The Divya Chaya Trust (DCT) was established in 1984 mainly to help destitute children and women. Their main aim was to support educational and vocational activities at schools in rural areas and encourage educating the orphans and school drop outs.

Their work is significantly differently as they impart career counseling and provide students with opportunities for further studies. The trust holds confidence building therapies in order to enable women to support themselves financially.

Divya Chaya Trust is located at various states across the northern part of India including West Bengal, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and is currently working with various child care homes and ashrams. These include the SD Jain Mahila Ashram and Arya Bal Griha at Delhi, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission situated in West Bengal and Delhi.

The trust has around 49 employees who work full time for the establishment and betterment of their reach. Apart from the above, there are approximately 50 volunteers who are working for the same mission.

Their remarkable achievement for the year 2007-2008 is that they have sponsored educational expenses for 500 children. They also had organized seven career counseling sessions for more than 150 children who had graduated and were looking out for jobs.

Their contribution towards the growth of special children with various disabilities is also outstanding. Although the government claims that of the total disabled population only 2% are educated and very few are employed, the DCT is doing their best overcome these figures and make them more presentable for the country. To achieve the same, the trust has various services which are solely for the disabled. They have a range of options to reach the disabled, which include financial aids, or even providing them with simple basic necessities like a hearing aid, a wheel chair or even a Braille kit. A contribution from our end towards supplying these necessities would definitely be of immense support to them.

The most disappointing fact, however, remains that their total income is severely lower than their expenditure. The trust did loose a significant amount which could have been well avoided, had there been enough contribution made towards the trust from citizens.
Despite this, the trust did not loose hope and has recently built a residential home for the elderly at Haryana.

It is truly incredible to know that citizens of our country are going beyond their reach to dissolve the bridge between the privileged and under privileged by ensuring that primary education and fundamental living necessities are being provided to significant section of people.

Read more about Divya Chandra Trust here: http://www.divyachayatrust.org.in/

NGO write up done by guest reporter Jheel Parekh.

Village Services Trust (VST) is an NGO based in Tamil Nadu with a mission to facilitate rural development through community development projects. Their vision is to “serve the basic needs and priorities of the socially, educationally and economically backward sections of women, foster rehabilitation and overall development of the physically challenged and provide utmost care and support for child welfare”.

VST’s main focus areas are women’s empowerment and child welfare and they currently operate in the Dindigul and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu. Many of their initiatives, targeting the areas of education, health and overall welfare, are implemented in tandem with the state government and other NGOs operating in these areas.

VST has enabled the formation of women’s group in village to campaign for better representation and involvement in key decision making processes. They also have implemented a Grameen Bank model micro credit system that is supported by Self Help Groups (SHGs). These SHGs have also been successful in building community network within these societies for women and the marginalised.

VST also runs health centers to provide medical, maternity consultations and counselling. In collaboration with the Aravind hospital, Madurai, VST has organized eye and dental camps. They are also active in spreading awareness about personal hygiene, HIV, STDs, immunization and family planning.

The other major focus for VST is child welfare with emphasis on rehabilitation of abandoned and abused children. VST rescues at-risk children and provides them shelter, education, vocational training and, more importantly, an opportunity to lead a normal life again. The child rehabilitation project has been operational since 1999 at their Dindigul center. It is estimated that there are 3500 children living on the streets of Dindigul.

Many of the abandoned or run-away children seek work in factories and shops to earn a living. Their predicament makes them easy victims of sexual, labor and/or drug abuse. VST seeks to help these children by help strengthen family structure to minimize run-aways, scouting for and reaching out to the abandoned as early as possible and shelter them before abuse. They also rescue abused children and provide a safe shelter where they can grow in a nurturing environment.

At present, there at 83 children being cared for at the shelter. It takes almost Rs. 1.5 Lakhs or $3,000 a month to sustain this project, to provide for children’s basic needs ie food, clothing, health care, education etc.

The child rehabilitation project currently has a crisis of funds. VST is seeking donations to help them continue operations and provide for these children.

Below is the link to their website which is enabled with a Paypal system for donations. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated by VST and the children. You can also choose to sponsor a child at the shelter.

Village Services Trust

Please do visit the website to read more about the work that they are doing on the ground.

You can also contact them at

The Village Service Trust

Michaelpalayam – 624215
Nilakottai Taluk
Dindigul District
Tamil Nadu

Phone: +91 (451) 6531 997
Mobile: +91 (0) 995 286 4440 or +91 (0) 984 212 4729
Fax: +91 (451) 242 0430 or +91 (451) 244 0062

Email: thevst[at]rediffmail[dot]com

A non-profit and secular organization currently working in Andhra Pradesh, Synergy India Foundation or SIF has impacted the lives of more than 8500 people in the areas of Health, Environment, Safety and Education. Their main aims include:

1. Making available basic and emergency medical facilities to the poor
2. Disseminating information on clean and green environment
3. Bringing about a social change in Education and Healthcare
4. Ensuring compulsory primary education for children

With these objectives in mind, SIF has launched a number of projects in each of its area of focus. These include:

Healthcare:

With their main intention of spreading greater awareness among people about diseases and their cures, SIF undertakes several informative programs in a year. One of these was “Unite for Diabetes”, a Diabetes awareness walk organized in Hyderabad in November 2008. Another ongoing project of theirs is the “ESI Project” in which they sensitize the beneficiaries on available corporate health services of ESI and to increase efficiency of the ESI program by setting up Helpdesks, Helplines, Blood Donation Camps and Medical Camps.

Environment:

By developing pollution-free and healthy colonies in select areas, SIF aims to create “model colonies” that can be replicated in other parts of the nation and help sensitize the population about environmental ills. This is achieved by engaging the local populace in tree planting activities, assessing the pollution levels and educating the residents on pollution hazards and healthy practices of sanitation, etc.

Safety:

With the help of NCC cadets, Bharat Scouts and Guides, NSS, Institutions, Schools and Government support, SIF has initiated the “Safer Society” Project for implementing road safety, school safety and environmental safety in a model zone. With this initiative, they have undertaken several awareness drives to promote greater safety standards among the general public.

Education:

In collaboration with the Government of AP on the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan program, SIF has undertaken the construction of two model schools in Tirumalagiri. Serving as an example of Public-Private Partnership with the government contributing 80% financially and SIF the other 20%, these 2 schools (one for girls and the other for boys) will actively seek people’s participation in providing all facilities appropriate for the overall development of each student in Academics, Sports and Community Services.

The organization has also started a “Security Guards Training and Employment Program” to promote employment and capacity building of unemployed youth and find them jobs in the security sector.

Contact:

To know further about Synergy India Foundation, their work and ways in which you could volunteer/contribute, visit their website http://www.synergyindiafoundation.org/ or contact them at the following address:

Plot No. 30, Kalyan Nagar, Near Central Bank of India

Hyderabad – 500038

Phone: 040-64601995

Fax: 040-23811192

e-mail: info@synergyindiafoundation.org

What is Parivaar?

Parivaar is a humanitarian service organisation, based in 24 Parganas (S), West Bengal, and at present is chiefly working for total care and overall development of homeless children from categories like orphans, girl children highly vulnerable to exploitation, victimization, and trafficking, street children, abandoned children, highly impoverished children from tribal areas and other such highly vulnerable children at Parivaar Ashram, Village- Barkalikapur, P.O. Bakhrahat, District 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal.

Starting from scratch and thereafter developed brick by brick, Parivaar Ashram is being continuously developed and moulded into a unique institution transforming the lives of each of its residential members (children and adults) and acting as a training ground of highly dedicated life-committed Seva-vratis for taking up multifarious service activities in future. As on 15th December ’08 there are 372 resident children and 30 Resident Seva-Vratis and 40 other day-time workers at Parivaar.

Parivaar Ashram also acts as a hub for various service activities for scores of the villages in the vicinity. At the Parivaar Ashram campus is also located Parivaar’s own Formal School ‘Amar Bharat Vidyapeeth’ in which the resident children of Parivaar study.

Children are admitted at a young age of 4 to 10 into Parivaar Ashram. Each resident child once admitted into Parivaar will be under the care and custody of Parivaar till higher education (graduation / post-graduation) and subsequent job placement and settlement into future phase of life. Parivaar is and shall be behind each child and pave his/her way into any future career which he/she is aspiring for and showing promise of making to, whether it is a stream graduation in humanities, commerce or sciences, or a professional degree education in engineering/medicine. Their eldest group of children is already in Class 8 and despite the fact that they were late-starters in academic path (trained and initiated straight into Class 4 in 2004) they are outperforming children from educated households in their respective schools, and securing top-bracket ranks.

In the next 2 years, Parivaar is being developed to accommodate 1000 such resident children while ensuring the same high quality. A separate All-Girls Residential Institution is on the way of being developed which will be gradually expanded to accommodate 500 resident girls. Residential Institutions shall also be started in some of the far-off tribal areas where Parivaar is working.

Parivaar Ashram is also the base for many other projects serving the rural areas in 24 Parganas district as well as far-off tribal areas in districts of Midnapore (West), Bankura, and Purulia in West Bengal and Singhbhum (East) in Jharkhand. Two main tribes, Sabar and Birhore, are the main beneficiaries of Parivaar’s tribal service programs. 400 such families from highly impoverished tribal areas are enrolled in Parivaar’s regular Foodstock Scheme whereby 9 tonnes (9000 Kg) of foodstock (Rice and Dal) are ferried and distributed by Parivaar Seva-vratis through most inaccessible terrains in these areas every month. More than 100 children from these tribal areas have also been admitted at Parivaar Ashram Residential Institution. Also miscellaneous service activities like house-repair of dilapdited dwellings etc. are taken up across these villages.

See http://www.parivaar.org/Food_stock_Distribution_Scheme.shtml

Parivaar’s work has attracted an increasing number of supporters from amongst Indians in varied walks of life, and at the same time has been able to build a cadre of highly dedicated youth Seva-vratis who are initiated into ideals of service and trained at Parivaar Ashram.

The Beginning

Parivaar was started by Vinayak Lohani (an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta), who, inspired by spiritual and humanistic ideals of Swami Vivekananda, decided to devote his entire life for serving ‘Divine in Man’ as taught by Swami Vivekananda. Immediately after passing out of IIM in 2003, with just 3 children in a small rented building with almost no financial resources, Shri Vinayak started Parivaar. Till the level of 15 children at Parivaar, he used to take some lectures for students appearing for Management entrance examinations and through that could meet the expenses. Gradually people began to be inspired by this dedicated service and started to support this initiative and the number of children at Parivaar grew. At the end of 2004, Parivaar could purchase its own land to develop its permanent campus called Parivaar Ashram. Parivaar’s mission and theme began to attract dedicated youth, many of whom joined Parivaar Ashram as resident workers and began to become bearers of this mission.

Parivaar Ashram : Building of a Unique family

December ‘03 : Admission of 3 children at rented building at Bonogram near Thakurpukur, Kolkata.
June 30th ‘04: 59 children
Dec 29th ‘04: Purchase of land at Barkalikapur, Bakhrahat in 24 Parganas (South)
Dec 31st ’04: 67 children (all housed at Bonogram Centre)June 30th ‘05: 110 children.
Dec 31st ‘05: 145 children.
June 30th ‘06: 200 children.
April 15th ‘07: 226 children.
May 15th ‘07: 250 children.
Oct 15th ‘07: 275 children.
Feb 15th ‘08 : 310 children.
Jun 15th ‘08 : 332 children.

Dec 15th ‘08 : 372 children

The Road Ahead

Parivaar wants to continuously develop its cadre of dedicated Seva-vratis who can devote themselves to a life of service and work in various neglected parts of India for our unserved brethren and bring light to their lives. Thus in the years to come similar full-fledged Seva-Ashrams shall be started in other places first in West Bengal and then in rest of India.

Parivaar’s Support Base

Indians (and a few foreign nationals too) all over the world have been influenced and inspired by Parivaar’s work. A large no. of working professionals including IIT and IIM alumni (more than 500 of them) the world over support Parivaar. Parivaar received more than Rs 3 Cr in the said Finacial Year, by Parivaar supporters worldover. Out of this the bulk was from individual donors who inspired by Parivaar support it magnanimously.

Read more about Parivaar and its activities at: http://www.parivaar.org/