Maitri translates as Compassion, loving-kindness. Hence compassion in life and addressing another human with loving kindness has been the motto for all our projects. We work ensuring Identity, Dignity and Respect for all our populations.
Identity, Dignity and Respect for Widows of Vrindavan.
An ageing, elderly widow, after the death of her husband goes through multiple levels of subordination and abuse because of her identity of being a woman, widow and ageing. Most Widows are victims of domestic violence, inflicted by their own family members, including their sons and relatives. They are abandoned, left homeless and destitute to live on the streets of Vrindavan, begging. They are exploited at various levels, financially and emotionally.
Maitri has constructed Old Age Homes for widow mothers in Vrindavan where they can live with identity, dignity and respect. It’s a HOME for them.
About Jeewan: In 2008, Maitri founders on a visit to Vrindavan, came across this unique population known as Widows of Vrindavan. Seeing their frail health and destitution, they felt a strong need to make a difference in the life of these beautiful women who are all mothers. It was strongly felt that a woman and more so a mother should never have to put her hand out for survival. She has a right to live with respect and dignity.After numerous discussions and deliberation amongst the Board members, they came to the conclusion that a cooked nutritious hygienic mid day meal every day, was the need of the hour to ensure better health status. Akshaypatra, an organization with a charter for feeding children, agreed to support Maitri and be the food partner by giving the widow mothers hot, fresh, nutritious hygienic food at a subsidized cost, every day. The State Govt official advised Maitri to start the project with the most destitute widow mothers who were also in fragile health. The program was launched on July 4, 2010 at a Govt run Ashram, Meera Sahbhagini Ashram popularly knows as Pagal Baba Ashram, where at that time 320, the most destitute widows lived.
Known as Project Jeevan, the word Jeewan is translated as Life. Jeewan represents life, a life with dignity. The project’s aim has been to ensure identity, respect and dignity to the ageing, homeless, abandoned and destitute widows. Due to circumstances they have been abandoned and left homeless, to survive begging on the streets of Vrindavan. Maitri believes in a woman’s right to dignity in life and death, more so a mother. Maitri objective is to improve the social and economic status, citizenship rights, nutrition, and health of widows living in Vrindavan.
“A child left uneducated is a child lost.”
Remedial education can help struggling learners reach greater heights of learning. Your support can make a difference, you can be their future.. Remedial education is designed to close the gap between what a student knows and what he’s expected to know.
Project Maitrigram was initiated in 2008 with a commitment to ensure quality support system to children from economically challenged families from the slums to cope with school education and to facilitate opportunities for adolescent girls and boys to learn skills and stand on their feet as well as become productive members of the family, community and Nation.
“Maitri launched Project Adhikaar in Ranchi in 2015 to make positive impact in the lives of approximately 12,000 15,000 Rickshaw Pullers (RPs) in Ranchi, Jharkhand through the facilitation of access to Citizenship Rights and other basic rights such as health, improved living conditions, sanitation and enabling financial inclusion.”
To organize Rickshaw Pullers to enable them to assert their identity and access Citizenship Rights
To link the Rickshaw Pullers with relevant services and platforms that will improve their living and working conditions
To build access to formal services related to health, financial and legal.
“Project Awaaz has been working to reduce and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and STI among Migrant Workers, especially Rickshaw Pullers in Central District of Delhi for the last eight years. The migrant and unorganised sector workers are highly vulnerable and at risk of Sexually Transmitted Infection and HIV/AIDS due to the lack of social and economic security and their lifestyle choices.”
The main objective of the project is to take measures of Prevention, Treatment and Care for the migrant workers infected or at risk of getting infected with STI and HIV/AIDS. Besides carrying out awareness, conducting onsite testing, and non-traditional condom outlets for better accessibility, the project also strengthens linkages between target population and health service providers for proper healthcare facilities.
