"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.

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

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SEARCH is a 34-year-old non-profit organization working in the vulnerable, semi-tribal and deprived district of Gadchiroli on the easternmost corner of Maharashtra. Its vision is to achieve 'Aarogya Swaraj', empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their own health and help them achieve freedom from disease and dependence. SEARCH has done pioneering work in maternal and newborn health, tribal health, women's health, reduction of alcohol &amp; tobacco, and non-communicable diseases that has won accolades internationally including WHO Public Health Champion, TIME Global Health Heroes, MacArthur Foundation Award for Most Effective Institutions, Dr. Sheshadri Gold Medal of the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Award for Women’s Development. Founded by Padma Shri Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, SEARCH follows a participatory model, whereby the community's health needs are taken into account while working on the intervention areas. The community members are empowered to work as health messengers and workers (Aarogya Doot) to educate the larger community on health topics and provide preventive and curative care. Working across ~150 rural and tribal villages in the Gadchiroli district, SEARCH runs several programs:1) Providing high quality medical care through a tribal friendly hospital and a mobile medical unit annually performing 70,000+ consultations and 600+ surgeries.2) Community-based service delivery and health education to prevent and treat health problems including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, anaemia, scabies, hypertension, addiction, etc.3) Conducting original field research to bridge knowledge and implementation gaps on important public health challenges of India, including the pioneering work on Home Based Newborn Care that has now become part of India’s National Policy and that of 8 other countries.4) Policy advocacy and knowledge sharing to impact populations at scale, including chairing the report of the first Committee on Tribal Health in independent India.5) Imparting life skills and sex education to 75,000+ adolescents6) A dedicated mental health care program led by the only full-time psychiatrist in the entire Gadchrioli district of 1.2 million population.7) Muktipath, a district-wide alcohol and tobacco control and awareness program.8) NIRMAN youth initiative to nurture young social changemakers with 1400+ alumni spread across 20 states of India.The founders and majority team members of SEARCH live and operate from Shodhgram, an ashram-like residential community in the forests of Gadchiroli, 17 km from the district town.

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

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Amrut Bang

SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health, Gadchiroli)

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.

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Gadchiroli district in Eastern Maharashtra is an economically backward region, with a population consisting of mostlytribals. The district is also known for Naxalite violence. Health services are very thinly spread in the district. The 2016 National Mental Health Survey by NIMHANS revealed that India has hardly one psychiatrist per 100,000 people, which is extremely inadequate given that it has a large and understated burden of mental illness. Over 11% of Indians need active mental health interventions - in terms of Gadchiroli where the population is 1,072, 942 (according to the 2011 census), this would translate to 120,170 people requiring psycho-social interventions.   
 At SEARCH, we embarked on our journey of delivering state-of-the-art psychiatric care to vulnerable rural and tribal communities of Gadchiroli district in 2016.In this 300 kilometer long district, SEARCH is the only regular mental health facility with a full-time psychiatrist. Our program consists of the following major segments: a.      Mental Health Clinic providing diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Counselling services are also provided,including telephone consultations and follow-up. The clinic is equipped with a psychiatrist, an MBBS medical officer and a counsellor. b.      Indoor Mental Health Services providing hospital-based admissions and care for severe psychiatric illnesses.  c.      Block Level Psycho-Social Counselling Clinics (in 9 out of 12 tehsils of Gadchiroli) and Village-based Addiction Management Camps. d.      Mental Health Research to address knowledge and implementation gaps in tribal and rural mental health.    
 8,303 Consultations in the Mental Health Clinic so far 214 Indoor Care Admissions in 2019-21 with an Average Stay of 4.7 Days per Patient10,114 Patient Consultations in the Block Counselling Clinics416 Village Addiction Management Camps Conducted Serving 5741 Patients The team has recently conducted a Community-based Epidemiological Study of 1935 individuals, the first of its kind in nearly three decades, to estimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in a tribal community in India.In order to reach the ones who are unaware / hesitant to come to the clinic, the team has also begun conducting Mental Health Community Camps in the remote tribal villages of Dhanora block in Gadchiroli. Mangesh’s Story Mangesh* (name changed to protect privacy) had had a difficult few months- his father had recently passed away and his mother was going through cancer treatment. As an only child, it was tough to experience all these situations at the same time. It also didn’t help that Mangesh did not have a job and that his wife had left him two years ago. When Mangesh first visited the SEARCH ‘Maa Danteshwari’ Hospital, he came along with two friends on a bike. He looked helpless and scared and was not confident even about riding the bike on his own. When he was waiting outside the OPD, he was constantly restless and did not make eye contact with anyone. His blood investigations revealed that he was physiologically normal, though he felt very weak. When a psychiatric examination was done, Mangesh was observed to sit with a hunched bank, with his hands clasped together and talking in a low tone. He constantly looked scared. He also had episodes of increase in heartbeat, fear and sweating . He was diagnosed with a condition called panic attack disorder. He was prescribed medical treatment and attended regular counselling sessions as well. Mangesh’s condition improved over the course of a few months. Immediate improvement was seen in his posture and his way of speaking. He gradually began to come to the hospital alone on the bike and began speaking of things beyond his fears. Soon, Mangesh spoke of his plan of starting a confectionary business along with four of his friends. The psychiatrist and counsellors could observe that he was now doing very well mentally. While Mangesh still comes to the Hospital for occasional follow up visits, he has by and large overcome his condition and is a successful businessman today.

Help Provide Access to Mental Health Services in Gadchiroli District

India has 26 crore young people in the age group of 18 – 28 years. How to help them flourish by finding a meaningful purpose for themselves?India also struggles with myriad issues like poverty, inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare, addictions and mental illness, lack of quality education, unemployment, water scarcity, declining biodiversity, global warming, etc. which are waiting to be solved. How to nurture talented youth leadership in the country who can take on these developmental challenges?  
 NIRMAN attempts to create a bridge between both the above needs. NIRMAN facilitates the search for purpose among Indian youth and nurtures them as social contributors.NIRMAN sensitizes young minds to different burning social challenges and equips them for effective action while simultaneously investing in youth’s own flourishing.Major Program Activities:a.  NIRMAN Workshops to facilitate youth’s journey regarding their purpose and social contributionb.  Kar Ke Dekho Fellowship to provide a unique &amp; customized support for engaging in social actionc.  Continuous Flourishing Interventions to assist NIRMAN participants in their professional &amp; personal growth and social actiond.  College Connect &amp; Sensitization Modules to provide developmental inputs to studentse. Online Educational Resources made freely available for the larger youth communityf. Research &amp; Knowledge Creation regarding psychology and positive development of youth in India 
 <ul><li>1500+ Participants trained from 21 states in India</li><li>500+ Full time social contributors</li><li>1800+ Cumulative person years of social contribution in the developmental sector so far</li><li>93% Net Promoter Score given by the participants</li><li>161% Increase in participants’ clarity about their purpose as compared to the baseline</li><li>85 lakh+ Views for the online educational resources</li><li>200+ Sensitization lectures in various colleges / institutes</li><li>4 Knowledge frameworks developed</li><li>500+ Articles, case stories published in various outlets including The Wire, Down To Earth, IDR, Times of India, Indian Express, Ideas for India, Sadhana, etc.</li></ul>NIRMAN alumni are working on variety of social challenges across India through a wide array of approaches including changing the health policy, providing healthcare services in remote areas, public health research, building farmers’ cooperatives, livelihood generation, watershed development, afforestation and carbon credits, devising appropriate technology interventions for grassroots, strengthening village governance, improving learning outcomes for children, spreading a culture of reading, building financial &amp; accounting capabilities of NGOs, etc. and have received honors like Ashden Award, Zayed Sustainability Prize, Global Citizenship Award, Rhodes Scholarship, etc.Testimonials“NIRMAN not only gave me amazing friends but also helped me to find the real me, and made me confident about my goal of social problem solving. Now I have a glorious purpose to live!”– Dr. Akshay Wagh, MBBS, GSMC Mumbai, Medical Officer, Bhamaragad Rural Hospital“NIRMAN process taught me to critically analyze various problems in our society and to initiate an 'Action' based thought process to tackle these problems. NIRMAN triggered me to decide the motto of my life. It gave me courage to break the mold and pursue my career/ life in much more meaningful manner towards my society.”– Ashwin Pawade, M.Tech. IIT Bombay, Co-Founder S4S Technologies

NIRMAN – Nurturing Young ChangeMakers

Gadchiroli district in Eastern Maharashtra is an economically backward region, with a population consisting of mostly tribals. The district is also known for Naxalite violence. Health services are nearly absent in the district. There is a lack of proper health knowledge on pregnancy and antenatal care which results in a high proportion of infant mortality or complications during pregnancy or at birth. Many of these deaths or complications occur due to entirely preventable causes. 
 SEARCH’s Home-based Maternal and Newborn Care Programme trains barefoot workers, women from local communities, to provide home-based life-saving care for mothers and babies. The health workers are equipped with simple and localised medical kits and trained in topics pertaining to pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care. They deliver health education as well as provide care for pregnant women and newborns. They are equipped to intervene in the case of both high risk pregnancies and high risk newborns. 
 In three decades of running the program, the neonatal mortality rate in SEARCH's intervention areas is 14 deaths per 1000 live births, versus the national average of 25 deaths per 1000 live births. We have served over 17000 newborns in the community. Our home-based newborn and maternal care model has been adapted across Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi and Zambia. SEARCH has also partnered with the Union Government in India to train healthcare workers in newborn and maternal health across India. The research on HBNC was published in The Lancet and was selected by the prestigious journal as part of its Vintage Lancet volume consisting of the most landmark research papers in the field of medicine and public health. Our aim is to ensure that no pregnant woman or newborn dies for the want of better medical facilities by equipping local communities with the knowledge to combat complications during pregnancy and child birth. In Gadchiroli, we want to continue serving mothers and newborns as we have been doing for the last 30 years.

Help newborns in Tribal Gadchiroli access life-saving healthcare at home

Being an underprivileged, tribal-dominated district, Gadchiroli is 175 km from the city of Nagpur. There is a lack of access to reliable, scientific, cost-effective and culturally-appropriate healthcare. Especially in the epidemic of Covid-19, there is a huge shortage of heath care facilities for testing as well as treatment. In the tribal tehsil of Dhanora, on the Easternmost boundary of Maharashtra and 1000 km from Mumbai, where SEARCH hospital is situated, there are no other facilities even for quick RTPCR testing for the detection of Covid-19 cases.   
 The Community Hospital set up by SEARCH in Dhanora tehsil of Gadchiroli district provides primary and select secondary and tertiary care to 50,000 tribal and rural patients annually, living in 2500 villages in Gadchiroli and adjoining districts. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to providing speciality care like Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Medicine and Surgery, the SEARCH hospital has started providing Covid-19 care through indoor admissions and ICU support. The hospital also has dedicated Rapid Antigen Testing and RTPCR Testing facilities which give results as swiftly as within an hour thereby aiding quick detection, isolation and treatment.With Covid-19 cases and associated mortality rising in the district, there is an increasing need of early health interventions. The testing and the hospital care costs and SEARCH is seeking support for the same. We have also begun providing ambulance service to suspected and diagnosed patients from various villages thereby making it easy for them to reach the medical facility of their choice. 
 Total RTPCR or Antigen tests done so far = 1150, Total positive = 194Total Covid-19 patients admitted in the hospital and given care so far = 154SEARCH hospital has also been recognized as a COVID vaccination centre and has started vaccine operations from 3rd May 2021. We plan to continue to provide rapid testing facilities for the patients coming to our hospital, increase the beds dedicated for Covid-19 indoor admissions and be a sustained vaccination unit. Quick and on-demand accessibility to ambulance service for suspected and diagnosed COVID patients in various villages of the district.

Help Provide Covid-19 Care in the Tribal District of Gadchiroli

Alka gupta

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