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

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.

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

“The abusers insert a candle or fingers in the vagina of children torture them. If the children don’t relent even then, the abusers 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 the Society for Participatory Integrated Development (SPID), while talking about many heart-rending stories of trafficked children in red-light areas. In over three decades, the team of SPID led by Lalitha, has saved over 3000 children from the red-light areas in Delhi, such as GB Road, and many from clutches of sex trafficking. While Lalitha has also helped many women escape the clutches of being forced into sex work, the SPID is focused on rescuing children and giving them a better life.Sadly, many more children need to be rescued and need a loving home. SPID needs your support to carry on the mission, to move out of the small shelters that are subject to arbitrary rental increases or landlords’ whims, to permanent locations where she can rescue more children and give them all the love they deserve. Your support will give these children the care and upbringing they need. 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).“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 Lalitha. 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 to this fundraiser for permanent premises through Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform. Help Lalitha give hundreds of children rescued from brothels a life away from violence and abuse. Donate 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 to protect vulnerable children from trafficking by moving them to a safe and loving home

create and train SRH health and empathetic leaders to improve sexual and reproductive and emotional health of women and adolescents.

Healthcare

We provide vocational training, nonformal education  and capital assistance to women and adolescent girls.

Livelihood

We takes proactive steps in raising community awareness about environmental issues and inculcating a sense of environmental responsibility. Activities such as tree planting and effective waste management serve as practical examples to educate community members about the paramount importance of environmental conservation and adopting sustainable habits to reduce our carbon footprint. 

Environment

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.

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

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

“Creating an enabling environment for women, adolescent girls and children for education, income generation and healthcare in urban slums of Ahmedabad since 1983." As a nonprofit organization, we have been dedicatedly serving the urban slum communities of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, since 1983. Our focus areas include Behrampura, Danilimda, Narol, and Gyaspur wards of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). We are committed to enhancing the holistic health and well-being of women and adolescents, addressing the educational needs of underprivileged children, conserving the environment, and promoting income generation and women empowerment. With a deep commitment to leadership, hope, coordination, and empowerment, we strive to fulfill the expectations of those we serve. 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, Narol, and Gyaspur wards of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Gujarat. Core-Programs:  Community Health: At Sanchetana, our work in community health focuses on improving the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of women and adolescent girls living in urban slum communities. We build grassroots leadership by identifying and training community women as SRH health leaders. These women become key agents of change, spreading vital health knowledge and ensuring access to essential services. Our programs equip them with accurate, practical information on topics like menstruation, pregnancy care, contraceptive methods, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive cancers. These leaders actively engage their communities through sessions, exhibitions, and awareness campaigns, fostering open dialogue and breaking taboos around reproductive health. Our goal is not just to inform but to empower—helping women and girls make confident decisions about their health. By creating strong local leadership and ensuring accurate information reaches even the most marginalized households, we aim to build healthier communities and a stronger foundation for women’s rights and well-being. To read more: https://www.sanchetana.org/health/ Emotional Health: At Sanchetana, emotional well-being is at the heart of our initiative to build empathetic leadership and promote peaceful co-existence in the urban slums of Ahmedabad. Recognizing the emotional toll of systemic marginalization, we work with adolescent girls, their mothers, and women community leaders to strengthen self-awareness and empathy. Through innovative tools such as empathy circles, art therapy, psychodrama, and Non-Violent Communication (NVC), we create safe spaces for emotional expression and understanding. These circles bring together participants from diverse caste and religious backgrounds—Hindu, Muslim, Scheduled Castes, and more—fostering dialogue and dismantling deep-rooted social barriers. Our program aims to establish empathetic leaders over three years, equipping them to address trauma, resolve conflicts, and support communal harmony. By empowering women and girls with emotional literacy and leadership skills, Sanchetana is nurturing compassionate communities where differences are respected, voices are heard, and peace becomes a shared responsibility. To read more: https://www.sanchetana.org/emotional-health/ Environment Conservation: At Sanchetana Community Health and Research Centre, environmental conservation is a key focus that complements our work in health, education, and livelihoods. We believe that a healthy environment is essential for community well-being and are committed to promoting sustainable practices in urban slums. Through community-based initiatives like tree plantation drives, Khamba compost systems for household waste management, and the development of kitchen gardens, we encourage families to adopt eco-friendly habits. These efforts help reduce pollution, improve nutrition, and raise awareness about environmental responsibility. Our partnerships, such as with the Centre for Environment Education under the Green Ahmedabad Initiative, have further expanded our green footprint. From turning barren areas into green spaces to teaching families how to grow indigenous crops at home, Sanchetana integrates environmental learning into everyday life. These practices empower communities to not only care for their surroundings but also actively contribute to building a healthier, more sustainable urban future. To read more: https://www.sanchetana.org/environment/ Center for Learning: Sanchetana’s Center for Learning aims to reduce unemployment and promote economic independence among women and adolescent girls in urban slum communities by offering a wide range of skill-based training programs. These include computer education, English-speaking courses, beautician training, tailoring, mehndi art, and a Digital Literacy Program that builds confidence and leadership in adolescent girls. Recognizing mobility challenges, Sanchetana also runs area-level vocational training at the neighborhood level, bringing courses like basic beauty and henna training directly to beneficiaries’ homes. Through the Sozen Kari embroidery initiative, women not only learn traditional embroidery but also earn by selling their work. To support women starting their own ventures, the Capital Assistance Program offers financial aid that enables them to shift from low-paying labor to self-employment. These programs are more than just trainings—they open doors to income generation, boost confidence, and enable women to become active contributors to their families and communities. To read more:https://www.sanchetana.org/community-centres/ Organizing Community: Sanchetana believes in the power of organized communities and has been actively building grassroots leadership among women and adolescent girls in Ahmedabad’s urban slums. These leaders meet regularly, build skills, and work to claim their rights and entitlements. Their efforts have enabled hundreds to access government schemes like ration cards, Aadhaar cards, and election IDs. Under the Right to Education Act, they facilitate school admissions for underprivileged children. These leaders also spread awareness about health and education through community classes and health clubs. By forming and supporting Self-Help Groups, they guide women toward financial independence through bank linkages and loans. This holistic approach ensures that community leadership translates into real progress, empowerment, and long-term transformation from within the community. To read more:

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

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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