http://jamghat.org/ – The Indian Charity the Whole World Should Know About
“Being from a privileged upper-middle class Indian family, I was shielded from the harsh realities of life. Not needing to worry about basic needs such as food, shelter and security made me take them for granted as my lifestyle was an oasis in the desert of poverty that had become synonymous with India.
It was my time spent with Jamghat where my perception of the world changed. A quick google search does not do justice to the work that Jamghat do on a daily basis: providing education, shelter and food to children who are inadvertently forced out of their homes due to familial problems. I heard of the work they did through word of mouth; the idea of children being displaced from their homes was a jarring for me as I could not empathize with them no matter how hard I tried. Taking matters into my own hands, I asked my mother if we could donate food, board games and footballs to Jamghat in person.
Despite taking the same route every day to my school, it was the drive to the charity’s headquarters that finally opened my eyes to the financial inequalities of India.
As I entered the charity’s headquarters, I could sense the positive atmosphere created by the founder, Amit Kumar Sinha, who had similar childhood experiences to the children he cared for. Speaking to some of the children made me realize the transactional perspective that parents had vis-à-vis their children. This poignant thought led me asking a flurry of questions which the kids answered extremely patiently. Whilst answering these questions (ranging from the classic what, when, why and how, to questions about their beliefs), my new-found friends noticed the boundless bag of footballs behind me, leading to the shoe being on the other foot as they were itching to know more about the flat, spherical objects in front of them. A glint in the corner of my eye was all Amit needed to suggest that a football session in the park would be the next activity.
It would be safe to say that the football made eight-year-old me thoroughly enjoyed my time playing and seeing my new friends’ raw football abilities coming to the fore.
Despite the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, I continue to send food, literature, sports equipment, and technology (smartphones and laptops) to Jamghat as the children’s determination and resilience gained my respect and admiration. Furthermore, I fundamentally believe that every child in the world should have the integral tools for survival in the 21st century: education, food, water, shelter, safety, education, and social interactions.
Please support Jamghat in any way you can as they are changing street children’s lives each day and equipping the children of tomorrow with all the key skills that they need.
– Jaaikaran Chanana
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