.Classrooms- To provide ideal space for learning under stable-safe structure. Activity zones for creative arts, performing arts and workshops- Giving them environment to explore their creativity. Sports arena for Elementary class; Play area for Pre kids- Sports is inherent for a balanced growth of a child. Rural areas do not have any Sports complexes, which is a huge gap!  Kitchen- Being consciously aware about hazards of malnutrition on the mental growth of a child, this provides daily nutrition to children.  Admin &amp; Staff room Sanitation, drinking water facility 
 Since 2003, Samvedana with a passionate commitment to education has reached out to over 300,000 beneficiaries. Founder, Janki Vasant was awarded “Nari Shakti Puraskar” by President of India in 2016. Having worked for the first decade in municipal schools for remedial education and learning the grave importance of nutrition in early childhood, we implemented Sattva drive to save 70% anganwadi children from undernourishment. If that was giving roots to their early years, Samvedana’s project “Eklavya” gives flight to their dreams. With 16 municipal schools as partners, we give 142 students scholarships for higher education. Samvedana sensed the gap and grave need of quality education in rural areas thus initiated project “Vasant Pathshala”. We have identified 50 villages around Lana, from where children can come to our school. Their parents are mainly farmers or cattle breeders or industry workers. We believe, 21st Century skills be the backbone of education in today’s times.Along with Literacy; social, communication, vocational skills &amp; digital literacy are relevant part of syllabus. English being a very important language tool, needs to be given to rural kids along with modules to strengthen their values and roots. Our vision is to empower the children to elevate their villages using technology and collaborative solutions. And to accomplish this vision, we need to lay the foundation, which is nothing but building a school itself.

Lay your Brick, Build a School

Gauri, Samvedana's student, was the 1st in class always! Exceptionally good with maths, she dreamt to be an Astronaut ! We were missing her vibrant presence after she passed out and moved on. We visited her during our field visits to check her progress. That’s when we found out, she had dropped out and was working as a house help with her mother!Each year through our remedial interventions in primary schools, there are few meritorious students for whom we are highly aspirational. They were stars of their class, role models for others and inspiration for volunteers who served them. Its highly disheartening to see them dropping out, getting into child labour, due to financial constraint. Not just all our efforts made during their elementary years were going in vain; not just this child was shunned of the big dream he saw in his class, but this is actually a loss on nation's GDP!So many such young lives are growing under the shadows of poverty, abuse and all that it brings along with it. A huge percentage of kids after primary education never get an opportunity of higher education because of financial constraints.﻿We have 20 students wait-listed for scholarships this year. 
 With a firm belief that Education Empowers and Education is the best charity we can offer to make a sustainable difference, we designed our intervention of scholarships - 'Eklavya". Samvedana partnered with municipal schools to identify the star students. How we do it –·     Samvedana’s open entrance test for 8th Graders Each year around 900 students sit for this test·     Those who pass this, are called along with their parents for Panel interviews·     Post which team goes for home visitsMost deserving students are inducted.·     Parents and students orientations and workshops·     Counseling and DMIT test (detailed psychomatric test) ·     Complete handholding for admission process and mock interviews·     Connecting students after 10th grade with compatible Mentor Eklavya project sponsors a deserving student's education from 9th grade till they graduate. 
 The vision of this project is to recognize the untapped meritorious potential and provide the right facilities towards nurturing it. By providing scholarship we aspire to mould the unnoticed future leaders of our nation.The Eklavya project gives flight to the dreams of students aiming to be successful professionals in future. This is Samvedana's high impact project. We have witnessed profound transformations reaching out to families and communities with this intervention. With 16 municipal schools as partners, we currently have 142 scholarship ‘Eklavya’ students. Sharing of few success stories, Two of our students are placed in Air Force, 5 girls have passed out mainstream BBA, one MBA and five students passed out engineering including one girl child. Sona, an aspiring architect, daughter of a house help is in her last semester. Deep, twinkle of the eye of a single mother is pursuing his MBBS. There are 142 such heartwarming stories about students who are passionate about their goals and want to support their family.We are committed to make their dreams a reality.

Give Scholarship, Carve a Future

Samvedana's larger vision is of nation-building with focus on grave issues of malnourishment, early learning and education, higher education for the much deserving youth by giving scholarships and empowering women at the grassroots through health, hygiene awareness and skill training, thus creating livelihood options. Malnourishment continues to plague young lives. With trust in education as a strong medium to empower, the first decade of Samvedana was focused on education. Soon we learnt, the real cause of dropouts and gaps in the development sector is beyond poverty, it is, when this slow learner student was below the age of 5, was malnourished or was born to an anaemic pregnant mother, nursing that child. This sadly manifests as inadequate development of the brain resulting out of undernourished childhood, which dooms the future of that child! According to the UN stats, 47% of India’s children are under the age of six years. In a country where a child dies out of hunger every four minutes, it is crucial that some measures are taken towards improvement,Malnourishment and the lack of early life care is a profound danger in the lives of young children and does irreversible damage to their future. 
 With a vision to create an ecosystem to eradicate malnutrition amongst infants- a major detriment to our country, we initiated a 300 days nutrition campaign called ‘Sattva Drive’ in 76 Aanganwadis monitored by Samvedana in Ghatak 7. We maintained the data periodically in software to have a variable study generated at the end of the drive along with a KPA to track the change in the knowledge and attitude of mothers pre and post the drive. 70.6 % of high-risk children were upgraded through Sattva Drive 1, which was from June 2016 until September 2017.With an aim to sustain the benefits and include the pregnant and lactating mothers this time, we launched Sattva Drive 02. We also have a phone app for the facilitators, counsellors and supervisors to maintain the data, analyse and effectively manage the intervention as well as measure the impact. Sattva is a Two Step Program:1. Daily Supplementary nutrition from Samvedana. Educating the mothers fortnightly with our material designed through fortnight counselling sessions. 2. Daily Early child care and education with special emphasis on nutrition and parent counselling. Along with the above, it’s our holistic approach including volunteer involvement, welfare-awareness plans, pre-primary learning, music, a medical intervention wherever necessary, facilitates a healthy environment. 
 We reach out to the malnourished 2500 children from 76 Anganwadi centres in Sattva Drive 1. We have customised software to measure the impact of our intervention. After the Sattva drive of 300 days, 70.6 % of kids came out of malnourishment.At this time, sattva drive 2 is on. We have also included pregnant women and nursing mothers who are anaemic as beneficiaries for counselling and additional nutrition. In the first 100 days, 56% of the kids are already out of malnutrition. Our KPA results are also 90%, showing extremely good outcomes of parents outreach and counselling towards higher sustainability of the results.

Lay your Brick, Build a School

Give Scholarship, Carve a Future

Sattva

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

This Diwali, help Dr. Bhagat care for 500+ elderly parents rescued from abuse and homelessness

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

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