NGO

Mamoon Akhtar is a man on a mission. The Samaritan Help Mission. Through this remarkable organization, he is changing the outlook for an entire area in West Bengal, bringing education, health, livelihoods and development to all the children, especially girls, living in the slums. Read how one man can open up a world of opportunities for people bereft of them until then.

Meet Mrs. Lily Samuel who took up the cause of leprosy eradication in a small town on the outskirts of Bangalore 25 years ago, and has changed the entire outlook of the area by providing immense support to lepers, women, underprivileged children and all other rural folk. Let us now provide support to her and her organization by participating in a carnival they are having for the children this Sunday!

We have entrepreneurs in this country, and then we have entrepreneurs like Rahul Gupta who believe in bringing about a change. The young and vibrant Rahul joins us today to talk about what actually made him spearhead ‘Teach A Child’ Foundation, an NGO committed to providing quality education to children from urban slums.

Started five years back, Educate Girls aims to get as many girls as possible into school so they can benefit from a good education, improve their lives and become an asset to their communities. And what started with just 500 schools has now spread to 4425 schools! Safeena Husain, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, tells us about it.

Read about a remarkable organization working from villages in Tamil Nadu, and exemplifying service in its every deed. With various initiatives ranging from orphanages and a school to medical care and an old-age home, it is interesting to note how they manage the many activities, and how these complement each other and come together as one cohesive whole.

Literacy rate in India might be cited at around 74% (in 2011), but the ground reality is that even among the so-called educated youth, 'employability' remains a key challenge. The main reasons behind this are a lack of communications and other finer skills. This is an important gap that needs to be bridged, and we bring to you an organization in Bangalore committed to doing this from the past several years, with great success.

Organ donation is still a relatively fledgling concept in India, and people are still grappling its moral, social, religious and other implications in the Indian context. Mohan Foundation has been promoting organ donation since 1997, and helps people understand what it entails - the rewards, the fears and the process. In the end, you could be gifting life to not one but several beneficiaries.

Make a Difference is a youth-focused organization that is trying to bridge the gap in education and empowering young people to take on bold initiative. Its Chennai chapter has been making great strides with unique and far-reaching initiatives. Prama Neeraja takes a look, and a lot of photographs!

India is estimated to have about 635 indigenous communities. Each of these groups of people have a unique identity, with their very own brand of culture, traditions and folklore. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in the oral form, and in the face of dwindling tribal population, advent of modern education and widespread displacement in the name of development, most of this ancient wisdom is getting eroded. This is where a group of individuals calling themselves Acoustics Traditional are making an effort to preserve the precious heritage.

Our guest writer worked with under-privileged girls for a duration of 3 weeks. The experience left a lasting impression on her, and made her evaluate her priorities. She shares it with us here.