Gender Equality India Project #52296

Stop gender-based violence (GBV) in India

by Snehalaya 'Home of Love'

Stop gender-based violence (GBV) in India

Project Report | Dec 31, 2025
Festive Greetings

By Dr Girish Kulkarni | Founder

Lots of excitement for Santa's visit

We hope you are enjoying a festive break wherever you are in the World and would like to wish you all the best for 2026.

Here in Maharashtra, we are still buzzing from all the excitement of this year’s Christmas celebrations for our residents. Thanks to a few generous donors who took advantage of the match funding available via GlobalGiving on Giving Tuesday earlier this month we secured enough funds to ensure a fantastic day for our 300 women, children and caregiving staff.

The day started when our children woke up to find stockings at the ends of their beds, filled with small gifts, chocolates and an orange, delivered by Santa Claus while they slept. After breakfast they boarded our buses to be taken to a local hotel with a huge lawn, filled with activities including inflatables, candy floss and beauty parlour to name but a few. A special Christmas dinner and mocktails were served by waiting staff with more than enough to enjoy seconds and thirds and fourths…

Musical chairs, more activities and a lucky dip, which ensured an individual gift for all, kept everyone busy after lunch. All too soon it was time to head home, but the magic wasn’t over. Following afternoon snacks, a police escort revealed Santa Claus arriving to deliver more gifts to each dormitory. The excitement his arrival caused was incredible and he took time to interact with all children. They loved their gifts and after a light dinner they were able to enjoy a Christmas movie. The day ended with a lot of tired and full but happy people.

Your support allows us to give our children, women and the staff who care for them 24/7 memories like this that last a lifetime. Thank you for ensuring our children don’t miss out on the festivals and celebrations that many of us take for granted. I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones were able to share an equally amazing time these holidays.

Lots of activities and fun was had by all

We enjoyed a Christmas feast - Indian style

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Aug 30, 2025
Emergency response

By Dr Girish Kulkarni | Founder

You are helping Shobha rebuild her life

Thank you for all your support and entrusting us to help to our survivors. As an example, we were shocked when 16-year-old Shobha (name changed) was rescued from a hospital in Ahiliyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar) District.

She was able to tell us how her father had killed her mother in front of her when she was in 2nd standard leaving her and her siblings orphans. Her younger sister was taken in by her step-grandmother while Shobha and her brother went to live with her maternal uncle. However his intentions were not good and from the age of 13, Shobha was abused over four years.

When Shobha started experiencing stomach pains and bloating, her aunt took her to hospital where the doctors discovered that she had contracted HIV. Learning of her diagnosis, Shobha’s aunt quickly abandoned the girl, leaving her at the hospital. The medical team alerted the police who quickly arranged for her to be admitted to Snehalaya.

Following her admission to our childcare institution, we conducted a medical examination at our Caring Friends Hospital. A sonography showed that her small intestine was damaged requiring emergency surgery, and she was admitted to a local hospital for further treatment. The cost of the treatment is approximately one and a half lakh rupees (approx $1,700) and we were able to cover these costs thanks to your support. We are also wokring to ensure the criminals who abused the child, directly leading to her HIV status and intestinal damage, are severely punished under the full weight of the law.

Our hospital has been directly affected by the cuts made to international funding from the USA. Previously we were receiving mentoring made possible through USAID. Now this has ended, the vital lifeline our hospital provides to children like Shobha and those living with HIV has been severely reduced. This September, GlobalGiving is offering vital match funding for projects such as ours to help plug the gap left by the US cuts. Donate between 8 and 12 September to inject some much needed funds to our hospital and medical support.

Rest assured, the support you already offer is directly helping Shobha and many others like her to rebuild their lives and we are incredibly grateful that you have chosen to stand with us for justice and futures full of hope.

Save the date to give more this September

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May 1, 2025
Journey of resilience

By Dr Girish Kulkarni | Founder

Your support means the world to so many, here I would like to share just one story of the impact you are making.

In a small village in the Kalyan district, there lived a girl called Vedika (name changed). She came from a very humble background; her family, originally from Jamkhed, had migrated to Kalyan for better work opportunities. They had found shelter in the house of a local farmer, working in his fields to make ends meet.

Vedika, who is mute and mentally challenged, lived with her father and her stepmother. Her stepbrother worked in Pune. This left Vedika home alone for extended time, while her parents toiled in the fields. Vedika was extremely vulnerable and when her stepmother noticed Vedika had not had her menstrual cycle for around five to six months and her belly was starting to swell, her concerned parents took her to a government hospital for examination. Doctors confirmed that Vedika was six months pregnant. Shocked and confused about how this had happened, her parents filed a police report to prompt an investigation.

The police and her family agreed that Vedika needed to be placed in a safe environment and she was admitted to our Snehadhar project, where she would receive the care she desperately needed. Once here, Vedika faced challenges particularly in communicating with our team and other residents. Even simple signs were hard for her to understand, and it took time for our staff to learn how to interact with her effectively. For the first few days, her stepmother stayed with her for support, but eventually had to return home as her own family struggled to manage without her.

We provided Vedika with medical care, and as her due date approached, she was admitted to our local civil hospital where she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy through cesarean section. After counselling, the baby was made legally free for adoption through our Snehankur project and Vedika returned home. Meanwhile, a DNA test also revealed the identity of the perpetrator - Vedika’s father. This revelation devastated her stepmother, who was left grappling with the betrayal and the reality of the situation.

With the support of the project, both Vedika and her stepmother underwent counseling to process their trauma. Legal action was taken against Vedika's father, and when the farmer they worked for saw him being arrested he evicted the women. This not only left Vedika and her stepmother homeless, but also in a state of anxiety, unsure of how to they would care themselves and each other.

Fortunately, we were still on hand to provide emotional and psychological support helping the stepmother to return to her native village, where she could find work in the fields. Concerned that this would take her away from Vedika during the day again, she recognised that Vedika would be safer and better supported by returning to our care. Over the next couple of months we realised that Vedika's required specialised support. Unable to communicate, she often wandered aimlessly around the premises and was reluctant to engage in activities. We began searching for alternatives where she could thrive.

This was not straightforward, our sister Anamprem project was ruled out as they rely on sign language, something that Vedika didn't know. We were also advised to obtain a disability certificate which would open more doors. After a lengthy process at our civil hospital we finally discovered the certificate had already been issued at a hospital in Dharashiv, complicating matters further. With assistance from the Kalyan police, we tracked down her previous school and the teachers who had enrolled her and after persistent efforts, we finally obtained the necessary documents.

In the meantime, we contacted Savli Care Home in Kolhapur and although they were initially concerned about Vedika's ability to integrate, through persistence and effective communication, we successfully negotiated Vedika's admission. Once settled into her new environment, Vedika began working as a helper and we are pleased to hear she is adapting well.

Ultimately, Vedika's journey was one of resilience and strength. Despite the immense challenges she faced, she found a place where she could be cared for and begin to rebuild her life. We are proud and grateful to your support in facilitating her rehabilitation, providing not just shelter but a sense of belonging and hope for a brighter future.

Thank you for empowering Snehalaya to help those who need it most.

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