"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

“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

This Navratri, help Lalitha give kids rescued from abuse in red-light areas a safe and loving home. Donate now.

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 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 Disaster Relief. For the purpose of testing I will use the wordDisaster ReliefDisaster ReliefDisaster Relief.

Disaster Relief

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

Livelihood

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Healthcare

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Women Empowerment

Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) is a reputed not for profit Public Charitable Trust registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950. The organization is working on comprehensive rural development initiatives through a multi-pronged approach of agriculture development, agriculture allied sector development, climate change adaptation, watershed, and natural resource management, social development, training, and capacity building for the past 26 years

Harish Daware

Rakshita Barithaya

Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR)

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Climate change has added a new dimension of complexity to managing ecosystems sustainably as well as improving the livelihoods of rural poor. Weather variations and extreme weather events will continue to exert stress on human societies and the environment alike, thereby making them even more vulnerable. It is largely believed that these stresses will disproportionately affect developing countries, in particular, rural communities located in dry-land ecosystems due to their dependence on the local natural resource base that is highly susceptible to variations in weather and the presence of socially diverse resource-constrained marginal and small-holder producers.With your support, Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), a globally recognized organization dedicated to transforming the lives of millions of poor across India would aim to promote sustainable farming practices of 1500 farmers by introducing organic methods to reduce input cost and enhance crop productivity across 10 villages of Manchal Mandal Block in the Rangareddy district of Telangana. It would also aim to promote fodder cultivation and thus improve livestock production systems.Farm-based and allied livelihoods are the mainstay of income in this region of the state. They provide employment and livelihoods to nearly 75% of the population. Yet, most are under-employed and are wage labourers. Climate variability, change in land-use patterns, shift to resource-intensive cultivation coupled with over-exploitation, is leading to degradation of soil health and depletion of groundwater resources. Thus, posing a threat to the livelihood.Farm-raised animals are also an important source of income and act as insurance and buffer in times of drought or weather-induced disasters. However, rearing practices of livestock is poor lead to high mortality and low productivity. 
 The proposed project aims to address these issues of crop productivity by enhancing the soil health and fodder availability to livestock rearers. <ol><li>Promotion of organic practices: Farmers will be encouraged to adopt various organic preparations to reduce the cost of cultivation and improve crop yields. Drums will be supplied to support the adoption of this activity.</li><li>Farmers Field School (FFS): Knowledge extension will be done through FFS across different crop seasons. WOTR’s Farm Precise application will be introduced to farmers which would provide direct local specific weather information and farm and crop-based advisories, to allow better crop and water management.</li><li>Promotion of fodder cultivation: Good variety fodder seeds or saplings will be distributed to ensure fodder security in the long run for livestock rearers.</li><li>Resource materials: Resource material including POP for different crops will be developed to support easy knowledge transfer.</li></ol> 
 Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) is a globally recognized organization dedicated to transforming the lives of millions of poor across India through participatory watershed development and ecosystems restoration, climate-resilient sustainable agriculture, integrated and efficient water management and climate change adaptation, with a special emphasis on building the resilience of vulnerable communities, farmers, and women. It was established in 1993 and is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India. WOTR’s mandate is to reduce poverty through community mobilization for sustainable watershed development and integrated rural development. WOTR grew out of the Indo-German Watershed Development Project (IGWDP) launched in 1989 by Father Hermann Bacher, who is considered the father of the participatory watershed movement in India.

Improving Farm Based Livelihoods of 1500 farmers through promotion of Climate Resilient Agriculture Practices

In rural India, there is little knowledge and understanding of the menstrual cycle and its hygiene, because of which no attention is given to this area by the people. Education of girls is hampered during their menstrual days.About 68% rural women cannot afford sanitary napkins available in the market. The study, carried out by AC Nielsen, and reviewed and endorsed by NGO Plan India, throws light on the dismal state of feminine hygiene care in India. The study found that awareness on basic health and feminine hygiene is very low, with 75% rural women lacking adequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene and care.Menstruation is a subject that has culturally been considered a taboo and is entrenched with misconceptions and disregard, with little cognizance of the hazards of inadequate menstrual protection. The Project will highlight how the subject of feminine hygiene is grossly neglected at all levels.Regarding affordability of quality sanitary care, the survey found that 88% rural women use unsterilized cloths since they are cheaper and 68% said they cannot afford to buy sanitary napkins.Poor financial condition does not allow the majority of the women to buy quality sanitary napkins, adding of cloth users, 45% reuse cloth and 70% dry them in the shade, increasing chances of infections. 
 We propose to introduce Saafkins - sanitary napkins that are reusable, affordable and are made of self disinfection cloth membrane technology. Mainly our focus will be on targeting the women and adolescent girls from the tribal community. We aim to reach out to 5000 adolescent girls and women with the funds received.For this project WOTR will be involving health promoters with whom we are already working in our project village clusters. The idea is to initiate the promotion of menstrual hygiene for tribal women and girls. Cluster and village level promoters will be trained by WOTR’s field staff for dissemination of menstrual health messages, the promotion of use and distribution of Saafkins. There will be 2 (or more) woman promoters in each village based on the population and geographical dynamics of a particular village. These women will be responsible for distribution and awareness of Saafkins in their village. WOTR will be the implementation agency. Cluster level promoters will be the key link with WOTR. Village level promoters will be the link between the cluster promoter and women and girls for the follow up on the use of Saafkins, distribution and promotion of menstrual hygiene. 
 <ul><li>Women &amp; girls will become aware of the menstrual cycle and associated health and hygiene.</li><li>Women &amp; girls will adopt the reusable Saafkins as a means.</li><li>Once the women will become aware they will adopt the use of sanitary pads and purchase it for the next year.</li><li>Income incentives from the sale of Saafkins for women promoters.</li><li>Reduce impact on environment as disposable sanitary napkins are non degradable.</li></ul>

Promoting Menstrual Hygiene through Saafkins/Sanitary pads distribution

A quick assessment of the ground reality in the villages where WOTR is working tells us of the stress that rural communities are going through during the worldwide pandemic outbreak of COVID -19. What has become clear is that with summer, there is little work in the fields. Most migrants and the households that did not cultivate the Rabi (Winter) crop are unable to find work locally. The number of needy and vulnerable people (landless, single parent, disabled, the sick, aged etc.) and migrants who have returned is large. Assistance with food, health care and crucial items such as soap, masks etc., is urgently required where government help has not reached them or is insufficient. For this purpose, we have decided to set up a "WOTR COVID-19 Fund" to support these affected people. 
 We propose to support 12,000 families from 620 villages from 44 blocks of 22 districts of 7 states in India (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana)The Support Packages include the following:Supply of Grocery Items: The community needs supply of Dal, Oil, Potato, Onion, salt, spices, etc. It is proposed to supply one grocery kit for a family (comprising of 5 persons) which would be sufficient for a fortnight (15 days). The cost of one kit is Rs. 1050 and has the following items in it:Moong Dal- 2 kg, Turmeric-100 gm, Dry masala- 200 gm, Dry chilly, Soybeans- 400 gm, Potato- 6 kg, Onion- 2 kg, Cooking oil- 2 litre, Biscuits- 10 pkt, Harabhara- 1 kg, Salt- 1 kg, Match box (3) and Candle box (2)Sanitization Kit: Looking at the absolute need for  cleaning hands, it is important that the families get a family sanitization kit. One kit contains 5 face masks, 4 bathing soap bars, clothes washing detergent (250 gm) and can last for 15 days. The cost of one kit is Rs. 200.Supply of Medicines: The people also need a stock of some medicines for headaches, stomach pain, diarrhea, fever, cold, etc. The cost of one medicine kit for a village is Rs. 1000 and  can last for one fortnight. This kit will be with the village animator (Wasundhara Sevak / Sevika) who has been  given basic training.Awareness and Alertness: Hand washing and personal hygiene demonstrations will be conducted in every corner of the villages. Information on the symptoms of Covid-19, precautionary measures and actions to be taken if the symptoms are seen in somebody will be transmitted through these gatherings. While doing these demonstrations, a social distance of 1 meter will be maintained between every person. A special class will be taken for children in the village on Covid-19 and behavioral changes required in personal hygiene. One person in the village will be given responsibility for making daily announcements on the Corona related happening in the vicinity and social distancing.Facilitating Access to Entitlements:  The government has announced benefits and schemes for the poor and affected people such as cash transfers, enhanced food rations and starting of the MGNREGA scheme. We will facilitate access to these in the target villages 
 <ol><li>The vulnerable rural families will get nutritious food and will be able to survive in the present situation.</li><li>The rural population will be able to understand the importance of health care, personal hygiene and the precautionary measures to fight against the COVID 19</li><li>The rural population will be able to access the government schemes as our team will help the villagers to access the MGNAREGA and other govt. schemes.</li></ol>

SUPPORT TO NEEDY RURAL POPULATION DURING COVID-19 SITUATION

Land degradation, local climatic variations and frequent droughts together with unsustainable resource exploitation have led to severe depletion of water and biomass resources in rural Maharashtra, thus negatively impacting agriculture and reducing the availability of water, food, fodder, fuel for cooking and fibers for household consumption and economic production. Poverty and hunger, resulting from land degradation as well as depleting water resources, especially in the rainfed, semi-arid and ecologically fragile regions, have resulted in large numbers of rural households migrating under distress conditions in search of livelihood. The proposed project will be implemented in Osmanabad district of Marathwada region in Maharashtra. Osmanabad is traditionally a drought-prone district. This district has frequently experienced savior drought situations in the last few decades. The situation has worsened with rainfall deficiency for three consecutive years. The rainfall deficit for 2011 was 45%; this was followed by a deficit of more than 50% in 2012, 2014 and 2015. It is a deficit in the last 2 years (2016 and 2017) also. The people belong to an agrarian community whose livelihood depends on seasonal rains. However, the lands are degraded and droughts are frequent, threatening food security and their earning opportunities.  
 The proposed project will be implemented in Dandegaon village in Bhum Taluka of Osmanabad district. This village is on the border of Osmanabad district and is located around 80-100 km away from district headquarters. The average annual rainfall of the area is about 750-800 mm. The key problems of the proposed village are water shortage for agriculture as well as improper management of available water. This project attempts to address the issues of water scarcity within the context of emergent (and increasing) climate change and variability through integrated community-led water resource development and management. WOTR will be responsible for the overall coordination, implementation and monitoring of the project. WOTR will provide to the Village Development Committee (VDCs) and Self Help Group (SHGs) all required support concerning the technical and social issues and as well as concerning the project management, monitoring, etc. WOTR will make available all required competencies, equipment and infrastructure which are needed for the successful implementation of the project. At village level Village institutions will be involved in planning and implementation of project activities. The training programs will be organized for the capacity building of Village level institutions. In a monthly meeting with village-level institutions, the review of the project activities will be taken and an action plan for next month will be prepared.  
 The outcomes and results expected are as follows: ·        Household income of targeted farmers is increased by 20%.·        Agriculture production is increased by 20%. ·        The seasonal irrigation area will be increased by 15%.·        Water availability for irrigation will be improved and 20% of farmers will be able to take an additional crop·        Ground water levels and water availability period will be increased.·        Local institutions are capacitated and implement other development projects in the village.