Rescue sex workers & at-risk children in India

Thank you for all the support you have shown us. We are constantly striving to improve the lives for women and children in India and your support ensures we reach far and wide into some of the most vulnerable communities.

As you know, we have been working to end prostitution since 1989 and as a direct result, there are no underage girls or second generation sex workers in our district brothels. This is due to our 20+ projects addressing the root causes that exploit women and children into the trade. In 2015, we received three years support from Malala Fund to promote girls education and believed in the cause so much as part of our core purpose we have continued to advocate for girls to stay in school.

On weekend of 11 and 12 July, we celebrated the activist’s birthday for the 10th year running with our Malala peer mentors (girls aged 13-18) from our shelter home and slum schools leading the event alongside our Udaan project which aims to eliminate child marriage in our district by the end of next year.

On 11 July we took our street play, dance and song to Nighoj, close to Parner in Ahiliyanagar District and a hot spot area for child marriage. As well as presenting to around 600 children in a local school we took our message to the bustling market and temple areas of the town distributing information on child rights and the marriage act. This grassroots work is essential in areas where families are unfamiliar with the marriage laws and often unwittingly remove their girls from school and marry them off too early.

The next day was a chance for our children to show that together they are stronger. A full day of competitions and activities saw children from our shelter homes and slum schools compete in cricket, basketball, cake decorating and a treasure hunt. For the first time our teams were mixed with boys and girls working together to showcase the different strengths and skills each bring to teams.

The weekend was a great success both in raising awareness of girls' education and promoting equality within our own residential homes and other projects. Your support ensures the continuation of this essential outreach work and community building to ensure all of our ambitions, thank you.