Tanya recently returned from her trip to Calcutta. We will be posting all the trip results, photos, and videos in a few weeks! Meanwhile, be sure to read the many blog entries she entered during her stay in India.
Baal Dan was created to help children in need - orphans, street children, and children who are impoverished living in India. Baal Dan researches and evaluates organizations that serve street children and orphans in India. We then work with those organizations to determine how best to help the kids with things they might need, e.g. clothing, medicines and school supplies. We're working with schools, orphanages, NGO's and churches to help street children.
Baal Dan is a US-based, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with no religious intent or bias.
I started Baal Dan after volunteering at Mother Teresa's orphanage in Calcutta in 2005. I saw many children, even babies, who lived on the streets. Begging, sleeping on pavements, foraging through trash looking for things to play with.
I was surprised at how these little street urchins were so playful even though they live in extreme poverty.
Did you know that $1 = 43 rupees?
That's enough to buy a meal. A book. A toy.
We can leverage the power of our dollar to give these children simple things to make their lives easier and give them more of a childhood.
"With all the wealth there is in the world, there should be no reason why a child should live without food, clothing, shelter or education."
- Tanya Pinto, Founder of Baal Dan Charities
I plan to focus my time and resources on continuing Baal Dan's work in Calcutta. Like last year, I want to leverage the strength of our dollar in India to provide food, clothing, medicines, books, toys and blankets for street children. I plan on continuing to research, evaluate and invest in schools and orphanages that will take in street children and provide them with an education. I believe that investing in programs that somehow get these bright little kids into a school environment is the only way to help break the cycle of poverty.
I have another goal of building a soup kitchen in Calcutta - but for children. A place where any child can come for a hot meal and to get medical treatment. A place where the children can then be referred to NGO's, charities, schools and orphanages that I have evaluated and can help them on a long term basis.
