1m meals for excluded women & children

Meet Uma (name changed), a determined woman from Kolkata's red-light area who has transformed her life with the support of Apne Aap. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Uma faced an uncertain future, struggling to provide for her child with no stable income or access to essential resources. Through Apne Aap's food distribution program, Uma's family received regular meals, allowing her to focus on rebuilding her life. With our assistance, Uma enrolled in a training program to learn how to make sanitary pads. We also helped secure a loan from a bank for the down payment on a pad-making machine and the rent for a small workspace. Today, Uma successfully runs her sanitary pad business, ensuring Since the onset of the economic downturn, Apne Aap has been relentless in its efforts to support the most vulnerable. We have distributed millions of meals, ensuring that 50,000 children and women in red-light areas, refugee camps, and migrant slums do not face starvation. Essential medicines have been provided to those in desperate need, and school supplies have reached thousands of children, allowing them to continue their education despite the challenging circumstances. Our vaccination drives and healthcare referrals have been crucial in preventing the spread of illness and managing severe health cases among these populations.

In our most recent efforts, Apne Aap has intensified its outreach, ensuring no child or woman is left without support. We have set up food distribution centers across multiple regions, coordinated with local health authorities to facilitate vaccinations, and provided oxygen cylinders and hospital referrals to those affected by health crises. Our collaboration with partner organizations and government bodies has been instrumental in expanding our reach and impact. Additionally, we have started initiatives to equip women with skills training and access to microloans, aiming to create sustainable livelihoods for them.

The socio-economic impact of the crisis is profound and likely to persist. Recognizing this, Apne Aap is committed to a long-term strategy that goes beyond immediate relief. As part of this sustainable approach, we have transformed our food distribution program into food banks within our community centers in Bihar and Bengal. These food banks provide a critical lifeline for women transitioning from unstable and dangerous livelihoods, especially in areas frequently hit by floods, cyclones, and evictions due to infrastructure projects. By maintaining these food banks, we ensure that children remain in school and women have access to food security as they transition to more stable lives.Our goal is to help women rebuild their lives, ensuring they have the tools and resources to support their families.

Through these multifaceted efforts, Apne Aap continues to champion the cause of the most marginalized, fostering resilience and hope for a better future.

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Happiness is a smiling face with a full stomach

As the group of children sit with clean plates neatly in front of them, their eyes follow Meena didi (name changed) staff at Apne Aap, who meticulously moves about the row making sure that all the empty plates are loaded with the wholesome yet delicious meal. She says, the best part of meal duty is going around the hall and refilling the plates of the children, ‘The satisfied expressions on their faces makes me feel just happy’. 

 For 1980 families in Forbesgunj District in Bihar, our Center has become a beacon through the lingering hardships that the Pandemic exacerbated. With over 13 million meals provided to 600,000 women, our pledge has outgrown its initial promise, reflecting the boundless capacity of human kindness.  It is through the constant support that we receive that we have ensured that the children who are part of the community that we support don’t go to bed hungry. 

Nutrition is the root cause of most developmental issues. By doing our bit to provide nutritious and timely meals, we ensure the overall health and well-being of the children at our center who belong to the most marginalized sections of society. 

Steps that practical measures like providing nutritious meals to children ensure that the mothers who are vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution to earn a living; are given a safety net to search for other avenues to earn a living. 

By providing support for our program you are giving the most vulnerable children the basic right to full stomachs, their mothers protection from predators, and our staff the rewarding smiles of the satisfied child. 

Names have been changed to protect the identities

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• Our Stories
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