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), &amp; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA). 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.

Help Dr. Bhagat care for 500+ elderly parents rescued from abuse and homelessness

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 Women Empowerment. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Women EmpowermentWomen EmpowermentWomen Empowerment.

Women Empowerment

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 Environment For the purpose of testing I will use the word EnvironmentEnvironmentEnvironment.

Environment

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

Healthcare

“Creating an enabling environment for women, adolescent girls and children for education, income generation and healthcare in urban slums of Ahmedabad since 1983."Sanchetana began its journey in 1983 from Millatnagar, a slum of Ahmedabad, India, where our Founder Trustee Dr. Hanif Lakdawala started a clinic for the poor in a wooden partitioned cabin. It was with the conviction that the urban poor are as marginalized as their rural counterpart. It was a situation where public health service was rife with corruption and grossly inefficient, quacks and private medical practitioners flourished. Sanchetana was founded on the realization that only informed and aware people can bring about this change. Sanchetana means raising awareness which goes beyond one’s consciousness that one is born with. Community health work became entry point for Sanchetana reaching out to urban poor intervening to improve their health standards; Sanchetana has gone a long way defining holistic health in the context of poor and un-healthy conditions in urban slums. We are convinced that the health of the community can’t be improved without improving the living conditions, hence we have responded to the needs of the communities like education, income generation, healthy environment, basic amenities in the areas, residence etc. Impact:                                                                                                                                                                Following are the few instances where the leaders have taken leadership getting rights of government schemes and act to the people.<ul><li>Leaders themselves impart information about the Right to Education Act to people around them and help them fill up the forms.</li><li>Leaders spread info about different government schemes to people and help them avail schemes. They take the initiative to make new Rashan Cards for the needy in the community without any charges. They helped them fill out forms, guided them throughout the process, and even accompanied them to government offices.  </li><li>Leaders have a prominent role to bring primary amenities like pure drinking water, water pipelines, road, street lights, etc. to the community.</li><li>Leaders put efforts to collaborate with Educational Institutes like Gyanshala and Anganwadi, Police stations, etc. in the community.</li></ul>Our Vision: To build a healthy and just society through empowerment of the marginalized with a special focus on women and adolescent girls.Our Mission: Our mission is to organize urban poor communities in order to facilitate leadership and change-making skills so that they can address their issues and better their lives. Mobilizing and organizing underprivileged women and adolescent girls shall enable them to become change agents in their communities and will strive to bring disparate marginalized communities together.Geographical spread: Behrampura, Danilimda, and Narol wards of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Gujarat. Core-Programs: <ul><li>CommunityHealth: The intervention seeks to create and train health leaders to improve sexual and reproductive health of women and adolescents. The health leaders will reach out to the community at large through various programs. Health clubs are an important initiative in this direction, in which adolescent girls and women are trained as sexual and reproductive health trainers and they impart the same to the other women and girls in their areas.  The organization also imparts non-violent communication training to adolescent girls to support emotional health. The organization envisions women and adolescent girls to understand their emotions and be in touch with themselves. They need to improve their negotiating skills with parents/ husband/ in laws to be in control of their lives. </li><li>Education: This is Sanchetana’s second intervention conceptualized to create an educational environment in slums by organizing creative educational activities in the areas with children and other possible stakeholders.</li><li>Income generation: This intervention shows significant impacts on the lives of women. It is making a positive impact on earning skills. The income generation initiatives are indeed going beyond just imparting skills or increasing their earnings. It has the potential to transform their future and certainly move towards alleviating poverty. It has brought a ray of hope to many women. Sanchetana runs vocational training centres at two places: Behrampura and Bombay Hotel. The courses going are Computers, henna, stitching, beautician course, etc. More than 150 women and girls come to both centers every day for different training.</li></ul>

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

Ushma Khare

Sanchetana Community Health and Research Centre

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.

Team Sanchetana

Equal Partner of the Educational Program!

Merin Alias

Hi all, We are looking forward to achieving our first milestone of Rs. 1 Lakh. Thanks and Regards,Team Sanchetana

To our first milestone

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

Find the best NGOs in India on Give.do and Donate to Fundraisers

NGOs Listing page

Sanchetana Community Health and Research Centre (Sanchetana CHRC) is a nonprofit organization working with urban slum communities of Ahmedabad, Gujarat since 1983. The organization works at Behrampura, Danilimda and Narol wards of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Sanchetana CHRC is committed to improve the health and health outcomes of the women and adolescents, meeting the educational needs of under privileged children and advancing the concept of income generation and women empowerment. We are deeply dedicated to fulfil every expectation of leadership, hope; coordination and empowerment. The project implemented in the urban slum areas of Ahmedabad where the poor lives and where children have little access to education due to poverty. COVID- 19 added additional distress to this condition, over 60% of whom are girls. Many students in primary and secondary schools tend to drop out of school due to:1.     The cost of online education is high compared with the income of families during COVID-19. This cost include, school fees, digital learning accessories, etc. It is common for people in this area to have jobs which pay by the day; therefore it is difficult for parents to arrange facilities for digital education, especially in families with three or four children.2.     Some children are often started relied upon to bring home some income that can help to support the family. They many go for packing face masks and doing other labour work at companies. The poorest families cannot afford this online education, after just a short time these children have difficulties retaining what they have learnt in school and many remain illiterate like their parents.3.     Due to online education and lack of infrastructure at home like WIFI or good quality sound systems, privacy of rooms the kids have missed a lot of education, they are bound to struggle in online classes. 
 The scholarship program will aim to break this cycle of poverty for children who are eager to learnTheir benefits:1.   Scholarship of Rs. 2000 per month to 50 children.  2.   Quality Education through Organization’s community school and Robotics Training Program. 3.   Vocational Guidance: Sanchetana Team facilitates who are leaving school to discuss possible career and further education possibilities.  
 By providing scholarships, Sanchetana reduces the cost of education to families with many children, enabling parents to send all their children to school. Education will enhance their social standing, economic independence and empower their decision making. Thus they will be able to contribute more in educating the next generation. The scholarship does not pay for all the educational costs of a child. Parents must pay for their children’s school fees as a direct responsibility in their child’s education. This and the long-term support of Sanchetana will change the family’s and the child’s attitudes towards education. We shall also encourage the students with scholarship to take leadership improving education among other children also in their areas. This will benefit hundreds of other children who have missed quality education due to COVID- 19.

A scholarship programme to assist students from low-income urban communities

Sanchetana is working with a lot of women in the urban slums, who’ve been mentally and physically confined to the four walls of their houses. The covid-19 pandemic gave us a glimpse of how dark and difficult a lockdown can be. Imagine living in a lockdown of oppression your entire life. These women aren’t allowed to cross the boundaries of their houses as little girls by their fathers and then by their husbands. 
 With a lot of hard work, Sanchetana has gained the trust of their family members to let them come on small trips with our team. We wish to organize an exposure visit for these women but unfortunately, we are in need of some funding for this initiative. Please consider donating some amount for this noble cause Sanchetana wants to take forward. 
 Provide these women a space to breathe without any chains on their feet or fear on their shoulders.

"Birds born in a cage think that freedom is a crime"

Sanchetana makes efforts at different levels to provide the women and young girls with income generative alternatives. Our efforts focus on the economic independence that can take them towards their own empowerment and empowerment of their communities. In our different programs, we make sure that the ownership of the program does not remain with Sanchetana but transfers to the women and girls of slums. 
 Vocational TrainingVocational training is our program to provide young girls and women with the skill that help them earn. In this program, we make sure to provide the participants with a safe space so that even the girls and women from the most conservative families can come and learn. Once they come and gain confidence, they walk much longer and reach out to many opportunities. The courses conducted during the last year were Computers, English Speaking, Basic and advanced stitching, beauty-parlor, and henna.The vocational centers of sanchetana are not only the places to take up Nonformal education but also the platform for girls and women to grow and develop. With the Non-formal education, Sanchetana provides them with so many life skill training that mold their personality. Area-level vocational set-ups have proved to be very impactful. The initiative focuses on the areas where we work but are far from the vocational centers of Sanchetana. The girls and women wanted to learn the skill to earn, but it was not possible for them to travel every day to comparatively far areas where Sanchetana has the permanent setup. As a response to their needs, we have started basic beauty-parlor and Henna courses for them in the areas. We do that in any house in the area that the participants themselves arrange. Income Generation UnitsKaagazkaari and Gharghatthu, two income-generating units, will be established in the community. 50 women, 25 in each unit, will receive training from us. In the Kaagazkaari unit, women from our working areas will engage with qualified designers to repurpose recyclable papers into lovely craft forms. Products offered include baskets (with or without lids), pen stands (with or without lids), coasters, trash cans, lights, and table mats.Women from our working areas will engage with experts to make value-added products in the Gharghatthu unit using natural and organic food. The goods include pickles, sharbats, and other dry nibbles.Capital AssistanceCapital assistance is provided to leaders who are doing exemplary work in their areas for their communities. Though the assistance per woman is not very high (From 7500 rupees to 10000 rupees or 20,000 rupees in some cases), the small amount has contributed to their income substantially. The finance is provided only for income generation purposes under this program so they are motivated to go towards income generation. Our approach of empowering them is to motivate them to use the money that they earn towards educational or health expenses to improve their standard of life. Also, the approach protects them from being indebted. It is important to note that they give the money back as they are a part of this objective and they feel responsible for this money. They very well know that the money given back by then shall help many other women to earn. This increases their ownership of the program.The small amount of financial assistance to leaders of Sangharsh ane Ekta Sangathan helps them in different substantial ways. These leaders get motivation and feel encouraged as they feel their work is acknowledged. Even in a family, their status changes as earning members of the family. Other women also get inspired to move towards their own business rather than working as laborers. When they earn money, they become self-dependent, and when they become self-dependent they get the power to contribute to family decisions.  
 More than 500 girls and women participated in various training. In the 2019-20 financial year capital assistance of Rs. 2, 10,000 are given to 20 women,

PROMOTING ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AMONG WOMEN IN URBAN SLUMS BY DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES TO INCOME GENERATION

Sanchetana has been working in various slums of Ahmadabad for the last 37 years. Currently, we focused on the Bombay Hotel (Huge public squalor of the Muslim minority community), Danilimda and Jamalpur regions of the Behrampura(A huge ghetto of both Muslim and Hindu communities) area. The slum areas where we work are highly polluted with minimum standards of hygiene facilities. They are mostly located in the surrounding area of many factories adding to air, water, and noise pollution in the area. One of the clusters of areas where we work at Bombay Hotel situated next to the city’s biggest waste dumping yard. The total population of the area is 1.5 lakhs.  It is similar to hundreds of dumping grounds where waste is dumped in every open space between houses. The increased industrialization and fast growth of the city create severe challenges to the natural environment. This damaged environment badly affects the most marginalized and poor slum community. Also the short of understanding of the importance of the environment, health and hygiene are deeply affecting their lives. Lack of scientific practices in waste management is leading to the unclean surroundings in the slums. For example, It seemed that solid wastes are not segregated at source and so it results in more dumping. This contaminates groundwater and impacts health and sanitation deeply.  
 The project shall address three aspects to address the issue of Health and Sanitation:1.      Solid waste management2.      Nutritional food security3.      Awareness GenerationIntervention 1: Imparting knowledge of solid waste management, food chains, and composting. ·        5 community facilitators shall reach out to 1000 people in nine months through community meetings (100 meetings per month), mini-exhibitions, home visits, etc.·        2 awareness campaigns (a week-long) shall be organized through various creative methodologies that shall include 5000 peopleThe field coordinator and community facilitators are trained by specialized faculty. Training on solid waste management, plantation of the kitchen garden, and hygiene practices (scientific practices and their adaptation in slums) shall be imparted to the community facilitators from the age-group of 12-60. Training shall include: -         Solid waste management through composting at source-         Healthy, hygiene and nutritious practices in daily life-         Plantation of the kitchen gardenIntervention 2: Creating a model for composting·        Trainer and facilitators shall impart training on composting and kitchen gardening ·        They will facilitate 20 families to install and maintain composters·        They will facilitate 20 families to plant and maintain different kitchen plants like spinach, tomatoes, etcInterventions shall be towards making scientific knowledge of solid waste management and kitchen garden plantation known to the urban poor community and enabling the community to put this knowledge into action by community facilitators in the slums. It is also important to generate awareness on healthy lifestyles in their day-to-day practices. The kitchen garden and compost shall install among the same families. 
 Improved health and hygiene practices at the slumsScientific practices for solid waste management shall be known to thousands of peopleScientific practices shall put into action bringing sustainable change to the environment through Khamba compost making. Plantation of organic kitchen gardens in the community will address the importance of a healthy and nutritious lifestyle of the communityThe project shall increase the community awareness on their own health and hygiene practices such as the use of plastic products, water, sanitation, etc., and its impact on the environment.

To Improve Health and Sanitation Conditions of Urban Poor Community by Solid Waste Management and Inculcating Green Practises in Day-To-Day LivesIn slums of Ahmedabad, Gujarat