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

We have come a long way in taking a stand against injustice when we can see it. But unfortunately, millions of voiceless farmed animals are still being subjected to inhuman cruelty in illegal dairies, slaughterhouses, etc. Their plight has been hidden from us, and their cries for help are muffled. These animals are stifled in dingy sheds and housed in abysmal conditions. They are injected with harmful substances to extract milk, mistreated, and finally transported to illegal slaughterhouses when they are of no use. IAF India Animal Foundation, along with other NGOs, have resolved to ease the pain of these farmed animals. The NGOs are actively involved in capacity building and advocacy.With more and more ill and injured animals being brought in each day, these NGOs are in urgent need of funds to fight on behalf of helpless farm animals and others. Your contribution can ensure the end of mistreatment for hundreds of animals. 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).Unheard cries of voiceless farm animals“In illegal dairy units, animals are beaten, abused, and their bones are broken. If they are ill or injured, they are never given treatment. They are tied up in small spaces. Where there is space barely for 10, they keep 20, 30 or even 40 animals. And these animals spend their entire life in these painful conditions", says Dr Asher Jesudoss, animal welfare activist, who fights against the abuse of farmed animals.According to him, several crude, illegal and violent methods/practices are used to extract milk from cattle, which leave thousands with illnesses. “Labour pains are induced in cattle by injecting drugs; they are made to forcefully let down milk twice a day unnaturally. Their calves are pulled away and are not allowed to drink their mother’s milk. They are tied separately and later killed or left to die", he adds. With your support, Asher and the NGOs can fight this battle and provide a better future for the animals in illegal farms.Urgent need for donations“We are trying to give these animals a good life, but we are dependent on public support. I humbly request each one to come forward, and please donate whatever you can so we can give these farmed animals and others a life away from abuse and suffering,” says Asher.Donate to this fundraiser by India Animal Fund (IAF) on Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to provide abused farmed animals a better future.

Help India Animal Foundation in ending mistreatment of animals in illegal farms

“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.

Help ex-IAF officer rescue abandoned women and provide them with food and shelter

This is a sample description for Animal Welfare. For the purpose of testing I will use the wordDisaster Animal WelfareAnimal WelfareAnimal Welfare.

Animal Welfare

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 Livelihood. For the purpose of testing I will use the word LivelihoodLivelihoodLivelihoodLivelihood.

Livelihood

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Community & Rural Development

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Education

WCS-India is a Section 25 non-profit company. WCS-India’s overarching goal is the protection and conservation of the natural environment, its flora and fauna, and in particular the preservation of wildlife and wild places in India. We combine wildlife conservation action and strategic policy interventions with rigorous principles of conservation science and forge long-lasting productive partnerships with governmental and non-governmental partners as well as with local communities. Our conservation action addresses the overarching threats of habitat fragmentation, poaching and wildlife trade as well as human-wildlife conflict, which impacts our biodiversity and its habitats.

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

Andrew Dias

Manish Machaiah

Wildlife Conservation Society - India

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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Over the past few years, India has witnessed the seizures of thousands of illegally traded birds, mammals, and reptiles, including many endangered animals. In many cases, live animals are being traded for the pet or meat markets, and law enforcement agencies are placed in a situation where they are required to handle and care for animals that are in dire need of medical care. Coming from unknown sources, transported in unhygienic conditions, and facing immense stress, these animals pose a grave risk of infectious disease outbreaks through the transmission to humans. The law enforcement officers, such as forest officers and customs officers, who seize these animals at remote border posts and airports often find themselves ill-equipped and untrained to handle these situations. Responsible for these vulnerable animals, their personal safety, and the health of everyone around them, these officers face this challenge regularly and require attention and support through capacity building and equipment. 
 Recognizing the grave threat faced by both humans and wildlife in these situations, the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Programme of WCS India has been conducting workshops on the handling of commonly seized wildlife in the state of West Bengal, which is a hotspot of illegal wildlife trade across international borders. Through these workshops, we have worked to build the capacity of frontline staff, who are the first responders in these situations, to handle seized animals in a manner that reduces the risk of injury and disease to animals and humans. We have been developing extensive guidelines for the handling of various animals, including first aid in case of snakebites. Using a hands-on approach, we demonstrate the correct use of safety equipment and the steps necessary to provide the animal with a stress-free environment. We are constantly receiving requests for such training and support with relevant equipment, and we recognize the need to expand this project to other parts of the country, which have similar hotspots of illegal wildlife trade, and to develop new safety measures and new protocols to deal with the growing breadth of species that are seized. 
 Over the past 10 months, we have trained over 400 frontline staff in West Bengal in the rescue and rehabilitation of commonly trafficked animals. We have received an overwhelming response from these trainees, whose feedback has confirmed that the training has greatly improved their ability to provide primary care for seized animals while protecting themselves from harm. By expanding our project we will be able to provide the same training to many more officers who are likely to be first responders to live animal seizures. This will ensure that (i) many endangered animals that are rescued from the illegal trade in wildlife have a better chance of surviving, (ii) the trained frontline staff are not subjected to undue risk of injury from handling animals, and (iii) the risk of spread of zoonotic diseases that transfer from wildlife to humans is reduced.For more information on our work, please also visit our <a href="https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/3hZ6CW6v3NtP4W1Yc6_G06" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and watch <a href="https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/0sHKCXDw8Oiq9zlNHVpaIA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">'Surviving the Odds – Combating India’s Illegal Wildlife Trade</a>'

Capacity building of first responders: Rescue and rehabilitation of commonly trafficked animals

Covering an area of 500 sq.km, Bhadra Tiger Reserve is a global biodiversity hotspot and one of the premier Tiger Reserves (TR) in India. It is situated in Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts of central Western Ghats surrounded by the lofty Bababudan/Chandradrona mountains. The Reserve is a mosaic of different habitats ranging from high elevation shola evergreen forests-grassland complex to dry deciduous forests. The high hills and the moist forests interspersed by streams and rivulets originating from the river Bhadra are a haven for wild animals. Bhadra is home to 166 tree species, 39 mammal species, 267 bird species, 36 amphibian species and 115 butterfly species. It is also a key source population site for tigers and other endangered mammals like the Asian elephant and the dhole. The Reserve is well connected with Shettihally Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) to the north and Kudremukh National Park (NP) to the southwest (Fig. 1). These two protected areas act as crucial sinks for dispersing wildlife from the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. These contiguous corridor forests are regularly used by tigers and Asian elephants, but are threatened by encroachment, ill-conceived development projects, and illegal hunting. The legal status of the contiguous forests between Bhadra, Shetthihally, and Kudremukh vary from unprotected to the most restricted, known as reserve forests.  
 1.     Engage local communities to understand their needs while collaborating with government agencies to find solutions to support their livelihoods, which thereby reduces anthropogenic pressure on forests and wildlife.2.     Provide technical support to government partners, particularly the Forest Department to address management-related problems. Extend support to the Forest Department in their effort to work with local communities to save wildlife and habitat.3.     Build public support for wildlife and habitat conservation through extensive education, and conduct fire awareness programs in association with the forest department. 
 Our project aims to protect and conserve critical wildlife corridors such as the Shettihally-Bhadra-Kudremukh and ensure better habitat and wildlife connectivity among Protected Areas in the central Western Ghats. The project also aims to reduce the threats and anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity through effective collaborations with various stakeholders.

Wildlife Corridor Conservation around Bhadra Tiger Reserve

Asiatic wild dogs, also called ‘dholes’, are wild members of the dog family, found in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. With only 1000–2000 adult, mature individuals (capable of reproducing) remaining in the world, they are listed as ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dholes are very social and live in families or ‘packs’ of 2–24 individuals. They are also highly vocal animals, and use sounds to communicate while interacting with each other and during their hunts. They are known for their unique whistling sound, which has also earned them the term ‘whistling dogs’. These fierce and agile hunters have received very little conservation efforts because they are often overshadowed by other charismatic species such as tigers and leopards.  Agroforest-plantations like coffee and tea estates are human-dominated areas. In such locations, carnivores must navigate through several challenges to live and persist. Dholes are particularly vulnerable to human disturbances because they are diurnal, i.e., they are active during the daytime.   
 The Dhole Project is aimed at documenting and understanding the ecology and behaviour of dholes in human-dominated landscapes. Our goal is to identify dhole-friendly spaces within forest-tea-coffee mosaic landscapes. 
 The project is aimed to enable us to prioritise areas for dhole conservation outside protected areas. Currently, there are no conservation management plans for dholes in India. The data generated from this project will be an important step in devising such a plan and aiding the conservation of the underdogs of India’s wildlife.

The Dhole Project

Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) is a protected forest area of approximately 87 sq km in Mumbai city and despite being in this large metropolis home to approximately 40 leopards. A decade ago there were a large number of attacks on humans by leopards which has been minimal in the last few years due to the effective mitigation efforts by the Forest department. 
 In partnership with the Maharashtra Forest Department this project will be putting radio collars on leopards for the first time in such a highly urbanized landscape to understand :1) How do leopards use the highly populated landscape of SGNP; What are their home ranges and how do they use such densely populated space ? 2) How do they move out of SGNP? How do they cross the high traffic roads outside of SGNP? 3) How do leopards respond to presence of humans in their use of space and time (day/night) 4) How do people respond to the presence of leopards?Key Highlights: (i) A unique study that is for the first time looking into the ecology of high density of leopards that are using a highly populated landscape of Mumbai (ii) using the findings to share with the larger public and stakeholders so that there is a greater awareness about the leopards of Mumbai.  
 (i) increased knowledge on an urban carnivore that would be used for dealing with policy-related matters. (ii) increased scientific knowledge on this unique situation (iii) increased awareness in the media about this serious issue so that the general public is aware of their leopards in Mumbai.