Meet the people whose lives youve changed

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Meet the people whose lives you've changed

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Not sure if your donation actually makes a difference? Well, it does. Read on to meet the people whose lives have been changed. And thank you dear donors for reaching out to make a difference.

Salma's - tale is truly a success story...

Since Mother's Day falls in this month, our mission for May 2012 is to feed and educate 300 children without mothers. On that note it gives us immense pleasure to share the following story with you: Salma's parents passed away while she was still a teenager. Her aunt found it increasingly difficult to take care of her due to financial constraints, forcing Salma to move from shelter home to shelter home.

Anuj's - parents cannot support his educational needs.

Come June and it's time for schools to reopen after the long summer months. Which is why our mission for the month of June is to provide school supplies to 200 destitute children, to encourage them to attend school. In view of this, I would like to share the story of the Anuj with you. Anuj's parents earn a meagre income and cannot support his educational needs. In the cold foothills of the Himalayas, he also needs warm clothing, which his parents cannot afford. Many children in that region fall ill due to the cold weather. Without adequate clothing, Anuj would not be a position to attend school.

Our mission to provide 200 children with the required school supplies.

They wish to write, but don’t have pencils. They wish to read but don’t have books. They wish they could go to school, but can’t afford uniforms. This is the story of millions of children in our country. The opportunity for education exists, but their inability to afford the required school supplies, hinders their prospects. We all know the importance of education and the crucial role it plays in our development as individuals as well as a nation. However, the situation in our country is pretty grim. To state a few facts, only 7% of Indian students complete high school and only about 1% graduate. According to the census in 2011, the absolute number of illiterates in our country is 304 million

Ganesh - a 7 year old child living on the streets of Mumbai.

Today, we would like to share with you, the life changing story of Ganesh - a 7 year old child living on the streets of Mumbai. It's hard to believe but true that Ganesh lives on the pavement of a road with his parents and two siblings. His father is a daily wage labourer whereas his mother sells plastic clips and books in the local trains of Mumbai to feed her three children.

Pandi - working in a timber factory, was first identified with the HIV virus....

Mr. Pandi was working in a timber factory when he was first identified with the HIV virus. He has three children who are dependent on his income which makes his health all the more important. Unfortunately, in 2011, he was co-infected with Tubercolosis. By this time, his wife had also contracted the deadly HIV virus which put their entire family at risk. Lack of medical attention and education of the disease only added to their list of troubles.

A mother would do anything to ensure her child is born healthy...

They say health is wealth and so it may be, but imagine the plight of a child being born with the deadly HIV virus. Wouldn't a mother do anything to ensure her child is born healthy? Mrs. Periyammal was infected with the HIV virus in December of 2011. Her husband, who is an agricultural labourer, is also HIV positive. With their minimal income, they had no way of ensuring a health baby.

Everyone is not blessed with the gift of hearing...

There could be nothing more relaxing than the sound of the pouring rain or the melody of your favourite song. On the other hand, some sounds never fail to annoy us, like our morning alarms or our bosses scolding us for something we may have goofed up. The little sounds we so often take for granted, play their parts in shaping every day of our lives.

Govardhan's - hearing impairment was detected at an early age.

Imagine how challenging life would be without the ability to hear simple sounds around us. This is why for July 2012, we've made it our mission to aid 200 hearing impaired chidren. Also, recognising the importance of this issue, an anonymous donor has decided to match every donation to this campaign.

Vishnu - has been physically disabled since he was 2 years old

Vishnu's life in itself has been a challenge. His father passed away 3 years ago leaving the entire responsibility of his family on his shoulders. What makes his situation even worse is the fact that Vishnu has been physically disabled since he was 2 years old. The polio stroke he suffered has sadly left him 85% disabled.

Mathew - lost his father at the tender age of 7...

At the tender age of 7, Michael lost his father. His mother, being incapable of supporting him, handed him over to the care of an orphanage in Orissa. However, this was not the end of Matthew's troubles. The orphanage he is in, lacked the capacity to support his medical and nutritional needs, let alone his educational needs. With the little he was provided with, Matthew's future prospects seemed dim.

Kumara - and his friends who were gifted a picnic by their secret Santa

Kumara belongs to Katarivaripalem, a costal village in rural Andhra Pradesh. His world, as that of the other children in the village, is limited to their village where they spend their days helping their parents earn a livelihood by catching and selling fish. Despite a lack of opportunities in their village, they had never stepped out of it.

Sarmesh - too can receive quality education and can dream of a better future

Sarmesh hails from the Musahar tribe of Bihar. Musahar literally translates to rat-eater, a reference to their traditional practice of eating rats. Although this practice is abandoned in most places, the Musahars still live in complete poverty with no hope of progress. Sarmesh’s father too is a landless labourer and his family lives well below the poverty line

Govind - a Polio affected person whom you encouraged to earn a living with dignity

A physically challenged person's ability is never about what they can't do that other can with ease; but rather about what they can do. As this inspirational story of Govind, a Polio victim, shows. A Polio stroke at the age of 5 left Govind 75% physically challenged.

Gowri Shankar - a tribal child whom you supported to get access to education

Education is a fundamental right of every child, but how does a child access this right if there is no school to attend? Or even if there is one, with no teachers around? This was a hard reality for Gowri Shankar - a 7 year old from Ananthagiri Mandal, a tribal area in Andhra Pradesh.

Nigel - a specially challenged boy whom you helped to overcome his handicap and become independent.

It's the new year! We could not have found a better time to share with you a story full of hope - that of Nigel - a specially challenged boy who defied many odds to overcome his handicap and become independent. Nigel was born with Down's Syndrome, a genetic disorder which severely decelerated his physical and mental maturation

Kumara & his friends - few poor children whom you gifted a picnic on the eve of Christmas

It's the season to be jolly! And in keeping with the Christmas spirit, we bring you the story of Kumara and his friends who were gifted a picnic by their secret Santa ( i.e. an anonymous donor). Kumara belongs to Katarivaripalem, a costal village in rural Andhra Pradesh. His world, as that of the other

Sobha - a rural woman whom you helped to become educated.

Sobha got married at an early age of 15 and her days were spent doing chores at the field or at home. Not having gone to school herself, she felt that education infact was not of much value; until one day she borrowed Rs.100 from the local money lender for her child's medicines and later learnt that the money lender had taken her thumb print stating she had borrowed Rs. 1,000, not Rs. 100!

Santosh - a 7-year old boy whom you saved from the stigma of HIV

December 1st is World AIDS Day - a day to spare a thought for the millions out there who live with HIV...or equally worse, the stigma of the dreaded disease. Like Santosh - a 7-year old boy who was not only forced to drop out of school but also leave his home with his family simply because his parents were infected with HIV.

Rayathi - an elderly whom you supported when her own children abandoned her!

Rayathi, a 75-year old elderly from the fishing village in Andhra Pradesh, who had left her life to fate. After Rayathi's husband's death 30 years ago, she got into selling fish to upbring her four sons. Inspite of her poverty, she didn't hesistate even once to take loans to support their education.

Lalti - a poor girl whom you rescued from the black world of child labour

On the occasion of Children's day, we are sharing the story of Lalti - an 11-year old girl who used to toil long hours in agricultural fields in her village in Bihar, for little money to support her poor family of 9 members. Poor Lalti never had too many choices as her daily wage laborer parents could not afford to provide for their family.

Naina Devi - an elderly whom you helped to celebrate Diwali with her regained eye sight

As you light diyas and crackers this Diwali, it would be great if you could spare a few moments to light a life – of people living their life in darkness. Like Naina Devi, a 75-year old lady who could barely see because she had a cataract in both her eyes. Forget moving out of the house, moving about within the house to complete daily chores, was quite difficult

Tamilselvi - a rural girl whom you supported to fight gender bias and complete her education

Despite poverty and the responsibility of household chores, Tamilselvi has always dreamt of completing her education. But after her 8th standard, her laborer parents decided to stop sending her to school as they just didn't see any value in educating a daughter. But Tamilselvi was not ready to drop out from school just because she was a girl.

Ambily - a teacher whom you supported to educate children suffering from multiple disorders.

This September 5th, as you thought about your favorite teachers - the ones who burdened you with tons of homework, the ones who gave you a star for every right answer and the ones who never failed to answer all your questions - GiveIndia gives you the perfect way of honoring them.

Madathi - a neglected elderly whom you provided shelter and care in her old age

So often we hear of children abandoning their elderly parents simply because they are such a burden. Such is the story of Madathi, a 70 year old woman, who was neglected by her own kids, after her husband's death, five years ago.

Divaben - a poor tribal woman whom you helped to experience the joy of motherhood.

Divaben - a fortunate mother who was saved along with her child during her delivery. She is indeed fortunate, as 78,000 mothers die in child birth and from complications of pregnancy every year in India, the obvious reason - immense lack of even primary health care facilities.

Lalit - a deaf blind child whom you helped to overcome his disability

Every morning, 9-year-old Lalit gets ready to go to school. This would seem to be a routine activity for someone of his age, but Lalit is no ordinary child - he is a deaf blind boy. He used to struggle to express even his basic needs to his mother.

Madhavi - whom you empowered to stand up against domestic violence

An alcoholic abusing his family is not very uncommon in our society but a girl standing up against such atrocities definitely is. One such brave girl was Madhavi - a 23 year old, young girl from the slums of Kurnool, a small town in Andhra Pradesh.

Lakshimi - whose family you saved from the stigma of society and HIV

Lakshmi was just 17 years old when she got married to Venkataramana and had 2 children - Ramadevi and Rambabu. But the happy family picture did not last very long as Venkataramana was infected with HIV and even passed on the infection to Lakshmi.

Saroja - whom you empowered to earn a living with dignity

Saroja was born to daily wage laborer parents in a poor community near the city of Hyderabad. Poverty and the responsibility of her four young siblings compelled her to drop her education in primary school itself and take a petty job as a maid servant.

Akash - an orphan whom you helped to return to his school.

Akash was not even a year old when he lost both his parents. It was then that the responsibility of him and his two sisters' upbringing came upon his aging grandmother. She earned only enough to send Akash to school - though intermittently. At the age of 12 when other children of his age were learning how to ride bicycles, Akash began learning how to repair them...

Sharad Jitkar - whom you provided care in his old age

Resident of Amravati, Sharad Jitkar, had taken up photography as a profession at a young age - when he lost his parents and was forced to quit school and earn a living. Over the years, the nature of work began to hurt his eyes. But with no educational qualifications and a family - a wife and two daughters - to support, there was no way he would let go of the income, however meagre it may have been.

Anandraj - whom you gave a new lease of life.

The only son of daily-waged parents, Anandraj was affected by Polio at an early age. While this prevented him from doing things that most of us take for granted - like playing with friends, walking and even standing on his own, it did not prevent him from dreaming - dreaming to live an independent life one day!

M. Sundari - whom you empowered to lead an independent life

Sundari lives in Kajjapetei slum, in Trichirappali, Tamil Nadu. Like most other women in her community, she got married in her early twenties. Life was content with both her and her husband Muthukumar earning. Within a few years of marriage, they had 3 children too – two sons and a daughter. Unfortunately...

Peramma - whose children you saved from child labour

Peramma, an HIV-AIDS widow, and herself an HIV-AIDS patient, belongs to a poor scheduled caste family in Suravarapupalle village, Andhra Pradesh. She earns a monthly income of Rs. 4,500...

Aansh - a cancer of the eye patient who got a new lease of life

One day, when excrutiating pain and red spots appeared on Aansh's left eye, the perpetual smile from the child's face was wiped away. Tests revealed that the spots were no minor rash. It turns out that Aansh had a malignant tumour and had been diagnosed with cancer of the eye...

Sunita Jat - who was able to have a healthy and safe delivery

A victim of child marriage, Sunita was married off at an early age. At just 16, her days became filled with chores, such as cooking, cleaning, collecting water etc. for a 7 member family - her husband, his parents and his 4 siblings - 2 sisters and brothers...

Meda Guramma - who was able to earn a living once again

Meda Guramma was a seasonal labourer in a mango groove and earned a rather meagre income. Her husband, Yellaiah was a fisherman but without a boat! He would go fishing with 7 others and share the catch equally. This was the only source of income for their four children - three daughters and a son...

Chodipalli Nooka Raju - who was saved from child labour and his alcoholic father

Raju was born into a traditional marine fishing village in Pedda Kovvada village in Poosapati Rega Mandal in Vizianagaram district. He is the youngest of four children - three girls (all of whom are married) and a boy. Raju's father, Pydithallli, being an alcoholic, has never been in a postion to provide the family with a constant source of income. Yet, they managed to make ends meet. But that was till Raju's mother, Ramanamma, was still alive...

Peda Ganjam - a village to which you provided a bore well

Unlike many villages in India, this was one village which got its regular water supply from a well. But as luck would have it, heavy rains gave the village too much water, damaging the decades-old open well. This resulted in the water getting polluted and forced women and children to walk miles to fetch water for their daily needs.

Shankramma - whom you helped to do her bit for the environment

Shankramma never had a comfortable life. She and her landless labourer husband used to feed a family of 5 with a meagre income of Rs. 2,000. Her hardships in life also included carrying 15 Kgs of fuel wood from neighbouring forests every day and carrying out daily chores in a smoke and heat filled kitchen...