We Give Thanks to

WE GIVE THANKS TO THESE NGOS

They do great work helping the marginalized and the beleaguered – in India and the U.S.

PRATIKA YASHASWI

It’s the month of giving, and we at SEEMA are always attuned to our responsibility as global citizens to pull one another up. So, we make sure that at least once a month (or once a year), we volunteer, participate actively and give in cash and in kind to causes that we feel aligned with. It is not right that so many people, including very young children, in the world go hungry, sick or alone at a time that should be filled with festive cheer and feasts. Let’s do something about it.

In this section, we’re highlighting charities, NGOs and non-profits that are active, engaged and making great strides in furthering causes that we at SEEMA feel strongly about. This year, we are paying special attention to organizations doing important work in providing shelter, resources and guidance to women who are dealing with sexual and physical violence in their homes and on the streets.

Donor Page: https://www.ekal.org/us/donate and https:// www.ekal.org/us/campaigns Ekal Vidyalaya is an educational movement involved in the integrated and holistic development of rural and tribal parts of India. Ekal’s primary effort is to run one-teacher primary schools (known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over India in the remotest villages to reach education to every child. Initiatives are advised by communities.

Apart from running primary schools. Ekal also runs Ekal on Wheels, a mobile computer lab that provides digital literacy training to youth in rural villages. E-shiksha introduces tablets and digital learning to primary schools and has reached over 1,170 primary schools.

Through telemedicine and preventative health trainings, the program Telemedicine-Enhanced Aarogya provides people living without sufficient healthcare resources the information and support to thrive. Ekal was present during the COVID crisis, and as of January 2021, started six COVID Care Centers. distributed 12,000 diagnostic tools, started 23 telehealth lifelines, and till date distributed four million masks.

Ekal Vidyalaya’s approach encapsulates all the aspects required to keep a rural child in school and graduate into viable opportunities for employment: from the student’s wellness itself to the development of villages.

Supported by numerous trusts and non-profit organizations, Ekal is now the largest grassroots level non-governmental education and development movement that aims to eradicate illiteracy and enhance equality and inclusiveness across all sections of rural society.

Area: Rural empowerment and education in rural India

Impact: Since 1989, Ekal Vidyalaya is present in over 102,000 rural communities through primary schools and health services and also implementing digital literacy and vocational training programs. Where Your Money Goes: To supporting Ekal schools as well as their various campaigns

CHILDREN’S HOPE INDIA

Donor Page: https://www.childrenshopeindia.org/ donate/ Area: Women and children’s empowerment in India and New York Impact: In 2020 alone, alongside its own programs, Children’s Hope responded to the pandemic by delivering hundreds of thousands of remote learning sessions, meals, mental health counseling and doctor consults. Its support reached 538,708 individuals. Where Your Money Goes: 90% of donations go directly into running volunteer-led grassroots projects in education, healthcare and nutrition, mental health, vocational training, disaster relief and other community initiatives targeting children from infancy to youngadulthood.

CRY AMERICA

Donor Page: https://cryamerica.org/site/ participate/donation.html Area: Children’s rights in India and the U.S. Impact: CRY America has impacted 695,077 children through 73 projects. Its work has reached 3,676 villages and slums, and sent 690,513 children to school. Where Your Money Goes: All donations to CRY America go into supporting projects in India including primary healthcare centers, early child care, health and nutrition, starting and strengthening public schools, and fighting child labor through grassroots initiatives. As for the U.S., CRY also provides grants to U.S.-based projects that impact the areas of child health and child abuse and neglect.

ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

Donor Page: https://www.stjude.org/donate/ donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=header-btn-donatenow Area: Pediatric medical research and treatment for life-threatening illnesses in the U.S. Impact: Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80%. Children and their families at St Jude never have to pay for treatments, transport and housing, and the research discoveries are available free of cost to doctors treating children around the world. Where Your Money Goes: Donations go into supporting research and treatment programs for various life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, histiocytosis and sickle cell disease. From every dollar donated, invested or recovered through insurance, 82 cents goes towards supporting the current and future needs of St. Jude.

SHRINERS CHILDREN’S

Donor Page: https://www. shrinerschildrens.org/en/giving Area: Pediatric hospitals mainly in North America and Mexico with worldwide outreach Impact: Shriners Children’s has helped over 1.4 million children suffering from difficult-to-treat orthopedic, neuromuscular, colorectal and gastrointestinal conditions, burn injuries, craniofacial conditions and spinal cord injuries, irrespective of their families’ ability to pay.

Where Your Money Goes:

Approximately 85 percent of all funds spent by Shriners Hospitals for Children each year is dedicated to patient care, research and education.

SANKARA NETHRALAYA

Donor Page: https://www.sankaranethralayausa.org/ Area: Eye care and community outreach for the underprivileged in India Impact: Sankara Nethralaya is one of the foremost eye hospitals and research institutes in India, seeing 1200 patients and performing 200 surgeries a day. It is also a charitable institution offering mobile eye care and free services to the poor through rural and urban camps. In 2020, the year of the pandemic, it conducted over 21,000 free surgeries in different parts of India. Where Your Money Goes: Donations fund free eye care services and surgeries in rural communities in India.

SANKARA EYE FOUNDATION

Donor Page:https://sankaraeye.com/donate/ Affordable, high quality eye care is an uncommon thing for the underprivileged in urban and rural in India. With millions of people struggling with their vision, poor sight and eye diseases among other things; Sankara Eye Foundation presents a world that for many, could only be touched, tasted, smelled and heard. Sankara Eye Foundation, apart from operating successful branches of its hospitals across the country, runs outreach initiatives in the areas of children’s eye care, diabetes, technology, women’s empowerment and vision rehabilitation to make the world a better place for the visually challenged. It follows an 80:20 model where 80% of its beneficiaries receive free eye care every year. 20% of those who are able to afford treatment subsidise the cost of care given to patients from weaker economic sections of the society. One can even pledge their eyes to the foundation post their death in order to donate them to someone who cannot see. In 2021, it has served 102 districts and covered 19,740 villages with a 98% vision restoration rate. Area: Social Enterprise Providing Free Superspecialty Eye Care in Poor, Rural and Marginalized Communities in India Impact: Till date, Sankara Eye Foundation’s hospitals have performed over 2 million eye surgeries for free. Running 12 eye hospitals across 9 states in India, Sankara has managed to maintain that 80% of all its beneficiaries receive free eye care every year. Where Your Money Goes: All donations help ensure that 80% of its beneficiaries receive free eye care every year.

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS

Donor Page:https://www.icrc.org/en/support-us Area: Humanitarian emergency response to armed conflict and other disasters all over the world. Impact: The Red Cross, a household name for its efficient large-scale rescue and response operations during humanitarian emergencies, intervenes during the early hours of a conflict. It is credibly audited and has established operations internationally, even in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Where Your Money Goes: All donations go towards funding operations for people in need, including school kits, hygiene kits and food parcels in areas struck by war, natural disasters and other calamities.

HELPAGE

Donor Page: https://www. helpageindia.org/donate/ Area: Eldercare in India, with a focus on fighting poverty, isolation and neglect. Impact: Helpage has done impactful research on elder abuse and policies and pushed forward legislation, including The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and the draft National Policy for Senior Citizens, 2011. Where Your Money Goes: 77% of all proceeds go towards running various programs in healthcare, social mobilization and others. The remaining goes into fundraising and other administrative costs.

DESAI FOUNDATION

Donor Page: https://thedesaifoundation.org/donatenow/ Area: Empowerment of women and children in India and the U.S. Impact: The Desai Foundation has till date reached just under a million people spread across 870 communities. Through its members (who are from the communities the foundation reaches), it has produced 2.3 million sanitary napkins towards ensuring that all women have access to menstrual hygiene. Where Your Money Goes: All proceeds go towards running Desai Foundation’s various programs in healthcare and livelihood for women and children in the US and underserved communities in India.