How YOU Helped Bring Electricity, Safety, Education & More to Communities in 2025

To someone who’s just received electricity in their home after decades, a light bulb becomes a catalyst for change. To someone rescued from floodwaters, a boat is nothing less than a lifesaver. 

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At The Better India, we measure impact not just in numbers, but in lives transformed, hope restored, and opportunities created for a better future. Here’s a look at the impact we’ve created in 2025 — all because YOU contributed. 

1. Helping a village recover 

A major fire struck Tandi village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district in January, leaving families homeless and children without clothes, school books, and a sense of security. We raised funds to help BDRF (Bharat Disaster Relief Foundation) buy school supplies for the children. 

2. #GiftProtection: Fitting stray dogs with reflective collars

We collaborated with Pawsitivity, an initiative started by Rimjhim Joshi Shende, that manufactures QR-enabled reflective collars for dogs and cattle. Through the campaign, the goal was to raise funds that would help Rimjhim and her team amplify their efforts and help avert road accidents. 

With your help, we were able to raise Rs 1,34,007 that went towards collaring 3,000 dogs across Pune, Jammu, Raipur, Gujarat, and Mumbai. 

3. #DonateASolarFan: Cooling Pune’s tribal villages in summer 

There are villages in Pune’s Mulshi that have never known what a fan is. They survive the summers in scorching heat, often succumbing to heat strokes and heart attacks. We collaborated with the TREEI (Technology Reuse Environment Empowerment Innovation) Foundation, led by Tanveer Inamdar, which is driving sustainable change in India’s villages through access to clean energy. 

Through the campaign, we were able to raise Rs 4,06,000, which was channelled towards helping 500 families with solar fans.  

4. #DonateASummerKit: Providing respite from heat to daily wage labourers

Uttar Pradesh is home to around 22,500 brick kilns. The living arrangements at these centres are poor, and during summer, soaring temperatures and heatwaves compound the problem.

We collaborated with BDRF (Bharat Disaster Relief Foundation) to provide the labourers with a summer kit that included a protein-rich flour sattu (made of roasted Bengal gram), ORS (oral rehydration solution rich in electrolytes that can supplement the energy they lose through sweat), glucose powder, and slippers that would help them brave the summer. Through the campaign, we were able to raise Rs 1,04,811 and help 125 labourers. 

5. #RakhiThatGrows: Helping small businesses 

What if your rakhi could help grow a garden and make a woman in one of Maharashtra’s villages financially independent? When we learnt about the Gram Art Project, started by Shweta Bhattad, that was making such rakhis, we collaborated with them for Raksha Bandhan and amplified their work through posts, videos, and features in our newsletter.

By Raksha Bandhan, the initiative received orders for 6,532 rakhis, while total sales amounted to Rs 5,03,171, which went towards the income of 300 women who made the rakhis. The Gram Art Project was also covered by various newspapers in their print and digital editions and was able to secure collaborations with brands.

6. Punjab Floods

In September this year, Punjab was inundated with water, in what is claimed to be the worst floods that the city has experienced since 1988. Over 1,48,000 hectares of agricultural land was submerged, and even as NGOs rushed with aid, the demand exceeded supply. 

We collaborated with Donatekart to raise funds that went towards helping NGOs on the ground evacuate people using boats and provide relief kits once they were taken safely to designated shelters. We managed to raise Rs 8,10,134, which went towards the distribution of 400 relief kits, containing essential supplies like bedsheets, blankets, mosquito nets, ready-to-eat items, ORS powder, clothes, and foldable beds, and two boats.

7. #GiftACycle: Gifting girls the freedom to study 

In the villages of Mirzapur, a long winding forest path stands between young girls and their aspirations. Most girls skip school because the 10 km walk is too long to endure, and their parents cannot afford transport. We collaborated with the Lala Bhagwandas Trust, led by Neeti Goel, to gift cycles to 60 girls living in these villages under extremely poor conditions. Through the campaign, we were able to raise Rs 3,30,760.

8. #DonateASolarLight: Lighting up Pune’s villages 

This Diwali, we wanted to ensure that homes in the villages of Pune’s Mulshi, which have lived without electricity for years, received light in the form of 35-watt LED solar lights, each with an integrated lithium battery and solar panel offering an 18-hour battery backup.

We collaborated with TREEI (Technology Reuse Environment Empowerment Innovation) Foundation, led by Tanveer Inamdar, and raised Rs 5,19,750, which was channelled towards helping 628 families.

9. Helping children of migrant labourers study 

For Children’s Day, we raised funds to support Bengaluru-based Pragathi Charitable Trust, which operates three learning centres in Kempapura, Sumanahalli, and Amruthahalli for school dropouts, child labourers, and children engaged in rag-picking.

The trust provides a year of nurturing education and then places each child in a nearby government school to begin formal learning. We raised Rs 2,00,501, which was channelled towards the upkeep of the centre, including providing children with school kits and uniforms. 

10. Healing the Himalayas 

Come winter, the mountains feature on everyone’s travel bucket list. So we decided to issue a call to people to heal the mountains this time around. We joined hands with Healing Himalayas Foundation to amplify their waste-management efforts in Kinnaur and support the district’s Material Recovery Facility, which sees to the shredding, baling, and compressing of waste that litters the Himalayas. 

We raised over Rs 4,90,000, which was channelled to support efficient waste collection through staff-supported vehicle operations, waste segregation, dedicated supervision, safety measures, and improved data tracking. Through the campaign, we were able to support and enhance waste handling efficiency.