This Ramadan Volunteer, Spread Love & Make Delhi Safe Again!

• 4 Jun 2017

Every year we witness one spectacle after the other. Festivities come & go, bad things happen & the good things get overlooked. This Ramadan, you can change that! Every festival (be it from any religion) brings a sense of peace, love & joy. Because no matter what extremists say, every one wants peace, everyone wants to be happy & yet, nobody does anything to bring about a change. We think small things don’t matter but every day if we take out time to do exactly that, can you imagine how you will end up changing somebody’s life? From a smile, to taking someone’s hand & telling them it’ll be fine, everything that you do has a ripple affect that goes far beyond our imagination. If you can change one person’s life in one day, can you imagine how little time it will take to change the world?

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• Ramadan brings joy to many. The concept behind the festival might elude you but can you imagine how hard & beautiful it is to fast? There are thousands of mothers who fast twice every week, hoping that their sacrifice will help their family.
• Can you imagine how nice & beautiful it would be if all of us could just fast even once in every two days this Ramadan? And just pray that it changes someone’s life? You don’t need to follow Islam to do that, all you need is a heart & a beautiful thought in your mind?
• Did that ever hurt anyone? We doubt it!

So, here are few nice things that you can do this Ramadan & hopefully, change someone’s life! Be it a street animal, some poor person you saw on the road, or maybe your family. There are an endless number of things that can be done, all you have to do is, pray!

Help And Show Some Respect To Those Working For Us

Remember the orders we all placed on Amazon, Flipkart and other online shopping sites? Remember the Auntie who comes to clean our utensils, mop our floors? Well here is the good news: all the products you ordered will be delivered on time & your house will remain clean. But here is the sad news: the people working for us have homes too, they too have families who they wish to spend time with and they can’t be with them.

• So, while it is all good to say that by employing their services we are indirectly helping them earn as much, consider this! Ramadan is on & your boss calls to dump some new assignment on you that needs to be closed asap.  How would you feel sitting behind your laptop working while the rest of the world celebrates?
• Take a moment to notice them and offer them something to drink or eat. Show them the dignity they deserve and let them know that you are happy with your well timed gifts only because they elected to drive it down to your homes.

Feeding India

Feeding India is one of the biggest organisations in Delhi that provides food & related things to poor people. Their main agenda is to make sure that nobody ever goes hungry. Now, that’s a big dream but if it wasn’t so, where would the challenge be? For that very matter we ask you – are you willing to donate? Not your blood. not your time but only the food that gets left behind.

• Feeding India has a network of channels through which they acquire food from restaurants, cafes & other such sources. The food is then delivered to various unknown (to us) places in Delhi where people in need reside. Yes, it can be as random as a street but the joy of knowing that your food actually did not go waste, that joy is unimaginable!
• Feeding India has also adopted a small village close to Delhi where they constantly host workshops & provide food to the locals. Maybe it’s a god sent sign or just another person doing some good work, regardless, the joy the emotion, the fire to do good can only come from within. And we believe that every one is capable of good. Some need a push, others (like you Delhi) just need the right channels to do good. So, here it is!

You can check out their Facebook page here.

Friendicoes – Be A Friend To The Homeless Pets Of The City

Friendicoes is a shelter home cum adoption center that helps hit & run and abandoned pets that need a home & healthcare assistance. The not-for-profit organisation runs mainly from a hole in the wall shelter home near Defence Colony flyover. And here is how you can help them.

• The organisation helps in providing a home and healthcare to the many friendless animals of our city. They accept donations in monetary terms, food & warm clothes for the poor souls.
• Volunteers can go help the organisation in person by taking the pets for a walk round the park directly behind their offices. And maybe enjoy some quality time with pets who only asked for a sympathetic hand to help them.
• Friendicoes also allows adoption of various pets under their wing that our either too weak or desperately in need of a home.
• So, have a heart. And show some love to these poor souls.

Check out their Facebook page here.

Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation’s aim is to empower & educate underprivileged children, youth & women. They welcome volunteers to help them create a better life for the people in need through relevant education, innovative healthcare & market-focused livelihood programmes. The organisation has been there for a long time & can always use some extra help!

• Smile Foundation also provides the best possible methods & technology to achieve ideal SROI (social return on investment) – to practice & promote good governance.
• They also aim to link business competitiveness of corporations with social development initiatives. And also to sensitise privileged children, youth & citizens in general to promote Civic Driven Change.

You can check out their Facebook page here.

Help Age India – Fighting Isolation, Poverty & Neglect

With a rapidly increasing elderly population & growing concerns to ensure their economic, social security & dignity, HelpAge runs various programs.

In the last few years the main focus of the organisation has been the destitute rural elders. Ensuring that they are protected through various services in the areas of finance, health & emotional security. But now there is a growing need to focus on the disadvantaged urban elder as well. So, in light of this Help Age aims to cover the following milestones along with its volunteers both young & old.

• Livelihood security for two million elderly through institutions focused on the needs.
• A National movement of elders that gives them a voice and  political constituency.
• Age appropriate services to 12 million elderly in partnership with government, private sector and civil society.
• So, have a heart and help those who helped us in our childhood days this Diwali, directly or indirectly.

Check out their website here.

CRY – Child Rights & You

The good people at CRY have a simple vision. A happy, healthy & creative child whose rights are protected & honoured in a society that was built on respect for dignity, justice and equity for all. We’re sure that you must have met or known people who had previously volunteered with CRY! And we’re doubly sure that they asked you to join too but you refused due to some inhibition. But trust us when we tell you that the feeling when you help these kids, is beyond heaven!

• Now that you know CRY’s vision, here’s what their mission looks like!
• To enable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived Indian child. Thereby motivating them to seek resolution through individual & collective action thereby enabling children to realise their full potential.
• They also wish people to discover their potential for action & change. To enable peoples’ collectives & movements encompassing diverse segments, to pledge their particular strengths, working in partnership to secure, protect and honour the rights of India’s children.

You can check out their Facebook page here.

Genesis Foundation

At Genesis Foundation, from the founders to the volunteers – everyone is convinced that if each one of us believes in our heart that the little drops we represent counts in the ocean; together we are the ocean itself. The foundation aspires to help underprivileged children by providing medical care & rehabilitation for children so they can have an opportunity to lead normal or near-normal lives.

• Genesis Foundation strongly believes that they are not the biggest foundation trying to help underprivileged children & neither do they wish to be!
• They only wish to be the beacon of hope & possibly inspire the same among those who have everything to lead a good, healthy lifestyle!

So, do check out their Facebook page here & help!

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• And hopes that this Ramadan every one can take a solemn vow to help those who need help, put a smile on those who cry for some food every day & help those poor souls living on the streets.

Are you up for the challenge to do some good this time around?