'Sunlight' for homeless women in Mumbai

Hi everyone! If you haven't met me, my name is Maryellen the new fundraiser for Karuna-USA based in Portsmouth, NH.

I've been feeling despondent this week. A bright spot? In my new job at Karuna-USA, I got my first gift in the door. I'm learning how generosity connects us to others in the world. When I see what giving does for donors, I'm more convinced than ever that it's something we all can do. Giving can lift us out of ourselves, out of our everyday challenges and open us up to new connections to others and to new ways of belonging. We can connect, however tenuously, to good work being done to alleviate suffering. We can connect to the amazing women leaders like Deepali, in Mumbai.

Deepali and another founder started Urja (a name that means Energy or Sunlight!) over 12 years ago in Mumbai India. They rescue homeless women in Mumbai. Many have fled lives of violence, abuse, and forced marriages in rural villages. Here is a link to an early video interviewing Deepali. I feel like I want to have dinner with this amazing sharp woman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIh6sI4GJPY&t=3s The program has evolved to include training and education of police and government officials, so they can work together to help these women and their babies. Urja recently got a larger property to shelter more women.

We're focusing on this project to raise just $52,000 before the end of the year. Here in the US, we can be part of saving 800 women from lives of abject poverty and abuse and improving their lives for good. Here is Aalai's story. https://youtu.be/Q-GthSbLzhY You can see in the video how Urja provides a pathway for self-development and prioritizes self-determination and joy for these women. This program also integrates best practice for trauma recovery-- connecting with nature, physical exercise, and other forms of self-healing through arts.

Small dollars, big impact. I feel a little less despondent.