"Contributions to Chhanv Foundation have been notified for 50% deduction from Taxable Income under Section 80(G)(5)(vi) of Income Tax Act, 1961". To get the 80G Receipt, please reach out to us at chhanvfoundation@gmail.com or +91-8009955500.
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We are now shifting towards the second phase of our fundraiser campaign which will be aimed to generate ₹45 lakh. This amount would help us look after the acid attack survivors and to run the organization and our cafe.
Please spread the word, A minimal Contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of many!!
Introduction:
The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty. Chhanv Foundation too is not untouched by the monstrous effect of COVID 19. The pandemic has been affecting the entire food system and has laid bare its fragility. It is having a negative and de-motivational impact on the psyche of the human race.
SMILE GOAL HAI
Thus in 2021, the foundation has come up with a campaign ‘SMILE GOAL HAI’ to rejuvenate the lost smile and happiness of all the acid attack survivors through a mass audience.
Chhanv Foundation, a non-for-profit organization based in India, over the years, has relentlessly worked for the rehabilitation of acid attack survivors and aspires to do the same in future. Chhanv Foundation has been running a rehabilitation project Sheroes Hangout cafe in Agra and Lucknow. Our aim is to empower the acid attack survivor by fulfilling all their needs which includes advocacy, medical treatment, their education along with the education of their toddlers and the most imperative employment. We are to deploy the best methodology to provide rehabilitation, healthcare, to practice and promote good governance.
Unlike other NGOs, Chhanv Foundation has a unique self sustainable model in the form of SHEROES HANGOUT CAFE. It is the first cafe run by acid attack survivors in India. The first outlet was inaugurated in 2014 in Agra followed by the other one in Lucknow in 2016. It not only provides employment opportunities to the survivors but it also works as a bridge between society and the survivors. The survivors get to a stage where they can portray their personality with dignity and confidence.
a. Reach-out is a process of Reaching out to Survivors. It is the base of the whole rehabilitation process.
d. Helpline number launched by Chhanv Foundation is to provide the easy access to the survivors to reach out to the organization. When we receive the calls, the team reaches out to them.
e. The fellowship is an amount introduced by the organization to the reached out survivors to help them in their survival and they participate in the trainings. Presently, Organization is helping 30 survivors and still there are many who are in the waiting list to receive the fellowship.
2. Treatment
- Foundation has a list of more than 150 survivors who need surgeries to get back to their routine lives.
- On average, we provide treatment to 8 to 10 survivors in a year but due to COVID, the treatment drive could not happen.
- We aim to provide treatment to 15-20 survivors this year, as a few of them are on verge of suffering permanent losses.
- It costs nearly 1.5L to 2L per beneficiary which includes all the expenses like hospital, medicines, accommodation and Commute.
3. Rehabilitation Centers- Sheroes Home - Sheroes Home is the place where all the survivors are brought after their reach-out. It is the place where the rehabilitation begins.
- Sheroes Home, Noida is developed to provide an easy access to survivors who are coming for the treatments.
- They get free food and accommodation along with their family members for pre and post-treatments.
- The other motive of Sheroes Home is, we organize various training for the beneficiaries.
- While the Sheroes Home in other Agra and Lucknow provide accommodation to the beneficiaries who are working at the cafes.
- The Financial Crisis caused by the Pandemic has already taken our Sheroes Home, Agra. For the other chapters, we have a long liability which can lead to losses of the other chapters as well.
4. Education & Training - Sheroes Education Project (SEP) focuses on the education and training of the survivors and their children.
- Under SEP we organize many pieces of training programs for their skill development which include technical training, professional training related to their work at Sheroes Hangout.
- Regular English classes are conducted at both the chapters of Sheroes Hangout for the beneficiaries.
- We have taken many steps to identify the educational needs of the survivors. We are working with their potentials and support base.
- Almost half of the women who work with the Sheroes Hangout project are not well educated also a quarter of them are not even literate. More than one-third of the members of Sheroes, most of them women, had no access to printed knowledge, to new skills or to technologies that would improve the quality of their lives and help them shape and adapt to social and economic change.
- With the help of Bekoz Beko, an organization from Spain, the foundation introduced a Cultural and Educational exchange program with Sheroes Hangout cafe for connecting, enriching, and making the global community aware of the challenges faced by acid attack survivors.
- More than a budget of Rs 25 Lakhs annually is needed for the smooth functioning of the Sheroes Education Project.
5. Employment - At both the centers of Sheroes Hangout, we’ve been involved with many activists communities, particular group in the area of women empowerment, promoting humanity.
- Presently 30 Survivors are associated with the Sheroes Hangout and many are waiting to join the Sheroes Hangout which are kept on hold.
- The Sales of Sheroes Hangout are facing a dip of nearly 70% in comparison to last year sales of the same tenure.
- Before the pandemic, the cafes were contributing nearly 80% to the overall income of the organization. The dip in the sales has caused a liability for the salaries, rent payments
- Lucknow Chapter is running with a huge loss covering the costs of only raw materials while Agra café is opened but still not getting any footfalls.
5. Individual Entrepreneurship Projects - Among the 30 survivors employed at the cafes, nearly 10 survivors have reached to a position where they can establish their individual projects if they are helped with a seed amount to begin with.
- There are nearly 10 more survivors among the new reach-outs who need some initial support and they can start their projects.
6. Awareness - We believe these attacks could have been stopped if masses were enough about the aftermaths of these attacks.
- Through our awareness content we are trying to create the awareness on such a heinous crimes like Acid Attacks.
- We hold a strong social medica presence and with this we try to bring in front all the unheard stories of acid attacks.
7. Advocacy - Chhanv Foundation, not only works for the rehabilitation but it also works for the advocacy for the rights of acid attack survivors.
- The Advocacy works includes the Research and Study on the existing policies and the amendments. Though, most of our work has been done in Uttar Pradesh only because of limited funds and resources. The process of advocacy involves;
- Sending RTI’s to the concerned departments of Central and State Governments for the Sale and Regulation of Acid, Medical Treatment of Acid Attack Survivors etc. Till now we have already send RTI’s to all 75 Districts of Uttar Pradesh. We aim to extend it as earlier as possible.
- The Legal Help and the follow-ups to associated survivors and new reach-out survivors.
- Petition and PIL filing: The organization had recently filed two PILs on the Acid Sale and Medical policies before the Hon’ble High Court of Allahabad, Lucknow Bench. We aim to file more PILs in the other states of the Country.
CHHANV AND THE PANDEMIC - Both the cafe outlets were shut down due to nationwide lockdown which in response affected the revenue majorly.
- Routine Checkup and medical treatments came to a halt
- Regular reach-outs affected
- Rehabilitation centres were closed
- Education & Training projects were cut off
- Ensured a basic survival amount to onboard 30 survivors
- Assisted 30 new survivors with the fellowship amount of ₹5,000 per month for almost a year.
- Medical Treatment Drive initiated to kickstart the halted treatments.
- Organised Skill Development sessions for the all-round personality development.
- Hosted Live sessions to interact with our well-wishers.
We are in need of your generous assistance to revive this model.
What are we raising funds for?
We were dependent on sales from cafes which amounted to 75% of the total revenue and the rest 25% were generated from donations and fundraisers, but now it’s vice versa. The 80% dip in revenues has completely shaken the roots of our model.
1. Need to ensure beneficiary salaries, which is pending for 6 months
2. Need to ensure support staff salaries which are pending for 6 months.
3. Extend fellowship to 30 new survivors to secure their livelihood.
4. Need to pay pending rents and utility bills for Sheroes Home: Rehabilitation center and the cafe outlets
5. Renovation of Sheroes Hangout as their resources are not in proper condition.
6. On average, the organization used to provide medical assistance to around 10 survivors a year. This could not be fulfilled this year. We are aiming to increase our number to at least 20 this year so that we could benefit more survivors and bring about a change.
Budget
COVID 19 has brought huge financial gaps in the organization. We required a more than sum of Rs. 2 Crores but till now we are only able to raise 1/3rd of our total needs through our small projects and fundraisers.
Since the Coronavirus has hit various countries across the globe, we too, are not unaffected by this global pandemic. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. This catastrophe has drastically affected the small community of acid attack survivors who were already cornered by the society full of taboos. The year 2020 brought an abundance of challenges for the survivors. They have been fighting for their survival, medical needs, employment, social hurdles, and mental wellbeing. They are in an annihilating situation and require our urgent attention.
Through this campaign, we aim to raise the remaining amount. In the first phase of the campaign, we will raise 1/10th of the total amount i.e. Rs 20 Lakhs.
S.No. | Particulars | Amount (Annual) (INR) |
1. | On Board Survivors Salaries | 60,78,024 |
2. | Fellowship to new Acid Attack Survivors | 18,00,000 |
3. | Rents & Utilities | 30,82,272 |
4. | Sheroes Hangout Staff Salaries | 34,77,600 |
5. | Chhanv Salaries | 26,88,000 |
6. | Sheroes Hangout Renovation | 15,00,000 |
7. | Medical Treatment (15 Survivors) | 37,50,000 |
Total | 2,23,75,896 |