The eye of the hurricane is the calmest part-right in the middle. In times of unimaginable stress, children need reassurance that their basic needs will be met and that they are loved and nurtured. That is the role of New Light for innumerable children. New Light continues to provide a safety net for families. The food, the education and the love are what makes life stable for children living in a red-light district who witness violence and abuse. The children know that no matter the circumstances, they are looked after and will always have a nutritious meal.
Since the pandemic, we have been raising money for food for New Light to distribute to families who are not working due to the dangers of COVID in the streets. New Light has distributed more than a million food baskets and they continue to forge ahead to do all they can for people in the district and in villages near and far who need help. It warms our hearts to see the children who "graduated" from New Light come back to help in the distribution of food and lending a hand to help New Light help others.
We continue to seek support to provide food and support to children even without a pandemic for families. We so appreciate those of you who give a small amount monthly to keep the food and support of the children steadily flowing.
Namaste,
We want to thank all of you who have so generously donated to assist New Light in Kolkata, West Bengal. An act of kindness is more than a simple act of feeding a child or providing shelter. Supporting new Light is a way to promote gender equality thorough education and life skill training thereby reducing harm caused by violence and abuse to women and children in the streets of the redlight district.
Those of us who love New Light and have seen the results of almost 20 years of work in the area of human slavery and trafficking, know that this program is much deeper because it addresses the whole child and breaks the cycle of intergenerational prostitution and human slavery.
We have recently partnered with the talented I, Rabindranath and She who have rallied their community through their gorgeous dance and music to highlight and support the work of New Light. I, Rabindranath and She is an artistic endeavor to raise funds for sex-workers and their children for New Light. They have pledged to create 8 music videos featuring Indian classical dance and the timeless melodies of Rabindranath Tagore, whose pen always stood strong against social injustice.
Check out their GlobalGiving Fundraising link below. The link below will also provide you with their videos created to engage and thank donors and stating an existing social problem that New Light is tackling.
Thank you
Links:
As always, thank you for your donations in the past and your thoughtfulness in thinking of the most vulnerable. New Light has been highly successful in getting children out of the shadows and into the light.
Operating from the terrace of a temple deep inside the red-light district of Kalighat, in Kolkata, New Light offers the children of sex workers a safe haven, particularly in the evening hours when streets are the most dangerous and the mothers are working. The services offered by New Light are residential care for many of the young children from the community that includes education, healthcare, nutritional support, and a recreational facility. For theirr mothers they offer income generation opportunities counsiling and more. Over the years, New Light has set up multiple facilities to cater to the needs of children and young adults at risk who are exposed to violence and subjected to discrimination and social stigma. In New Light, the children receive support to continue formal education, and remedial education that leads them out of the red-light district.
During the time of COVID 19, the red-light district is precarious, and the children are even more vulnerable to the harsh reality in the streets. The shelter is always struggling financially since they have a heart for many children that need support. Those of us who love New Light operate with the knowledge that the world is not hostile, and that people do care about the youngest and most vulnerable.
At this time of year, with Give Big around the corner, a small monthly donation would be a source of income and stability for the shelter. With fundraising events canceled, volunteers canceled and income uncertain, your donation would provide critical support to the children.
Thank you and stay safe!
Dear Supporter,
A pandemic affects everyone but particularly in the most vulnerable communities of Kolkata. Face coverings, food insecurity, a cyclone, life upside down. Children are particularly effected when food is scarce and they are no longer going to school. New Light, operating in the red light district and the villages beyond, has been a trusted shelter and an oasis that provides safety and sustenance to those who live on the edge.
Fundraising has been supporting families in Kolkata and beyond in distributing food baskets, soap, facemasks and more. The young people who have been helped by New Light and have escaped the horrors of life in a red light district are pitching in and packing the food that is desperately needed. After their life has been turned around, their participation by being able to help others is done with purpose and love. We are moved by the response of the New Light kids and how they fully understand and empathize with the most vulnerable.
Your donations directly help the most vulnerable while empowering those who are dedicated to helping others. In the midst of uncertainty, love is lighting the way.
Thank you for continueing to assist those in desparate need.
Dear Supporter,
It is with great urgency I write to you in the wake of a global pandemic that is devastating so many.
The lockdown in India went into effect but the care and feeding of women and children continue with great heroism. Urmi Basu the Director of New Light stepped up her amazing work with the children of sex workers under such dire circumstances.
New Light Kolkata is feeding all of the communities in Kolkata during the Covid19 Lockdown with basic spices, potatoes, onions, and soap. The food is distributed every day to the most vulnerable.
Their goal is to feed more than 5000 families who don’t have the resources to take care of their families in Khalighat and its districts.
A family can be sustained for two weeks for Rs 1000/ which is the equivalent of $14.
Please help us to feed and support the families in Kolkata!
Thank you!
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you will get an e-mail when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports via e-mail without donating.
We'll only email you new reports and updates about this project.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
Make a monthly donation & get 
