We are India's children

Lakshmi is the mother of two children. Her husband left her 9 years back after an abusive marriage of 4 years. Left out on the streets with nowhere to go and no skills by which she could get a job, Lakshmi bore the brunt of abuse and exploitation to be able to earn enough to feed, clothe and educate her children. At a juncture of utter helplessness, she met Tabassum who introduced her to a community organisation supported by Swasti. We were able to find ways to support the education of her children and this empowered Lakshmi to step away from the violence and abuse and build a life for herself. Today Lakshmi is a small scale entrepreneur, standing up for the rights of women and a proud mother of two school going children.

Watch Lakshmi’s story on YouTube

Through your support to the “We are India’s children” campaign we are able to put smiles on the faces of many mothers and children and give them an opportunity to live their life away from abuse and exploitation. Your gift of education can bring the warmth of smiles in their homes, this winter.

Team Swasti

The We are India’s Children campaign stemmed from our work with the Women in Sex Work community.

We found that their children dropped out of school due to the stigma and discrimination they faced or because their mothers could not afford to pay for their education. Raised in the environment of poverty and vulnerable in a space that thrived on sex trade, the children were at risk of abuse and trafficking. Not being in school was thus not only an issue of possibly not being able to break the cycle of poverty but also an issue of everyday safety.

Today, thanks to your support, we have raised approximately INR 10 lakhs (Approx USD 16000) that go towards educating 130 children who now have the chance to do better and rise above their present circumstances.

Your contributions not only helped potentially change the life of the children it supports with scholarships but to also reduce the dependency of their mother on sex work. It supports her to make life choices that reduce her vulnerability and that of her children in the long run and helps realise their dream- that of most mothers- for their children to live safe,happy and healthy lives.

As Rima (name changed) puts it “A child is a god given gift. My son is turning 10 soon. Just eight more years and he will be a major. I just want to get him to a good position in life. I am paying back loans my husband took and whatever I save, I invest for my son. The school he is studying in now has all 12 grades. They take good care of him. I still haven't asked him what his ambition in life is. He is too young to know. For now, my dream is to see my son receive good education and get settled into a good job.”

We are at present screening the more than 200 applications that we’ve received and with your support would be able to disburse more scholarships in September and October 2017.

With your support, we would be able to turn more and more dreams of mothers and their children to reality and give them a chance to experience a safer environment, rising above their current circumstances of poverty, abuse and exploitation.

Do donate, share, support and stay connected with our campaign.