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.
Farukh Menon is a Lokmitra, or “friend of the people,” serving with the Environmental Sanitation Institute (ESI), supported by Share & Care, in the village of Chadotar in Gujarat. As a Lokmitra, Farukh strives to sow the seeds of connection, cooperation, and compassion to uplift his village. 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
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
After Kiran Chavan’s younger brother was wrongly imprisoned, he began to feel himself slipping into a place of hopelessness, wondering why bad things happen to good people. He lost his confidence and eventually succumbed to depression. 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
Pooja Chandu Rathod, a brilliant 8th-grade student with aspirations to become a teacher, lives in a cramped single room with six other family members. Her father is a painter and cannot work during the monsoon season, and Pooja’s mother left when she was very young. Read more
Born in the remote Walke village of Maharashtra, Sarvesh Janardan Mhatre saw many of his peers drop out of school, face addiction, and struggle to earn a living wage. Read more
Prior to completing the Rajkot Cancer Society’s Cancer Awareness Program, Nita Vipulbhai Kakasaniya had not been aware of the importance of pap smear tests for detecting cervical cancer. After receiving this preventative education, she underwent the test. Read more
Hemalatha is a young mother in Chennai in Tamil Nadu. When she became pregnant, she began receiving care from the Kalanjiyam Right Information Community Health (RICH) program, which is supported by Share & Care. Read more
Women in rural India are often relegated to strict gender roles, limiting their ability to use their talents and enjoy independence. Nauka Ben is a Lokmitra serving with ESI, supported by Share & Care, in the Kada village of Gujarat. Read more
Suraj Gohel, born to a tailor and a housewife, lives in Jivapar, a small village of Rajkot district in Gujarat. He showed academic promise and a hardworking spirit from an early age. Read more