"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

“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

Cattle, bred for profit and abandoned after they stop producing milk, are often found malnourished, injured or sick on city streets. Many face bitter winters, starvation and death in road accidents - a sad fate for cows in a country where they are revered by lakhs of people. To save cows from such a sad end, Swami Ishwar Das started Shree Krishnayan Desi Gaushala, currently home to 18,000+ abandoned cows. But with the rising costs of fodder and medicines, he is struggling to provide the quality of care such mistreated animals deserve. “It was in 2010 when I witnessed abandoned cows from the streets in Uttarakhand being transported in a truck. The cows were administered anesthesia and stacked one above the other like lifeless goods. When me and a few of my acquaintances brought the cows off the truck, two of them died before my eyes and that sight shook me to the core. It was then that I started Shree Krishnayan Gaushala with 11 abandoned cows in a small donated land,” says Swami Ishwar Das.Swami Ishwar Das is unable to bear the rising cost of nutrition and medical care for injured cows and needs support to continue to save these voiceless animals. Donate now. All donations on this platform are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India), &amp; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA).<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/ead01668-6b4d-4a8c-85de-30b43e174f22.JPG" />Every life matters“Here at Shree Krishnayan Desi Gaushala, it is our resolve to leave no stone unturned in caring for helpless cows. No matter what the cost of treatment may be, we make every possible effort to aid ill and injured cows. Our only objective is that a cow should not lose its life for the want of medical care, food or water,” says Swami Ishwar Das. In order to provide the best quality of care and treatment to its adopted cattle, three well trained veterinary doctors attend the gaushala 24/4. The NGO - Shree Krishnayan Desi Gauraksha Avam Golokdham Seva Samiti - spares no expense in providing nutrition either. From jaggery and grains to a healthy mix of green and dry fodder, cows are given meals best suited to their needs.With cost of fodder on rise the Gaushala needs help<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/93e7eafe-4438-40d6-ae40-6972feaf0988.jpg" />Swami Ishwar Das and his team, however, are struggling to keep up with rising costs of nutrition and medical care for cows. “The cost of fodder has risen by almost three times in the last couple of years. From food to medicines everything has become expensive. And we will never compromise with the quality of care and love that we want to give to our cows,” says Swami Ishwar Das. Help Swami Ishwar Das provide the best care and love to abandoned cows while saving them from a desperate life of starvation and suffering on the streets.

Help Swami Ishwar Das rescue cows on roads, abandoned as they no longer produce milk

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 Hunger & HomelessnessHunger & HomelessnessHunger & Homelessness.

Hunger & Homelessness

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

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

Environment

SRIJAN (Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action) is a public charitable trust registered on 27th January 2000. SRIJAN is a grassroots implementation organization that is improving incomes of 80,000 rural families in 15 backward districts of five states in India- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. SRIJAN works as resource support organization in Assam, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh on externally-aided projects and with state governments. Vision: SRIJAN wishes to see wellbeing of the poor and ensure dignity of all in our society, in the context of multidimensional poverty, even as we work towards raising their incomes significantly, bringing them out of poverty so that they don’t fall back. Formally, we wish to Make Rural Community Self-Reliant and Live with Dignity.Mission: We have made a concrete action plan to realize the vision. We plan to raise their incomes, mitigating impact of climate change, buffering them against price volatility. SRIJAN’s formally agreed mission is “to empower 100,000 rural poor families by increasing their annual income by Rs. 50,000 by 2020, through SRIJAN’s unique livelihoods cluster approach, and by enhancing their capacity to demand and access public resources they are entitled to.”Theory of Change: We build a livelihoods cluster in every backward region. We have a five circle livelihoods cluster promotion model for small farmers. Given below are its components-<ul><li>Organize poor and invest in their leadership and management capacity at all levels. We have promoted 5,160 SHGs, and 9 federations. The objective is to make the program sustainable.</li><li>Improve soil health, access to water, and climate resilience:</li><li>Adopt best technology and practices with regard to seed, breed, pest and disease control, preservation and processing post-harvest, in order to increase farm productivity and revenue and decrease input cost. We collaborate with research institutes (ICAR) and universities.</li><li>Aggregate and collectively market the product of small farmers. We have promoted five farmer producer companies (FPCs). FPCs collect, aggregate, process and sell the produce in bulk.</li><li>Credit linkage with banks and other financial institutions. In FY 2017-18, accumulated savings of SHG members touched the figure of 16.6 crore rupees, and cumulative inter-loaning among them 82 crore rupees. </li></ul>Membership in Policy Making Bodies and Policy Change Initiatives: Govt-NGO Collaboration is an important piece of development strategy. Membership in policy making bodies and some policy advocacy initiatives are:<ul><li>Advisory Council on Farm and Non-Farm Livelihoods: Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India: July, 2017</li><li>Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India: Building Sustainable Livelihoods of the Poor through MGNREGA - A Manual for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Gram Sabha members, commissioned by Ministry of Rural Development, with financial support of UNDP. (June 2013).</li><li>National Advisory Council recommendations for Human Resource Strategies and Policies for Enhancing Institutional Capacity in Flagship Programmes (Sent to Prime Minister’s Office, July 2013).</li><li>Ministry of Rural Development. Institutional Architecture and Human Resources, Chapter 4, of Operational Guidelines, MGNREGA, 4th Edition. Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. 2012.</li><li>Ministry of Rural Development. Institutional Structure and HR Policy of National Mission Management Unit for National Rural Livelihoods Mission. Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. 2011.</li></ul>NGO-NGO CollaborationsA firm believer of NGO-NGO collaborations, SRIJAN is also part of many CSO platforms like Bundelkhand Sustainable Development Forum (BSDF) and Madhya Pradesh Sustainable Development Initiative (MP-SDI). SRIJAN also promoted forum named Rajasthan Nari Shakti Sangathan (RNSS) in Rajasthan and promoted strong national platforms like Women’s Federation of India. Bundelkhand Initiative for Water Agriculture and Livelihood (BIWAL) is an attempt to revive Bundelkhand to its ancient glory by reviving the traditional water bodies and the surrounding ecosystem through community engagement. At one point, being major source of water, these tanks over period have moved into disuse due to consecutive droughts also neglect and apathy. A large number of these tanks are either silted, encroached upon or are being used for purposes other than water harvesting. To bring back the culture of water harvesting and conservation multiple civil action organisations, water conservation experts, authorities and the community have joined hands and formed a consortium. This consortium led by SRIJAN is working on a large and comprehensive NRM along with social development initiatives. Starting with the first task of desilting the ponds, repair and restoration of the entire water harvesting structure, and its associated components both on supply and demand side are also planned.BIWAL is designed to have multi-faceted benefits with a host of beneficiaries. The local communities directly and indirectly associated with the selected tanks, including the Gram Panchayats, are the key stakeholders of the project.It is a large undertaking, therefore, BIWAL as an initiative, calls for the support of multiple organizations and institutions. These tanks are spread across districts of a region that is divided between two states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, SRIJAN has fostered partnership with other Civil society organizations like Centre for Advance Research and Development (CARD) HARITIKA, Bundelkhand Sewa Sansthan, Arunodaya, Yuva Koushal Vikash Mandal, AkhilBhartiya Samaj Sewa Sansthan which have their presence in Bundelkhand region.A humble beginning was made with the necessary convergence support from Govt. Of M.P and Grant support from individuals as well as corporate houses and Foundations. Recognizing the complexities involved, including technical and socio-economic factors, which shall have to be studied and learnings brought to bear upon the entire effort, the Atal Bihari Bajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA), Bhopal, stepped forward as the knowledge partner for the project.Equipping and engaging the relevant platform of Gram Sabha and PRIs, which has been vested with the constitutional status as the supreme authority at the village level, with more pronounced roles and purpose is an important strategy of the project, leading to participatory decision making and long term sustainability. BIWAL envisions that the Tank Management Committees (TMC), will work in close coordination with these village level democratic institutions. Strengthening the Tank Management Committees (TMC), is an important strategy to empower the user communities with decision-making responsibilities. This will be done by providing access to ready-to-use information of water available and its sparing use, providing appropriate skills on water budgeting, creating an enabling environment and devolving financial management responsibilities. The far reaching benefits of the programme will be seen in the following areas<ol><li>Water governance and its management through community Engagement</li><li>Building a social capital in terms of local cadre specializing in para-hydrological skills and working on both on supply and demand side management.</li><li>Making community resilient about climate change, putting drought proofing system and processes at place and resetting cropping system of rain fed areas</li><li>Improving Agriculture productivity and prevent Land degradation through sustainable land management. </li></ol>

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Ashish

Self Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action

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.

Ashish Ambasta

Water SecurityTank Restoration Work <ul><li>275 Traditional water bodies restored</li><li>7000+ farmers benefitted</li><li>6000+ ha land improved</li><li>Additional Water Potential created of around 137.5 Crore Litres</li></ul> Doha Work<ul><li>3100 Doha structures constructed</li><li>Additional Water Potential created 46.5 Crore Litres</li><li>6000+ farmers benefitted</li></ul>Drinking Water Initiatives<ul><li>315 drinking water sources repaired</li><li>100+ villages covered</li><li>11,398 families benefitted</li></ul> Climate Smart Agriculture<ul><li>Established 214 Prakritik Kendre (Bio-Resource Centre)</li><li>More than 1500+ fruit orchards</li><li>More than 1200+ multi-layer vegetable farming plots</li><li>Reaching out to 30,000+ farmers</li></ul> Bio-Diversity<ul><li>More than 200,000 plantation of native plants of Bundelkhand</li><li>Established 22 tapovan on community land (on Miyawaki Forest Concept)</li></ul>

Key Highlights

SRIJAN has received two awards, recently the "Water Sustainability Award 2022-23" by TERI, UNDP &amp; IWA; First prize in the NGO category for Water Initiative during 11th Edition of FICCI Water Awards 2023 for BIWAL program.

Recognition

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Bundelkhand comprises of 14 contiguous districts viz. Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda, Mahoba and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and Sagar, Chhattarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari[1], Panna, Damoh and Datia in Madhya Pradesh. Undulating topography coupled with flat lands in the central part require context specific solutions to the challenged population faces. This region is regarded amongst the more backward regions in central India, and in some sectors it has the lowest indicators in the country. Traditional water bodies in the nature of tanks in fact are an outstanding feature, which characterizes the Bundelkhand landscape. In the first category are tanks where surface flow of rain water in natural streams and across an undulating topography is impounded by constructing bunds to store water for household purposes and for the cattle. Until recently, in times of acute scarcity these were used as source for drinking water. A second category is of tanks, also very large in numbers, which in addition to serving the purposes served by the first category were designed to provide irrigation to farms, downstream of the bund. Despite lack of maintenance and all-round apathy, all tanks, by and large continue to serve the important purpose of harvesting water for use by the people on a reduced scale. They continue to have great relevance for the local communities. These tanks are in urgent need of repair and restoration. If this is achieved a historic legacy and a large number of rural community assets would have been preserved. By the strategy described below, it would have restored community participation and ownership of the tanks and helped generate livelihoods through the repair works and add to the availability of water for household consumption and agriculture. The people in Bundelkhand region are predominantly engaged in agriculture and the activities allied to it like farm labour, and animal husbandry in dairying, goat rearing and fisheries. Employment in agriculture, as cultivators and agriculture labour, sustains an overwhelming portion of the population. While close to 70 percent workers engage in agriculture and related activities, the figure at the national level was 50 percent in 2011.BIWAL is designed to provide multi-faceted benefits to a host of beneficiaries. The local communities directly and indirectly associated with the selected tanks, including the Gram Panchayats, are the project's key stakeholders.It is a large undertaking; therefore, BIWAL, as an initiative, calls for the support of multiple organizations and institutions. These tanks are spread across districts of a region that is divided between two states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, SRIJAN has fostered partnerships with other Civil society organizations like the Centre for Advance Research and Development (CARD) HARITIKA, Arunodaya Sansthan, Yuva Koushal Vikash Mandal, Akhil Bhartiya Samaj Sewa Sansthan which have their presence in Bundelkhand region.Equipping and engaging the relevant platform of Gram Sabha and PRIs, which has been vested with the constitutional status as the supreme authority at the village level, with more pronounced roles and purpose, is an important strategy of the project, leading to participatory decision-making and long-term sustainability. BIWAL envisions that the Tank Management Committees (TMC), will work in close coordination with these village level democratic institutions. Strengthening the Tank Management Committees (TMC), is an important strategy to empower the user communities with decision-making responsibilities. This will be done by providing access to ready-to-use information of water available and its sparing use, providing appropriate skills on water budgeting, creating an enabling environment and devolving financial management responsibilities.Program StrategyIntegrated Natural Resource ManagementTo address climate change and enable the community to adapt to change. We are working closely with the local community to create water potential by rejuvenating water bodies and natural streams and promoting the adoption of water-use efficiency technologies such as solar-based irrigation systems, sprinklers, and drip systems. We are also improving land degradation through area treatment. We are building the capacity of community cadres and local communities through knowledge transfer and well-monitoring to promote better water literacy. This helps to ensure better crop planning and collective action towards driving water security in the villages. Bio-DiversityTo promote and conserve local bio-diversity and sensitize the community towards its surroundings. We are promoting Tapovan (community forest) of local native plants in common lands by engaging the community, gram panchayat and regional administration and promoting bund plantation on individual farm-lands.Climate-Smart AgriculturePromoting Climate-Smart Agriculture for Better Soil Health and Climate Resilience. To maintain soil fertility, SRIJAN promotes the application of biostimulants and the adoption of improved agricultural practices through setting up field demonstrations in farmers’ fields, conducting farmers' training and organizing field days. In this, trained community cadres help to orient the community to switch to natural farming methods and the use of local seeds. Women are playing a key role in this transformation by promoting a network of bio-resource centres and seed banks. At the same time, a group of progressive farmers adopted climate-smart agricultural practices. This helps in stabilizing the agriculture within the farming community.Farm-Based LivelihoodsTo hedge the ill effects of climate change and diversify the income of small farmers, year-round livelihood engagement of the farmers is therefore essential after ensuring water availability. Communities' planned interventions, such as developing nano-orchards, multi-layer farming, and open vegetable cultivation in individual farms, help them sustain their livelihoods.Strengthening Local Institutions and WomenSRIJAN facilitates the formation of community institutions, particularly for women. Further, these community institutions are federated into federation and farmer-producer organizations. These members meet regularly to monitor, plan, and act on water security and climate-resilient agriculture—local groups liaison with local administration for mobilizing government schemes. Women have been its key drivers. With support from the program staff and community cadres, the community institutions are working towards transforming rural livelihoods in the region.Value Chain &amp; Non-Timber Forest ProduceSRIJAN provides handholding support to farmer-producer organisations in establishing value chains and aggregating relevant commodities through building knowledge, promoting robust rural infrastructure, and establishing credit linkages with financial institutions.GoalsThe far-reaching benefits of the programme will be seen in the following areas.1.   Water governance and its management through community engagement2.   Building social capital in terms of a local cadre specializing in para-hydrological skills and working on both supply—and demand-side management.3.   Making community resilient to climate change, putting drought-proofing systems and processes at place and resetting cropping systems of rain fed areas4.     Improving Agriculture productivity and prevent Land degradation through sustainable land management

Bundelkhand Initiatives for Water Agriculture and Livelihood (BIWAL)

The problem statement that we are trying to solve is both tackle the talent crunch of the Development Sector along with the focus on the sustainability part. Thus NGOs who have done great work in backward linkage and strong social capital we can have Development Entrepreneurs creating a sustainable social enterprise which can solve many of the developmental challenges. 
 Buddha Fellowship Program partners with NGOs and does match making with students from IITs and IIMs to select the project which both of them want to jointly persue for the upliftment of the society. These NGOs have specific projects to stabilize, or to scale up.and make them sustain through entrepreneurial approach.  It is useful to partner with Partner Organization who may offer their services to the Fellows, specially in the field of Social Capital and Infrastructure support within the community and the Buddha Fellow can use his/her entrepreneurial mindset to scale the work and reach to last mile. 
 Each Buddha Fellow will bring trans-formative change in the lives of 5000 poor families. By 2028, 1000 Buddha Fellows should bring transformative change in 5,000,000 lives.

Bundelkhand Initiatives for Water Agriculture and Livelihood (BIWAL)

Buddha Fellowship Program

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

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

Help Swami Ishwar Das rescue cows on roads, abandoned as they no longer produce milk

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