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Save the Child Foundation 
2021-2022 Annual Report

Leave No One Behind Save the Child Foundation

Mission

At Save the Child Foundation, we believe that we are socially responsible in bringing a change in the lives of the underprivileged and special needs children  with a key focus on girl children.

 

Sustainable Development Goals No.5  Gender Equality

Vision

"A world in which all children with needs either related to poverty or medical conditions will be protected and nurtured holistically in an eco-friendly environment" .
CEO Statement
Ravi Kantamsetty CEO Save the Child Foundation

Method to My Madness

A Message from CEO,
Ravi Kantamsetty

Since 2008, Save the Child Foundation has scaled more than 450 fiscally sponsored projects, fueled social change in 6 countries and mobilized $3.5 million for impact. At Save the Child, we are guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of  measurable commitments made by all the countries in the United Nations to their citizens.

From the shared priorities, we have identified a subset of areas - advancing gender equality, good health and wellbeing, education and empowerment where we have relationships and expertise to be part of the solution and where transformational progress is unlikely without our involvement. Geographically we seek to help those who live in places with high vulnerability of abuse, discrimination, lack of access and opportunities and who are burdened by extreme poverty. Every Save the Child Foundation project is inspired by the stories of the people we serve.

We find ways to partner who are tackling these challenges and carefully assess the landscape to determine our vision, role and impact. We go all in where the need is greatest in matters of gender equality in ending discrimination and violence against girls, enabling universal access to sanitation and health , K-12 education, and promote empowerment of women via technology. We actively strive to equip and enable partners that are taking bold action for social impact.

A few highlights from these past two years include the following:

We have hit our milestone target of 2 Million Pari Pads for Girls in Schools, Orphanages, Hostels and Shelter Homes in India.

 

Save the Child Foundation Nepal onboarded more than 40 students in the past three years and this action of ours was our tactic to end human trafficking in the areas of our operation by creating opportunities for continued education beyond grade 10. To further combat human and sex trafficking, we have strategically invested time and resources to build a long term plan to uplift Nepal’s BADI Community ( infamously known as The Untouchables of the Untouchables ).

 

We engaged and partnered with Collectives who are actively striving for gender equality which includes a film on sex trafficking which made to Oscars Reminder list and other documentaries which were recognized with Anthem Awards in USA. We have scaled our Art Based Therapy Initiatives to create platforms for the oppressed to discover new spaces and own them in and beyond Mumbai’s red light district. A well documented workshop model has been built to create healing opportunities for marginalized girls who endure violence, discrimination and extreme poverty. Zumba has been used as an ice breaker for more than 3000 girls to introduce topics of menstruation and sexual violence.

 

Our strategic partnership with Baala Pads has allowed us to gift Baala reusable pads for more than 10,000 girls primarily in Rajasthan and Nepal. We will be partnering with Could You Cups and will be our strategic play for sanitation in more than 15 countries in Africa from 2023 onwards.

 

After a year long fellowship ( 5 fellows ) with Save the Child Foundation, 3  were onboarded full time as employees and on a different note our volunteer family has now grown to more than 400 in 6 countries.

We have officially launched our Empowerment Platform RUI in 2022 , which will allow us to create/enable opportunities for women led entrepreneurships and sustainability

In gratitude of what we have been able to accomplish as a team and a family !

We have miles to go !!

 

Sincerely,

Ravi Kantamsetty

Platforms

PARI
Changemakers2030
Save the Child Nepal
PARI RUI
PARI PADS

Foundation Facts 
(As of December 30, 2022 )

Students

400 +

Hours

50,000 +

Partners

25

Countries

6

Grants

3.3 Million

200,000

Children

3 Million

Meals

2.2 Million

Pads

450

Projects

54

Digital Devices

10,000

Baala Pads

Empowerment

$ 96,400

$ 400,000

Covid

$ 406,750

Equality 

Education

$ 1.03 Million

Hunger

$ 1.1 Million

Changemakers

200

Foundations

3

Circles

9

Programs

Programs
Pari Cycle_edited.jpg
IMG_7304.JPG

Partners

Save the Child Foundation has invested resources and time to conduct deep studies in collaboration with partners and NGO agencies and social leaders and have conceived a strategy to bring effective change and measure up to the Gender Equality Goals and targets of United Nations.

We currently engage , sponsor and support children from all ages who are challenged before, during and after journey lifecycle of the girl child and strive for complete transformation where feasible.

We strive to advance gender equality, good health and wellbeing, education and empowerment where we have relationships and expertise to be part of the solution and where transformational progress is unlikely without our involvement. Geographically we seek to help those who live in places with high vulnerability of abuse, discrimination, lack of access and opportunities and who are burdened by extreme poverty. Every Save the Child Foundation project is inspired by the stories of the people we serve.

We find ways to partner who are tackling these challenges and carefully assess the landscape to determine our vision, role and impact. We go all in where the need is greatest in matters of gender equality in ending discrimination and violence against girls, enabling universal access to sanitation and health , K-12 education, and promote empowerment of women via technology. We actively strive to equip and enable partners that are taking bold action for social impact.

Partners
AASRAA
Kranti NGO Himachal
Happy Feet Home
SERUDS Logo
AshaJyoti
Paalaguttapalle Bags
Hers is Ours
Stopping Traffick
Project Baala Pads
Pennam Foundation
Salons for Life
GOD
CouldYou? Cups Menstrual Cups
Care and Love Foundation
TVF
CG
PANI Foundation
Pratham Books
Chintu Gudiya Foundation
CFIUG

2021- 2022 Highlights

Key Highlights from our initiatives.

NeelimaEverestBaseCamp.jpeg

NEELIMA REDDY

@ Mt. EVEREST BASE CAMP

I'm a fulltime IT professional and a mother of 2 naughty twins. When I'm not working, I love exploring the world and climbing mountains on my own terms. Mountains have always been a big draw for me since childhood and I love them because of its sheer simplicity and magnitude. They fill me with a deep powerful presence of life. These wonderful experiences have given me deeper insights into the real world global problems by connecting with people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.

The goal was to climb them as safely as possible while raising awareness and funding for a charity called "Save the Child Foundation" which is very close to my heart. 

Rain Flowers
Gratitude

WALL OF GRATITUDE

None of what we have done is possible without the generous support and patronage from our donors, believers , ambassadors, advocates, changemakers, leaders, friends and family.
 

We are deeply humbled and in gratitude of the kindness and generosity of our donors, givers, grantors for making this journey of change a meaningful one and enabling us to amplify the voices of the voiceless and in effect create a world of gender equality and equity.

❤️❤️🙏🏽❤️❤️

VIDEO CHRONICLES

The Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival
07:29

The Outsider Moving Art & Film Festival

“Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.” – S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders As art and film festivals rarely reach marginalised communities, while they are the subject itself of human rights films, HIO organised a traveling art & film festival and taking it to the remote areas of Uttar Pradesh & Rajasthan (India); two states where human rights violations have increased in recent years. From the 18th of October to the 18th of December 2021, we traveled for two months by van with selected artivists (artists & activists) from all over India, with a projector, a screen, and sound equipment. We are stopping in 18 cities and villages through UP, Rajasthan, and ending in Delhi. Collaborating with local organisations, we are running screenings, workshops, and interactive performances around the topic of marginalisation for and with the communities. The Outsider Festival carries such a name as it is brought to the stigmatized communities, the so-called ‘outsiders’, as well as it is brought by a team from outside, from many cities of India and abroad. It is essential to remind us that one’s identity has many layers and that at one level or another we all are outsiders. This festival is a cultural avenue aiming at bringing us together around arts and politics, to celebrate our differences but also how much alike we are, and to create a safe space to discuss difficult and taboo topics. Our approach is a co-learning one: to listen to people’s experiences, their prejudices, and their inhibitions, as well as to talk about, reflect on, and evolved on ours. Hers is Ours (HIO) is a Collective based in India that works on the issue of Violence Against Women, and gender discrimination at large. We focus on creating awareness about healing and empowerment through art & grass-root level change.
Menstruation Day Rally in Nepal @savethechildfoundation5439 #savethechildnepal #badicommunity
02:28

Menstruation Day Rally in Nepal @savethechildfoundation5439 #savethechildnepal #badicommunity

Day 5 ( Menstruation Rally, Workshops , Memorandum for Badi Community ) On the first day of the conference, COMMIT Nepal welcomed us as guests and sponsors. Prakash Mani Sharma gave a welcome speech with the mention of the Supreme Court judgement on Badi community as a result of the writ filed by him and others. He also conducted a session on advocacy in the evening for the youths present. On the second day, we started with a menstrual hygiene rally which started from the premises of the Hotel with banners and placards on menstrual hygiene. The rally ended at B.P Chowk where different people spoke about menstrual hygiene and the importance of spreading awareness on it. Taniya was also one of the speakers. Then after our return to the session hall, the session was conducted. The zumba session saw the most energetic crowd of youths enjoying the dancing. Then we moved on to Sheetal and Taniya's story sharing through videos after which both of them spoke about their journeys. This was a part of COMMIT's itinerary scheduled as 'successful testimonials'. We then formed groups to discuss on their strengths, dreams, goals and challenges. On the third day, we started with a march to the Chief District Office, dressed in formals, where COMMIT submitted their list of demands for the welfare of Badi community. The demands were read out and positively acknowledged by the district officer with a promise to forward it to the Prime Minister's Office for quick response. Then we returned to the session hall and introduced the Baala Pads to the participants and distributed the pads. Later in the day, after the program had ended, we came back to introduce the menstrual cups to COMMIT Nepal's staff and distribute it to those willing to try it. #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation @connectdenfilms
#savethechildfoundation advocacy for Badi Community in Nepal #savethechildnepal #badicommunity
01:32

#savethechildfoundation advocacy for Badi Community in Nepal #savethechildnepal #badicommunity

Menstruation Rally, Workshops , Memorandum for Badi Community ) On the first day of the conference, COMMIT Nepal welcomed us as guests and sponsors. Prakash Mani Sharma gave a welcome speech with the mention of the Supreme Court judgement on Badi community as a result of the writ filed by him and others. He also conducted a session on advocacy in the evening for the youths present. On the second day, we started with a menstrual hygiene rally which started from the premises of the Hotel with banners and placards on menstrual hygiene. The rally ended at B.P Chowk where different people spoke about menstrual hygiene and the importance of spreading awareness on it. Taniya was also one of the speakers. Then after our return to the session hall, the session was conducted. The zumba session saw the most energetic crowd of youths enjoying the dancing. Then we moved on to Sheetal and Taniya's story sharing through videos after which both of them spoke about their journeys. This was a part of COMMIT's itinerary scheduled as 'successful testimonials'. We then formed groups to discuss on their strengths, dreams, goals and challenges. On the third day, we started with a march to the Chief District Office, dressed in formals, where COMMIT submitted their list of demands for the welfare of Badi community. The demands were read out and positively acknowledged by the district officer with a promise to forward it to the Prime Minister's Office for quick response. Then we returned to the session hall and introduced the Baala Pads to the participants and distributed the pads. Later in the day, after the program had ended, we came back to introduce the menstrual cups to COMMIT Nepal's staff and distribute it to those willing to try it. #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation @connectdenfilms
Don't Ruin Their Flow: Fighting Period Shame In India.
07:02

Don't Ruin Their Flow: Fighting Period Shame In India.

Impure. Unclean. Do not enter temples and kitchens. Do not wash your hair. These are some of the taboos internalised by girls all over India when it comes to periods, hindering their knowledge of their bodies and creating a sense of shame around menstruation. Moreover, period poverty means that women and girls in India are unable to afford hygienic menstrual products, increasing their risk of developing health issues. Enter Project Baala, a social enterprise providing girls with affordable and reusable menstrual pads while normalising conversations about periods. It works with partners who can sponsor the costs of outreach and distribution drives at schools in India, and has held over 1,100 workshops all over India, and given out 900,000 reusable pads as of June 2022. ____________ Find out more: https://www.projectbaala.com/ Read the full story: https://www.ourbetterworld.org/story/menstruation-matters-ending-period-shame ____________ Director and Editor: Anshul Tiwari Producer and Writer: Lin Yanqin Camera: Mubashshir Ali Sound: Tapasya Babeley Executive Producer: Kimberly Gordon ____________________________________________________________________ For more inspiring stories subscribe now! http://bit.ly/14Ohz8G Our Better World - Telling Stories. Inspiring Action. We tell stories of people doing good in Asia to inspire global action. We connect storytellers, the people doing good and the ones who’d love to help but don’t know how. We strive to build an engaged global community sharing skills, resources, time and effort, empowering every person with the conviction that each has the power to make the world better. Our Better World is a digital storytelling initiative of the Singapore International Foundation. We're happy for you to link to or embed our stuff on your site for non-commercial use. We'd appreciate being credited, with a link back to http://www.ourbetterworld.org.
Save the Child Nepal -  Session with Badi Community #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation
01:46

Save the Child Nepal - Session with Badi Community #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation

DAY 2: WORKSHOP WITH CHELI NEPAL in CHITWAN. " Cheli Nepal strategically rescues victims from warehouses used to hold them in before they are 'sold' or transported elsewhere. The rescued survivors are then given different trainings with the ability to become leaders of other programs of Cheli Nepal as well, turning it into a very self-sustaining model while giving the survivors plenty of career options." The session started with a simple introduction of the participants and an energetic zumba session. Following that, Sheetal and Taniya's stories through YouTube videos was shown and then they spoke about their experiences which helped the participants connect to them. It was through the stories that there was a realization that we have all had very similar traumatic experiences. After that there was a session where random groups of participants were formed to answer questions on what their dreams, strengths and current challenges were. Then the participants were seated with crayons and markers to draw out what their goals and strength are. This was to serve as a reminder that they are well into their journey and closer to their goals each day. Finally, the session ended with a relaxing activity where the participants blew up a balloon each and played with it with care. They then slowly laid on their backs with the balloon on top of their chests, closing their eyes while they were slowly massaged by the facilitators. After the session, Sheetal and Taniya introduced the participants to Baala Pads, explaining how the chemical free pads are a good alternative. We then distributed the pads to the staff and to the participants (with a shawl for each participant). The staff and one of our kids from Save the Child expressed their gratitude for conducting such a session. AHA Moments: The young girls had the same underlying motive to all of their aspirations: to show the society that they are citizens worthy of contributing to the country, despite what society may perceive them as. - The use of a picture that participants created that can serve as a reminder that each day is worth living and we are better today and we have goals for tomorrow. - After watching the video, one of the participants shared her own experience and while doing so overcame with emotion and cried. It was a testament that within the short time that we had interacted with them, we had formed an emotional connection and become a healthy outlet for their emotions. - The expression of gratitude by Cheli Nepal was the cherry on top as it felt like the session had really been fruitful to the participants. Reflections and Lessons: - Reflection: The participants were young but through their experience, they had matured enough to know that sadness is a part of life and that their struggles do not limit their future. - Reflection: Cheli Nepal strategically rescues victims from warehouses used to hold them in before they are 'sold' or transported elsewhere. The rescued survivors are then given different trainings with the ability to become leaders of other programs of Cheli Nepal as well, turning it into a very self-sustaining model while giving the survivors plenty of career options. - Lesson: Importance of introspection-: It is such an important activity to set out time to get in touch with your feelings every once in a while. This is so that we have more clarity in life and do not let our emotions reach any tipping point. #savethechildfoundation #savethechildnepal #chelinepal #changemakers2030 #wearekranti
Save the Child Nepal Youth Conference #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation
02:33

Save the Child Nepal Youth Conference #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation

INTERVENTIONS such as these is exactly how you tackle the Trafficking / Pushing Girls into Prostitution - both due to lack of opportunities or forced... Not possible without a team effort and a vision and a deliberate mission .... DAY 4 ( Workshop with Badi Community ) AHA moments (celebration): - These were women that had either been forced to participate in sex work or were still involved in sex work due to necessity. - Women were adamant about how they wanted a better life for their children, different than the one they had lived. There was a unity in this thought and they were persistent to bring change for their children so that the children would never be forced into sex work. - They were inspired by how Sheetal and Taniya came from similar backgrounds as theirs and had turned around their life. It was living proof that hope had not been lost for their children. Challenges faced (mourning): - One of the participants who seemed around 14-16 years old danced to her heart's extent in the zumba session but then after it was over kept crying. While Taniya comforted her, it seemed like she was facing some sort of abuse at home. Her mother had left the home and she was living with her uncles and grandmom. Though she was not open to fully talking about her situation, she seemed tensed and in discomfort. - A woman in her mid-40s expressed her worries about her children whom she now had no contact with and doubted that they had been forced into sex work. We shared the feeling of helplessness as she cried. - A mother-daughter duo came up to us to ask if we would be able to financially support the daughter's education as she wanted to pursue nursing and the family did not have the resources. We did express how we could not answer that at the moment but would discuss it and get back to them. - There was a group of old women, mostly in their 60s, who had hearing problems or could not move around much and we felt that we had not designed a session that was friendly for them. A lot to be grateful for but this would not have been possible with out Neelima Reddy which will now transform 4 Girls lives and more importantly have created HOPE for so many more and INSPIRATION for the team actively engaged to bring the change. #Savethechildfoundation #savethechildnepal #ProjectBaala @connectdenfilms
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