Empower Future Leaders from Mumbai Red-Light Areas

Dear Friends of Kranti (& Robin!),

Hope all of you, and your loved ones, are doing wonderfully. I think I am writing a project report after....three years?? I know you all enjoy hearing from the Krantikaris more than you enjoy hearing from me, but I’ve had some serious reflections the past month that I’d like to share with all of you. So I decided it’s time to polish my report writing skills! :)

First of all, in case you weren’t aware, Kranti recently returned from a theater tour in the UK, doing 40 performances in 60 days, across 15 cities, reaching 10K+ audience members in October 2017. Our last night in Edinburgh I went out for a quick walk and found myself in the middle of the city, sobbing...with gratitude. In that moment, if someone had asked me what more I want, I wouldn’t be able to think of single thing. I also couldn't figure out whom to thank - all the people who housed us, the Indians who fed us like royalty, or the 10K+ audience members who came with open minds but left with open hearts (and a lot of tears). For the Krantikaris, this trip was an unforgettable lesson in the love, support, compassion, and humanity of absolute strangers.

Many of the Krantikaris began some ambitious journeys immediately - 4 to university in the US, 3 to internships in Bangalore, and 1 to a UK boarding school! But....we also returned home to a line of SIX new girls wanting to come to Kranti (two have already moved in), so I’ve been taking some time to reflect on the upcoming years. As many of you know, one of our goals when we first started Kranti was to ensure that the organization is eventually run by members from the Kamathipura community. As the oldest Kranti girls are now 22/23, I can definitely see the day (4-5 years from now) when they will be managing and leading Kranti in the direction they know is best for their community.

This forced me to think about the legacy I'll be leaving these future leaders, and if I had to pick ONE thing that I want to improve or fix for them, it's our ambivalent financial situation. Many of you have been part of our journey for years, and you've seen us through a lot of hard times - admitting girls in mental hospitals, paying for mothers’ cremations, or even rescuing me from jail. Yes, you have always, ALWAYS been there for us. But we know that these crises can be just as hard on you as they are on us, and that's not the gift we want to give people, nor the way we want to express our gratitude.

However, Kranti’s general costs are about Rs. $5K per month (before any crises!), and I’ve struggled for five years now to raise this consistently. Until recently, I had a lightbulb moment when a mentor told me: "It's important for organizations to deal in the currencies you're rich in, not the ones you're poor in." He then asked me what currency is Kranti richest in, and immediately I knew - we are richest in our global network of amazing individuals who know, love, and support the Kranti girls.

So I decided to reach out and ask all of you for help with my goal for 2017 - I want to raise $5K of RECURRING donations on Global Giving! This means we need 500 donors to pledge $10 a month or 250 donors to commit $20/month. SURELY the Kranti community can pull this off!! 

I set up a separate GG page for this campaign here: http://goto.gg/30139 

Just a reminder that we’re looking for small, recurring donations! For those of you who have supported Kranti for several years, we would like to ask to also convince one or two friends to make a recurring $10 donation as well! :) Eventually, if we reach the goal of $5K in recurring donations, I will be deactivating this project. 

The Krantikaris have achieved so much the past few years, literally because of each and every one of you. You ARE the currency which makes Kranti rich in every way possible - rich in memories, rich in dreams, rich in success, and rich in love!

Will you help make Kranti sustainable as well??

With gratitude,
Robin

Links:

• The new GG page!