"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

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

“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 Women Empowerment. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Women EmpowermentWomen EmpowermentWomen Empowerment.

Women Empowerment

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

Children

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EF-bj-ZUrc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SVATANYA</a>, a Responsible Social Enterprise helping marginalized women in urban slums has been working towards Women Empowerment, Skilling, Livelihoods and Environment Sustainability for 10+ years. It helps by providing them <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1kqFwDOqKg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">capacity building, raw material, design expertise and complete handholding</a> to enable them to work from the safe confines of their homes. Being environmentally conscious all products are made in a sustainable manner helping the women become financially independent, thereby enabling a socially and environmentally responsible society. Team <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EF-bj-ZUrc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SVATANYA </a>is a dependable, committed and efficient workforce from the unorganized sector creating an impact aligned to United Nations SDGs:<ol><li>No Poverty through Decent Work &amp; Economic Growth: 1000+ women have been trained to stitch, sew and use machines and those with computer skills to manage administrative tasks. Incomes for hundreds of women have risen from 100 to 300% and scaled up from 0 to 4 figures</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVpomudaDfo" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Gender Equality: </a>Women are upskilled to enable a sense of identity, and achieve self-efficacy and financial independence</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWe1XktGsXE" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Responsible Consumption &amp; Production </a>- We use sustainable fabrics and upcycle/recycle stock material/waste from partner organizations to minimize environmental impact</li><li>Good Health &amp; Well Being – To further our impact, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmarynCare/posts/pfbid026xZsh2PqqC5mUHzFGTMXq8JLjyUpzgb1RVib7wAEepjKv68p84e528rLpDcotLFvl" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">toys handcrafted by SVATANYA women </a>are distributed to underprivileged children – especially those <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmarynCare/posts/881737215581402" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">fighting terminal illnesses</a>. We have a two-pronged approach of training /livelihood to women and Joy to children. 4500+ underprivileged children have been impacted so far. More information on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmarynCare/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">AmarynCare FB page</a></li></ol>

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

Nimish Pant

SVATANYA India Foundation

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.

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The pandemic just like impacting many other things also put a brake on SVATANYA plans but even more critical and unfortunate was its impact on the lower strata that underprivileged women living in urban slums belong to. With husbands, belonging to blue-collar communities, losing jobs the situation is rather distraught. While SVATANYA did not lose sight of its objective and has continued to work throughout, the number of women needing help has been constantly growing. Through Project Hope, we intend to train underprivileged women in urban slums to make beautiful handcrafted Krishnas. This will not only help them upskill and earn a stipend but also help them earn a livelihood. The Krishnas thus made will then be gifted to underprivileged children and marginalized elderly Project Hope shall benefit and impact the following 3 sets of stakeholders:<ol><li>Underprivileged women in urban slums lack any opportunity to work and earn a livelihood</li><li>Underprivileged children in government hospitals and orphanages</li><li>Underprivileged elderly in Old age shelter homes</li></ol>The various benefits and impacts of Project Hope are<ol><li>The women get upskilled in the art of handcrafting</li><li>Earning a livelihood which enhances women's confidence to become individuals who can stand up for their own rights</li><li>Dignity to the women making the toys</li><li>Joy &amp; Cheer to the underprivileged children in Orphanages, Govt hospitals and shelter homes</li><li>Hope for the marginalized elderly in shelter homes and Old age homes homes</li></ol>

Project Hope by SVATANYA

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

Help Girish give 250 HIV+ children, rescued from abuse in red-light areas a new life

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

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