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OBAT Helpers works for the welfare, support, and rehabilitation of displaced and stateless people by providing programs to alleviate the daily suffering and burdens of thousands of Urdu speaking people (known as "Biharis") who are stranded in makeshift camps in Bangladesh. OBAT Helpers implements projects in education and vocational training, self- empowerment through micro-financing, health care with clinics, drinking water, proper sewerage, and emergency relief projects. The Biharis have been stranded in Bangladesh since it achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971. Referred to as, astranded Pakistanis,a this community was supposed to be repatriated to Pakistan after the two countries separated but most of them could not due to political complications. They are presently citizens of nowhere, unclaimed by either country and marked by the UNHCR as refugees, yet deprived of the rights of refugees. They still live in the camps/slums that were supposed to serve as their temporary shelter forty years ago. This population is scattered across sixty-six camps which house around 300,000 people. Anyone visiting these camps would see a family of 7-10 people sharing a living space of 8x10 ft.; open sewers and overflowing drains; a single toilet or two for one hundred or so people; innocent six or seven year olds who should be in schools, working for a living; high-infant mortality rates due to absence of medical facilities; lack of clean drinking water; terrible or no sanitation facilities and nothing but abject poverty. OBAT Helpers is the only organization in North America which is committed to helping the Biharis to become self-reliant and empowered through proper education, health care and micro financing projects. OBAT started with providing help to one camp in 2004, and now, it is improving the lives of people in more than 30 out of the total 66 camps, after just six years. This is almost half of the total number of camps in Bangladesh.

Cordem rebuilds communities from its core: THE WOMAN; Accompanying and empowering her transformation from the heart. How do we do it? We make this possible through a comprehensive program that is divided into two areas: Cordem offers scholarships for high school, technical and undergraduate level to exceptional women and who, due to economic impediment, have not been able to start or continue their studies. In order to ensure an integral growth, the beneficiaries have psycho-emotional accompaniment. This support is given to provide a wide range of tools, from coping skills to empowerment, as well as learning professional skills. Scholarship holders receive an integral formation to increase the success rate and have a larger impact in their personal lives creating a social change. Why do we mean when we say that women's education rebuilds society? When it comes to Mexico, women have less access than men to education, which has effects, not only in their economic participation, but in most areas of their lives (ENDIREH 2011). In average, the level of education in Mexico for women is 3 of secondary school (INEGI 2015) and only 6% of women have a professional education (World Bank 2007). Women suffer due to the lack of education, coupled with the lack of emotional support and integration into the labor market, which perpetuates the violence and poverty in which they live, increasing their condition of gender vulnerability. Worldwide they represent 70% of the population in poverty, which is the cause and consequence of violence. This phenomenon impoverishes their families, communities and societies, affecting their productive capacity and perpetuating the cycle of poverty (Amnesty International, 2009). According to the Aspen Institute & Bernard van Leer Foundation (2016) a good education is the key to a better life and a more solid economy. Individual income increases by 10% for each educational year that a person attends. For a country, increasing the average of higher education for one year can increase up to half a percentage figure to the GDP.

The mission of OBLF is to bring basic English comprehension and Computer skills to children attending the mass schooling system in India, to provide them an equal opportunity to gain meaningful employment on reaching adulthood. The foundation works as a partner to the state government and adopts state run/public elementary schools in India. In a country with a billion plus population about 70% of 200 million children who are in elementary schools attend public schools. Reports have told us year on year about the massive learning deficit in the public schooling system. Some of the issues this system is plagued with are poor content, teacher absenteeism, learning by rote and very poor teacher ratios. The foundation uses the existing infrastructure of public schools mainly in remote rural areas. The children in the adopted schools are divided into levels/groups based on their English skills (and not according to age). The foundation has designed its own child friendly syllabi for each level and uses laptops and tablets (technologies these children have never been exposed to) and other fun filled teaching techniques to teach. The foundation's strategy is to train and employ semi-educated rural women on a part time basis (this doesn't disturb the rural ethos) to teach in the adopted schools. These women whom we call coordinators are mainly homemakers and live in the rural communities where the adopted schools are. Every adopted school has several children divided into three levels (Junior, Middle and Senior), a few coordinators to do the teaching and urban volunteers who take ownership of the school and mentor the coordinators and supervise the work being done in the school. Children undergo baseline assessments at the beginning of the school year and then another assessment at the end of an academic year. We also assess a small number of children who attend the schools but are not in the foundation's School Adoption Program. Children who are in the program have consistently performed way better than the ones in the control group.

Himalayan Human Rights Monitors (HimRights) is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and non-profit organization committed to defending the rights of poor, marginalized and socially excluded communities and individuals, with a special focus on women, children and youth. HimRights works in affiliation with all major human rights institutions based in Nepal and abroad, pursuing a three fold approach of (1) monitoring, reporting and responding to human rights violations; and (2) promoting good governance and (3) advocating and training for policy change rights based approach, influence, awareness raising, and capacity building to cope with and respond to changing human rights dynamics in Nepal. HimRights was informally formed in mid 1990s and was officially registered in 1999. The current team consists of lawyers, teachers, journalists, anthropologists, conflict and development specialists, social workers and human rights activists. Together, these individuals bring decades of individual and collective professional experience to HimRights, enabling HimRights to work effectively in the areas of human rights, anti- trafficking and safe migration, good governance, conflict mitigation, reconciliation, and peace building. Population focus Minorities (indigenous Janajati and Dalit) uprooted, displaced, and specially-abled who are marginalized with special focus on women, children and youth, who transcend all categories. Strategic focus > To monitor and document rights, peace, justice and development findings to better advocate and lobby for structural and policy changes to align with human rights instruments. > To advocate against human trafficking at community, national and international levels, to reduce the incidence of human trafficking within and outside of Nepal. > To protect uprooted and displaced persons right to migrate as well as return to their place of origin discourage their discrimination Working Approaches > Monitoring and reporting human rights violation > Responding to these violations > Advocating, and training for policy change influence, raised awareness and improved capacity of bodies to cope with and respond to changing human rights dynamics in Nepal. HimRights promotes participation, inclusion and equity through right based conflict sensitive and good governance principles.

The International Blue Cross is one of the world's leading non-governmental organisations, caring for people harmed by or at risk from alcohol or illicit drug use. Our project work in prevention, treatment & counselling and aftercare focuses primarily on young and vulnerable people, and on those in extreme poverty. Through carefully researched and targeted interventions we advocate for evidence-based alcohol policies at the national and international level. In doing so, we seek to draw positive and dignified attention to the issues faced by dependent people and their families. Our Vision: We see a world where all people can knowingly choose and live a life free of harmful addiction; a world where all people harmed by addiction have access to and can benefit from high quality and holistic treatment. Our Mission: We provide healthcare development support and promote holistic well-being; We prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs and help mitigate the associated negative health, social, and economic consequences; We advocate for evidence and best practice-based alcohol policy formulation and implementation on the national and international levels. Alcohol and illicit drug misuse afflicts innumerous individuals and families. It also costs societies around the world billions of dollars in health and socio-economic costs. This growing burden is worthy of everyone's attention. The International Blue Cross constitutes a credible and renowned organisation driven by the values, the sort of professionalism, governance, and local community connections needed to effectively address this global challenge.

Too often grocery stores and restaurants find themselves throwing out food, when there is great need in nearby communities. MEANS Database modernizes food recovery in 48 states and the District of Columbia by connecting excess food to organizations and individuals who need it. Hunger lingers in the lives of the people it affects. In infants and toddlers, food insecurity is associated with failure to thrive, a devastating condition with consequences into adulthood (1). In early childhood, hunger is associated with diminished academic progress, more behavioral problems and unhealthy weight (2). By high school, it's linked with dropping out, and by early adulthood, with having children who also face hunger, the cycle starts over again (3). Food insecurity exists in every American demographic and geography, affecting every population tracked by the US Census. However, as it seems for every other social ill, the most rural, the most urban, and minorities in any location bear a disproportionate burden of the weight of hunger. While 12.7% of American families are food insecure, the rate for Black and Latino families are each about 20% (4). Jefferson County, Mississippi, is a study in these disparities: it has the highest percentage of black residents of any American county, and also holds the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of food insecurity in the United States, with nearly 38% of residents facing hunger (5). Meanwhile, while more than 42 million Americans rely on food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency food providers to feed their families, the United States grapples with an massive food waste problem. Forty percent of the American food supply ends up in landfills, with perfectly edible meals being thrown away at all stages of production (7). Food is the single largest contributor to landfill and incinerator mass in the United States, choking the nation's air while 1 in 8 Americans face food insecurity (8). Further complicating this feast and famine dynamic is the uncomfortable truth that even programs meant to address hunger frequently end up wasting food. The issue we are tackling with MEANS is huge: we're trying to prevent food waste and adequately address the problem of hunger. The USDA reports that 48.1 million Americans live in food-insecure households, while Feeding America says that 70 billion pounds of food are wasted in the US each year (8). This task may seem daunting, but we know that through the use of innovative technology like ours, we can help to change the future of food recovery. MEANS (Matching Excess And Need for Stability) is an online communications platform for emergency food providers and their donors. On a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, agencies create an account with MEANS, registering their contact information, location, the kind(s) of foods they are searching for, and the distance they are willing or able to travel to pick up those goods. Donors post their excess goods on MEANS, and the system emails and/or texts organizations nearby that need those goods. Our tool substantially reduces the communications gap between emergency food providers and their donors, preventing "donation dumping" on both sides. MEANS was designed to handle both traditional food donations, from grocery stores or caterers, and donations between emergency food providers. There is no charge for any of our organization's services, for nonprofit agencies or retailers. Citations: 1) Kersten, Hans B. and Bennett, David (2012) "A Multidisciplinary Team Experience with Food Insecurity & Failure to Thrive," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 6. 2) Jyoti, Diana F.; Frongillo, Edward A.; and Jones, Sonya J. (2005) "Food Insecurity Affects School Children's Academic Performance, Weight Gain, and Social Skills" The Journal of Nutrition vol. 135 no. 12 2831-2839. 3)"Changing the Picture of Education in America: Communities in Schools Spring 2014 Impact Report" (2014) 4) USDA (2015). "Food Security Status of U.S. Households in 2015" 5) Feeding America (2016). "Map the Meal Gap 2016" 7) Gunders, Dana (2012). "Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill" 8) Feeding America (ND), "Food Waste In America"

Our two fold mission: To harness the power of dance and dance movement therapy to heal, empower and transform individuals into active citizens and change makers. To build the ecosystem for DMT for Change across Asia and create leaders and changemakers in the field, especially from underprivileged communities. KS's work addresses three Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality, Eradication of Poverty and Good Health and Well Being.The core of KS's work takes place in community settings. This consists of the conducting of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) sessions for survivors of trafficking, survivors of sexual violence, people with mental illnesses and other marginalized communities. The NGO has created a unique, culturally contextualized module of DMT known as Sampoornata (fulfillment). KS's DMT-for-change model redefines a survivor's relationship with her/his body and helps her/him to overcome trauma, guilt, and shame. Sampoornata is designed to be a vehicle for empowerment: DMT process enables them to form a vision for their life and live with confidence and positivity. Along with this KS has developed its dance based module on sexual and reproductive health and rights that aims to install positive gender relations amongst adolescents. In this way, KS is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality. Women and girl children are empowered to overcome social stigma and restrictions and make independent choices. By encouraging women and girl children to seek employment, KS contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty. Another way in which the NGO contributes to this goal is through its 'childhood to livelihood approach'. Through this approach, individuals who have gone through the DMT process and who want to take it up as a profession go through a two-year Training of Trainers (TOT) programmed, after which they can be employed as Dance Movement Therapy practitioners. In this sense, they use the arts for economic progress. Additionally, the participants of the TOT programme go through capacity building, from which they get a range of skills that enable them to be employed in various other jobs. Most importantly, the TOT programme creates a new set of change makers from amongst the community. KS contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well Being, not only by helping individuals overcome their trauma but also by working in community, institutional care and Health Care Settings. KS conducts DMT in marginalized communities, mental hospitals for people living with mental illnesses. . The activities and aims of the DMT sessions are specially modified to suit the clients. Sampoornata has contributed greatly to developing services that help expand our understanding of mental health and aid in the development of cost effective, sustainable services that are less intrusive and easy to replicate across populations. WORKING POPULATION: Kolkata Sanved believes that everyone has the right to live a life of dignity. Often there are many structural barriers that deprive marginalized communities of this basic entitlement. Therefore Kolkata Sanved aims to reach out to these communities to ensure their rights. This includes Working with children, youth and adolescence: Childhood is a period with potential the potential to influence developmental outcomes. KS work's work with young people include helping them optimal development outcomes. KS works with all categories of young people. Its general well being program is aimed at children in general whereas its direct intervention programs are aimed at children who are at risk. Groups falling within this category are 1. Children and youth living in: Red light areas Railway platforms Rural and urban slums Government and NGO-run shelter homes Children in conflict with Law School children 2. Working with survivors of trafficking exploitation and violence: Most survivors of violence undergo intense trauma, KS helps to empower survivors through their trauma based interventions so they can reclaim their lives. This works on fulfilling the goals of gender equity and good health and well being. In lieu of their work KS found that a lot of violence happens in the context of gender based discrimination. For this purpose KS launched the module on sexual and reproductive health and rights that enables adolescents to work towards the goal of gender equity. This unique model uses dance as a tool of education and awareness. 3. People living with mental illness (PLMI): KS works with people living with mental illness to help in the process of their recovery. Through its general well being program KS ensures PLMI are able to gain the life skills necessary for reintegration. 4. Secondary stakeholders and beneficiaries include, care providers, academy participants, researchers and stakeholders within the government sector. KS also reaches out to other civil society members through campaign.

How To Save Millions Of Lives With A Simple MP3 Player The solar-powered device developed by URIDU is used to provide health education to illiterate rural women in developing countries Every six seconds a child under five dies. Almost all of those deaths occur in developing countries - and most of them are entirely preventable. Millions of lives could be saved just by providing illiterate rural mothers with accessible health education. Unfortunately, bringing this knowledge to remote locations has so far been an enormous challenge for both governments and NGOs. A new project is tackling that problem with a groundbreaking solution based on solar-powered MP3 players. The so-called MP3forLife Player has been developed by URIDU (www.uridu.org), a German non-profit social enterprise. Each player contains more than 400 carefully selected answers to questions about health, nutrition, family planning, child care, work safety and many more topics. All texts are translated with the help of more than 10.000 volunteers from over 100 countries who participate in a unique crowdsourcing effort. Once the information has been translated it is recorded by a native speaker of the target language. Local NGOs are taking care of distributing MP3forLife Players free of charge to women in need. We conceived the MP3forLife Player for small group listening - it fosters discussion, exchange and group building", explains Felicitas Heyne, psychologist and founder of URIDU. We want to provide basic knowledge to illiterate rural women, but we also want to create a team spirit among them. They are key to positive change in their countries. Wherever women are empowered, a favorable spiral is set in motion. Health and education improve, populations stabilize, economies grow." The MP3forLife approach has been successfully implemented in Tanzania in co-ordination with the national Ministry for Health and Social Welfare. Further East African countries are following the example. About URIDU: URIDU is a German non-profit social enterprise that empowers rural women in developing countries using solar-powered MP3 players and mobile-friendly web content. The organization's website at www.uridu.org contains additional information.

The Amala Foundation inspires the diverse youth of the world to live in unity, serve compassionately and lead peacefully. All of our youth programs are a place for empowerment and healing. Many of the youth we serve, including refugee and immigrant children, have experienced extreme poverty, child labor, gang violence, abuse and neglect; many have witnessed the atrocities of war and have literally run for their lives; many have been uprooted from their native cultures and struggle to integrate into an entirely foreign world. We provide a safe space for these youth to heal, express themselves, share their stories and connect with a loving and supportive community. The Amala Foundation is involved in a number of local, national, and international humanitarian service projects. Camp Indigo was started in 2002 and is now in its 13th year of offering a week-long day camp experience to Austin area children ages 4-12. Camp Mana, now in its eighth year, offers a similar experience over two days in Hawaii. Our One Village Project, including the Global Youth Peace Summit, is in its 7th year and serves more than 150 local, immigrant, international and refugee youth each year. Our Young Artists in Service program provides free art instruction to at-risk children in addition to creating inspiring murals at places like the Austin Children’s Shelter. The Gui Village Living Water Program was a humanitarian service project we successfully completed in 2005, installing two water wells in a Nigerian village, saving 3,500 people (including 2,000 children) from disease. Our partnership with the Bhatti Mines School in Delhi, India helps ensure 200 Indian children a day are receiving an education instead of being forced into child labor.

COMMUNITY HEALTH, HOUSING AND SOCIAL EDUCATION (CHHASE), TAMIL NADU Background Community health, housing and social education (CHHASE) NGO is involved in social work for Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes, other backwards classes and under privileged. Team of youth, who have passion in social service and compassion towards the sufferings of the disadvantaged sections of the society, came together and formed CHHASE. Our team have clear insight in the socio-economic, education, health and environment issues faced by the downtrodden, under privileged and marginalized segments of the communities. CHHASE NGO India is a non-governmental, non-profit, social service voluntary organization working for an integrated development of women and children of downtrodden segment of the society. CHHASE NGO believes that all human beings are equal and has the right to have good health, shelter, food and minimum standard of living. CHHASE NGO has touched new heights by Regular Activities to fulfil the mission of organization. Our executive committee oversees all the organization's efforts. The committee meets regularly to ensure that all of our teams perform efficiently and to facilitate cross-functional connections. CHHASE NGO have excellent staff, volunteers & members, who are dedicated, are available for any social cause (s) always. They are our real strength to carry the noble cause of uplifting the downtrodden. CHHASE NGO was registered in the year 2001 under TN Societies Registration Act, 25 of 1976. It is also registered under the FCRA, 12A & 80G of Income Tax Exemption Act, 1961. CHHASE NGO is completed due diligence norms and listed with CREDIBILITY ALLIANCE, & GUIDE STAR INDIA. CHHASE NGO has been collaborating with foreign donor agencies, corporate, national donor agencies both governmental and non-governmental towards making meaningful interventions for the cause of poor and needy sections of the society.

Karuna Deutschland is committed towards ending caste-based discrimination, dedicating efforts for poverty-alleviation, and ensuring equality in India and Nepal. Our mission is to serve individuals and families of the poorest communities in India and Nepal. The women and children as well as people from lower cast backgrounds come under the most vulnerable population in India and Nepal. The former "untouchable" castes are still suffering from social exclusion and violence and also form the largest chunk of 'ultra-poor' in these countries. It is extremely difficult for them to access healthcare, education, housing and a dignified livelihood. Dalit women and girls particularly are subjected to gender-based violence and exclusion. Although caste-based discrimination has no legal premises, the stigma attached to the lower castes in India and Nepal hinder their dignified participation in all spheres of life. They are pushed further behind by a variety of forces such as existing discrimination, inequality, poverty, illiteracy etc. Therefore, we endeavour to remove the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and poverty. We seek to run our projects and activities based on the principle of inclusion, justice, diversity and equality in order to drive a positive as well as holistic change at the community level. The foundation of our work lies in engendering a dignified life for the people; helping them build a better future for themselves as well as empowering them to take their destiny into their own hands. To elicit lasting solutions to the problems we intend to address, our approach is based upon self-help, self-determination and self-reliance at the community level. The principle of 'leaving no one behind' as mentioned in the Sustainable development goals is enshrined in our core values. Changes often happen at the local level. Creative and innovative solutions are pertinent to reach our goals. Our activities are thus built upon a wealth of local skills and knowledge. We seek to understand the vulnerabilities, strengths and needs of our target groups. Evidence based approach rooted in in-depth analysis, research of ground needs and realities is extremely important for us to promote accountability and responsibility. The four pillars of Karuna Deutschland's work are made of Education, Health, Dignified Livelihoods and Gender Equality. These four pillars are the key focus areas of the work carried out by Karuna Deutschland in India and Nepal. More information about Karuna Deutschland's activities can be found on our website.

WomenSafe serves people across the gender spectrum who experience sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking Hotline Services – Through a 24-hour hotline, we provide crisis intervention, problem-solving assistance, safety planning and emotional support. Advocacy Services – We offer information and referrals to all community resources over the phone and in person. Advocates offer support, advocacy and referrals related to the Relief from Abuse Order, family and criminal court processes when it’s related to domestic and sexual violence. Advocates will accompany survivors to the hospital to offer support and advocacy when receiving medical attention following an act of sexual or domestic violence. Systems Advocacy – We work to change the multi-system barriers that support violence against women. Our goal is to create systems that support safety, dignity and wholeness in the lives of everyone in our community. We do this through individual advocacy, community collaboration and participation in statewide policy making. Underserved Communities Outreach – WomenSafe provides targeted outreach to the smaller, less populated towns throughout Addison County and Rochester. This includes outreach to migrant workers and other immigrants. Language Line interpretation services are available for hotline callers with limited English proficiency. Language Line provides interpreters for 170+ languages. WomenSafe can also arrange for in-person interpreters. Our advocacy services are free and confidential, regardless of citizenship status. Support Groups – We offer drop-in support groups for survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. Childcare is available with advanced notice. Call our hotline for specific days and times or for more information. Supervised Visitation & Monitored Exchanges – When a partner separates from an abusive partner, it is often a time of increased risk for the parent and children. The Supervised Visitation Program @ WomenSafe (The SVP) provides increased safety for children and parents during supervised visitation and monitored exchanges. Services are provided by a trained monitor in a safe, impartial and child-friendly environment. For more information, please call The SVP directly at 388-6783. Community Education – We offer trainings, presentations and awareness activities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence to schools, community groups, businesses and other organizations and professions. Sample topics are: healthy relationships, sexual harassment versus flirting, effects of domestic violence on children, and child sexual abuse prevention. Presentations are individually tailored to meet the needs of the audience