To celebrate our more than 40 years of service, we are sharing 40 of our beneficiaries’ powerful stories with you — stories of hope, compassion, and determination. We hope these stories inspire you as much as they inspire us.
Manju is a nurse at Sree Balaji Medical College and hospital in Channai who works tirelessly to help vulnerable patients get the care they need. Her father is an agricultural farmer, earning just Rs. 6,000 per month, so growing up, Manju struggled to afford books and other items required for school. Read more
Mayuri Kaushik Kumar Rawal is a bright, ambitious 8th-grade student in Mumbai. Her father is the sole earner for her family of six, and as a florist making just Rs. 36,000 per year, he struggles to cover basic living expenses, leaving no room in the family’s budget for school fees. Read more
Neelu Prajapati is the eldest daughter in a family of six living in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Her family farms on a small plot of land in the Mijwan village. When COVID-19 struck, her father, who worked in construction in Dubai stopped earning money, and at the same time, her mother was diagnosed with a serious illness, requiring costly tests and an urgent operation. Read more
Mercy Kom, 58, resides in Kharam Thadoi, a remote village in Manipur. She suffered from diabetes and hypertension, and due to the lack of healthcare infrastructure in her village, she had received no treatment for these issues. Read more
As a child, Varsha Baraiya loved music, painting, henna art, and cooking. She was a fantastic student, and she loved helping her siblings study and succeed in school, too. She aspired to become a doctor, and her hard work in school paid off, earning her a place in the K.J. Mehta General Hospital and College of Medical Sciences in Gujarat. Read more
Gayatri Shinde is a 9th-grader who lives with her parents in a rented room in the Asalpha village in Mumbai. She is a sincere and hardworking young girl who loves to dance and excels academically. Two years ago, her father, the sole earner of the family, lost his job, and the family has struggled financially since. Read more
Shweta is an amazing story. This is the stuff movies are made of. Pain and abuse have been part of her life as long as she can remember before she emerged triumphant. Read more
Sakshee Mundee, a bright and kind 9th-grader, is a member of the Madhyamik Vidyalaya Mhalunge (Padale) digital lab in Maharashtra, supported by Y4D and Share & Care. When she first began taking classes and workshops at the lab, she was hesitant to touch any of the devices, worrying that she might break them. Read more
When Kailash Gajjar lost her husband to a heart attack, she wondered how she would take care of her family on her own: “I was worried as to how I was to live my life with two kids.” Read more
Dipa Ruparel knew from an early age that she wanted to become a doctor. She excelled throughout her school years, and her performance on her 12th grade exams earned her admission to medical school. However, her family’s difficult financial situation presented a barrier to her attendance. Read more
Manjulaben Nareshbhai Pujara earns a living in Gujarat through animal husbandry. She is a founding member of the Shrinayth Mahila Bachat Mandal (savings group), which was formed in 2012 in association with the Anjali Society for Rural Health and Development, supported by Share & Care. Read more