Team India Helps

Whom Have You Helped Today?

2008
 Who We Are

• A grassroots, hands-on movement to help victims, started in

November 2008.

• Born out of a desire to help in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai

attacks

• Bringing together volunteers with diverse backgrounds:

– Lawyers, home makers, architects, educators, entrepreneurs, market
researchers, corporate communicators

• Initiated online, to bring together people wanting to make a

difference.
 Our Mission Statement

"To provide relief and rehabilitation to victims of disasters,

natural and man-made, and individual cases
requiring legal, medical and social
rehabilitation assistance."
 What We Do
• Our current scope of activities include:
– Providing financial assistance (both directly and via donors)
– Providing resources and fundraising assistance for medical
emergencies and special cases
– Immediate funding to help with rent and groceries
– Rehabilitative and medical care
– Children’s education
– Employment opportunities and contacts
– Administrative follow-up with government agencies
– Legal advice
 What We Do
• Future Plans
– Developing connections with non-profit organizations, corporations,
experts, individual donors and media entities who could provide
sustained support through services and material assistance.
– Setting up India Helps teams of on ground volunteers in major metros
and mini metros across India.
 How It Works
1. We approach families directly via information from the police, media or
well-wishers

2. After an initial meeting and needs assessment, a report is posted on the

India Helps blog

3. Donors can then contact us or the families directly. In the event urgent
aid is required, the team expends its own previously collected resources

4. The service we provide is entirely voluntary and free of charge

5. All administrative charges are borne personally by team

members
 Growth
• India Helps now has over forty volunteer members across the world
from all walks of life, and has chapters in
– Mumbai
– Delhi
– Chennai
– Kolkata
– Pune
– London, UK
– USA
Key Cases So Far
 Moumina Khatoon
• Lost husband in the taxi blast on 26/11

• Has four children (6, 3,1.5 years, 1 month)

• Her Needs:
– Housing
– Treatment and medical expenses
– Children’s education
– Daily expenses like groceries and rent
– Long-term livelihood solution

• India Helps intervention:

– Cheque to cover six months rent
– Commitment to pay for delivery and post natal-care
– Case referred to the Taj Trust
– Medical assistance provided in the form of doctor's visits and
regular counselling and follow-up

• Case Status: Ongoing

 Salma Sunil Thakray
• Lost partner in the CST firing on 26/11
– Not legally wed so no official compensation

• Has two children (9 and 7 years)

• Her Needs:
– Housing (deposit and rent)
– Mobile phone (since she has no address or contact)
– A stable source of income
– Application for a ration card
– A bank account and know-how to operate account

• India Helps intervention:

– Payment of deposit and six months rent
– Provision of a cell-phone and connection
– Involving an advocate to get legal help on the issue of compensation
– Working with a journalist to get media attention

• Case Status: Closed

 Karuna Thakur Waghela
• Lost husband in the GT hospital firing on 26/11

• Has three children (studying in third grade,

second grade and nursery)

• Her Needs:
– Long-term education for the children
– Counselling for family members, especially the child
– Monetary help for the family
– A bank account that she can operate independently
from the family members

• India Helps intervention:

– Financial assistance provided to meet immediate expenses
and groceries provided.
– Case referred to the Taj trust for children’s education

• Case Status: Mentoring progress.Karuna is now employed,

and receives financial aid .
 Balaji Baburao Kharatmal
• Lost his mother and was injured in the CST shooting on 26/11
• Has eleven dependents (including his brothers’ families)

• His Needs:
– Employment for him and his brothers
– Education of the children
– Interim help with daily expenses

• India Helps intervention:

– Financial assistance provided for immediate needs
– Accompanied visits to medical experts for shrapnel in his body
– Offer of counselling for post-traumatic stress
– Case referred to the Taj trust
– In process of getting media attention

Balaji has since found employment with the railways,

receives aid from the Taj trust and scholarships for his
children’s education.
Case Status: Closed.
 Ahana Mishra
• Suffering from severe dystonic cerebral palsy
– Abandoned by father, Mother murdered
– In the care of her maternal grandmother, Poornima
– Currently undergoing rehabilitative therapy in Kolkata

• Her Needs:
– A wheelchair
– Financial assistance to keep a full-time nurse
– Cash for treatment and medicines
– Building a corpus for future financial security
– Legal security for Poornima as guardian (in case the father returns)

• India Helps intervention:

– Constant interaction with Ahana and Poornima in Mumbai
– Continued assistance through the Kolkata chapter
– Cash handed over to meet interim needs
– Assistance in finding a paediatric neurologist to get the case
evaluated
– Exploring pro bono occupational therapy

• Case Status: Ongoing.

 Pavement Schools
• We are officially tied up with Mr Raut, Mr Nadar and Mr Dighe who
run the pavement school opposite Vibgyor High (Link Rd, Goregaon)
to co-run their current Pavement school (staff strength 3, student
strength currently 51 and growing)
• A second school a signal away (Goregaon Bangur Nagar signal) has
now been set up, effective 15th March 2009.
• The two schools currently cater to around 200 children.

• Indiahelps intervention
– India Helps volunteers visit school every day and spend time with the
kids
– Daily snacks, stationery is provided to all kids who come in to school.
– Salaries for all teachers funded by India helps.
 Publicity So Far
• Awareness generation at the
Mumbai marathon

• Leaflet distribution

• Email outreach

• Information provided to other

NGOs
IndiaHelps volunteers at the marathon
• Media coverage:
– Hindustan Times
– Times of India
– Mumbai Mirror
 India Helps in the News

"Mumbai lends a helping hand"

Hindustan Times (Mumbai), dated December 26, 2008

"Picking up the pieces with a little help from friends"

Times of India (Mumbai), dated February 8, 2009

"A quiet birthday for Ahana"

Mumbai Mirror (Mumbai), dated March 17, 2009

"Doing good — virtually"

The Telegraph (Kolkata), dated April 5, 2009
 India Helps in the News

"Trapped in Terror"
Australian Television Show (Kolkata), dated April 15, 2009

“Through virtual world to the real world”

DNA (Mumbai), dated July 20, 2009

“Tata trust”
Mumbai Mirror (Mumbai), dated August 8, 2009
Hindustan Times, Mumbai, Friday, December 26, 2008
Times of India, Mumbai,
Sunday, February 8, 2009
 How You Can Help
1. Volunteering
• Hands-on help with the victims and affected persons

1. Help and resources

• Financial aid
• Employment opportunities
• Sponsorship of children’s education
• Short-term help with immediate needs like rent and groceries
• Adopting a family till they get back on their feet

1. Professional Expertise
• Legal/ Medical/ Occupational training/ Contacts

1. Publicity
• Spread the word
• Put interested donors in touch with us
 How You Can Reach Us

website: http://indiahelps.org/

E-mail: indiahelps@gmail.com OR info@indiahelps.org