By Shriyam Gupta & Kavya Chowdhry
In our busy everyday life we get trapped in ourselves. Our world starts and ends with 'I,' 'me' and 'myself.' We are oscillating between work and home, insular to the fact that there is a world beyond those four walls. A world of a little child that has been denied education, a world of a youth who is struggling to get food for his family, a world that exists, but with myriad issues that need our attention.
This summer open your eyes to it and be a part of that world. And create a change in it , take action to serve someone other than yourself.
LBBD brings to you a list of places in and around the city where you can turn your ideas into action and work towards a better world:
The Hope Project | The Hope Project is located in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin. It has many projects within its ambit, which include a community health centre, a crèche, a non-formal school, vocational training courses, a thrift and credit program and a women’s micro-enterprise unit. The project is run by a staff which includes several people from within the community too. It endeavours to provide the underprivileged with opportunities and resources so that they can strive for the betterment of their future. It covers the areas of education, health, livelihoods and income generation.
To Volunteer | http://www.hopeprojectindia.org/html/sup_volunteer.htm%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.hopeprojectindia.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Naz Foundation | This foundation is committed to raising awareness about the sensitive issue of HIV/AIDS. It provides support to those who are affected by it, and does that with utmost care and confidentiality. Taking into consideration that a huge percentage of India’s population is afflicted with this disease, it has made commendable achievements in raising awareness for the cause. To Volunteer | http://www.nazindia.org/sponsor.htm%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.nazindia.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Tamana | Tamana is an organization which is devoted to the interests of the mentally challenged, socially disabled and autistic. It centres on enabling them to strive for social and economic independence by offering them speech, occupational and physiotherapy, life skills training, computer education, counselling, behaviour modification and many such activities which have produced commendable results and have made them a recipient of genuine goodwill and great reputation. To Volunteer | http://www.tamana.org/Volunteer.aspx%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.tamana.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Udayan Care | Udayan Care works on the belief that all individuals have the right to tap their potential and to give back to the society. It has many projects which encompass educating young girls, improving employ-ability skills and opportunities, and giving shelter to the orphaned and abandoned children. To Volunteer | http://udayancare.org/Volunteer-and-Internships.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://udayancare.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Friendicoes | We all love dandling and tickling our cats lovingly, cuddling furry dogs and petting them. If you are an animal lover, this is one place one should head to. Help dozens of needy animals with these dedicated people who have been working with the same level of commitment for the past 30 years and have been providing shelter to abandoned and stray pets. To Volunteer | http://www.friendicoes.org/volunteer%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.friendicoes.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Khushii | Kinship For Humanitarian Social And Holistic Intervention {Khushii}, headed by cricket legend Kapil Dev is a national organization working for the upliftment of poor and destitute communities in both rural and urban areas in India. Their activities cover education, health care, livelihood training, micro-finance and environment and they have accomplished tremendous success in the last 7 years. To Volunteer | http://www.khushii.org/how-you-can-help%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.khushii.org/?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost#%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
* Becoming I Foundation | This internationally recognized youth organization empowers young people to tackle issues like education, employment, skill development, youth empowerment and trafficking. With their various projects Broadway, Leap, Fiza and School Chale Hum, they ensure that their goals are achieved. To Volunteer | http://www.becomingifoundation.org/contact-us/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.becomingifoundation.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Tehelka Foundation | With eyes firmly set upon its goal for social equity, The Tehelka Foundation has provided a platform for the motivated youth of today and is tirelessly working towards bridging the gap between people from entirely different backgrounds. To Volunteer | http://thetehelkafoundation.org/internships-tehelka-foundation.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://thetehelkafoundation.org/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* CANKIDS | Started in the 2004 under the Indian Cancer Society, Delhi, CANKIDS aims to assist children who are suffering from cancer, and their families, with financial support to ensure that the health of the child is taken care of. They help the families with funds for the treatment, provide counselling to children through their course of treatment and host awareness campaigns about the disease. Presently, associated with 29 cancer units, Cankids caters to over 14000 new cancer cases each year. To Intern | http://www.cankidsindia.org/intern_intro.html%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More information | http://www.cankidsindia.org/index.html%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Salaam Balak | Established to assist and empower street children, Salaam Balak is about to complete its 25th year. It maintains shelter units for children that provide food and education for which it has collaborated with the National Institute of Open Schooling {NIOS} and other non-formal educational institutes. The trust has a comprehensive approach towards the development of the child, providing them with vocational training, teaching performing arts and employment opportunities. Sallam Balak has reached out to over 4500 children. To Volunteer | http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/volunteer.asp%3C/a%3E%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information| http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Red Paws Rescue | Red Paws is an NGO that works to rescue and rehabilitate stray and abandoned dogs in the city. They help find new homes for dogs and host mass sterilization of stray animals in the city. It is associated with various animal shelters through the country. To Volunteer | http://www.redpawsrescue.com/howyoucanhelp.htm%3C/a%3E%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information | http://www.redpawsrescue.com/index.htm%3C/a%3E%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Ritinjali | In the 17 years of since its inception, Ritinjali has worked with various marginalized communities through various educational and developmental projects. It works with children and the youth to impart education and vocational training such as tailoring, computer courses etc. It is one of the few NGO's that works with Tihar Jail providing free legal council to convicts besides running the Library and running various craftwork activities. Currently, it has 13 educational centres active throughout the city. To Volunteer | http://www.ritinjali.org/volunteer%3C/a%3E%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information| http://www.ritinjali.org/home%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Swechha | What started as a campaign to save the Yamuna 13 years ago has today turned into an organization that deals with issues of children's education, environmental activism and youth development schemes. Swechha runs different projects targeted at different issues. In the Pagdandi intiative, the NGO works with marginalized children for community action. The Green the Gap program, on the other hand, provides employment opportunities to youth to work with waste to create useful products. Its network extends as far as to United Nations Volunteers and United Nations Development Program. To Volunteer | http://www.swechha.in/what-you-can-do/volunteer-us%3C/a%3E%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information| http://www.swechha.in/home%3C/a%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost * Music Basti | Managed by Integrated Development Education Association, Music Basti believes in Music as a means to build community. It's an attempt to motivate students and give them exposure to art and culture. They work with children through projects such as Learn-an-instrument, music and culture workshops. The NGO has a vast network and its partners include The YP Foundation {India}, HarmoNYom {New York, USA}, German Children’s Fund {Germany} and Birmingham City University {UK} to name a few. To Volunteer | http://www.musicbasti.org/get-involved/%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information| http://www.musicbasti.org/%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
* Happy Hands Foundations | Happy Hands is an organization working towards the revival of traditional Indian crafts. They hold workshops about designs, marketing and project management for rural craftsmen. Currently, they have worked with villages across 12 states, touching the lives of over 600 artists. They have initiated a youth fellowship - the Youth Arts, Community and Transformation (ACT) fellowship, aimed at connecting 17-20 year olds with the country's craft communities. This fellowship allows for a selected group of individuals to travel to a craft cluster, live with a community and assist them in creative production, design, computer training, marketing, documentation, etc - and help develop capacity of the artists' group. Fellowship Application | http://new.happyhands.in/programmes/education/yaf/%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
More Information| http://new.happyhands.in/%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
*** Show some dil, Dilli!