WE INSPIRE WOMEN & CHILDREN
TO DREAM BEYOND
to elevate health, livelihood, & education in India & the US.
HEALTH + HYGIENE Alleviating health issues that prevent women from working and children from attending school enables the community to thrive and focus their attention elsewhere.
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LIVELIHOOD Vocational training provides the ability to increase household income and an elevated sense of dignity, which improves quality of life.
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EDUCATION Quality education and enrichment programs to equip children with the knowledge to meet the many challenges shaping our world today.
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WOMEN Empowering women has the power to not only change the economic circumstances of individual families but entire villages.
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CHILDREN Educating and providing children with the building blocks to future advancement allows families to transcend their circumstances.
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Every rupee raised goes directly to programs that change lives.
Our staff and infrastructure is supported by the founding endowment from the Desai Family and its board members.
Now, as a public foundation, your support helps expand our life-changing programs in India
The Desai Foundation
Desai Foundation
Friday January 15th
We are so grateful to @ChaiMommas and @UnitySME for their fundraiser over the holiday season, which resulted in us being able to distribute dental hygiene kits to over 700 children in rural India! Each kit contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, tongue cleaner, toothbrush tracker, a dental care booklet and a face mask. We were also able to provide dental care awareness sessions to small groups of children during the distribution.
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#fridaywins #philanthropy #socialcauses #dogood
#womensempowerment #fundraising #india #childrenshealth #dentalhygiene ... See MoreSee Less
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Desai Foundation
Thursday January 14th
One of the most important harvest days in India, the festival of Uttarayan marks the day when winter begins to turn into summer, signaling to farmers that the harvest season is approaching. In Gujarat, kites fill the skies as whole families gather on the rooftops to compete against their neighbors. We wish you a high-flying harvest and abundant season ahead!
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#uttarayan #harvest #india #MakarSankranti #gujarat #kitefestival #desaifoundation ... See MoreSee Less
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Desai Foundation
Thursday January 14th
Sadly, we are all too aware of the fact that women around the world have to choose between purchasing period products and food, diapers and other equally essential items, meaning they must miss school or work while on their period. Unfortunately, this situation has only been exacerbated by a pandemic which has had a disproportionately negative effect on the social and financial well-being of women.
This is one of the reasons we launched our Asani Sanitary Napkin program, which employs women in rural India to manufacture and distribute low-cost, high-quality sanitary napkins, simultaneously educating women about their periods and breaking down the shame associated with them. Furthermore, since March, we have distributed over 450,000 sanitary napkins for free to women in rural India who might not have otherwise had access to proper menstrual supplies during the pandemic.
We hope that other places might follow the examples set by countries like Canada, Australia, South Africa and India that have abolished the 'tampon tax', but in the meantime, we will continue fighting to end the stigma and ensure that no woman or girl in rural India or the US has to miss work or school because of her period. Grace Meng
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/us/tampons-pads-period.html ... See MoreSee Less
Many Lack Access to Pads and Tampons. What Are Lawmakers Doing About It?
nytimes.com
For decades, policymakers were largely silent about the issue of “period poverty.” But that’s shifting as some devise policies that make menstrual products more accessible.Desai Foundation
Wednesday January 13th
Thank you to Kiersten Marek and Philanthropy Women for this great write-up about "The State of Giving to Women's & Girls' Causes" event which featured our President, Megha Desai.
In case you missed the live discussion on December 17th, you can watch the recording here and learn more about the findings from the Women's Philanthropy Institute's Women & Girls Index report, which found that funding for women and girls is a mere 1.6% of all philanthropic contributions. ... See MoreSee Less
Leaders Discuss Using WPI Research to Fund Women and Girls ~ Philanthropy Women
philanthropywomen.org
Feminist giving leaders discuss the current state of funding for women and girls in the US and ways to increase gender lens giving.Desai Foundation
Wednesday January 6th
We couldn't agree more and are excited to begin bringing all that we have learned through our efforts to increase access to period products and education in rural India, to the US! Philanthropy Women ... See MoreSee Less
As Countries Fund New Ways to End Period Poverty, the US Stands Still
philanthropywomen.org
When it comes to funding period poverty, the world still has a long way to go. We discuss recent strategies and funding efforts.The Desai Foundation Follow
We are so grateful to @ChaiMommas and Unity SME for their fundraiser over the holiday season, which resulted in us being able to distribute dental hygiene kits to over 700 children in rural India! #fridaywins #philanthropy #childrenshealth #dentalhygiene 3
#Uttarayan marks the day when winter begins to turn into summer, signaling to farmers that the harvest season is approaching. In Gujarat, kites fill the skies as families gather to compete against their neighbors. We wish you a high-flying harvest and abundant season ahead! 3
Thank you to @KierstenMarek and @philanthrowomen for this great write-up about "The State of Giving to Women's & Girls' Causes" event which featured our President, @Meghatron5 talking about the findings from the @WPIinsights Women & Girls Index report. https://t.co/6qxgfg8e5z
The Desai Foundation