Location : Gandhi Ashram, Every Month date of 26th.
Recipient : 60 women
The Annadhan project was started in 1994 as a way for the community to assist its underprivileged members. The literal meaning of Annadhan is a donation of food, and in the project’s original form, bins were distributed between families so they could donate a fistful of grains that would then be distributed. In more recent times, the donations tend to come in the form of cash instead, which is then used to purchase the grains. Every month, the grains then go to widowed women who, due largely to social stigmatism, have difficulty making ends meet. In exchange for the grains, the women give a token fee of one rupee per kg of grain so they do not feel like they are being given handouts.
The widows in the project are selected every year based on an annual survey. At the end of the year, Manav Sadhna assists the women in finding other ways to become self-reliant, although the project still provides grains to the women in the direst circumstances. Every month, along with the grains, we also hold a bhajan that is followed up with discussions on health, sanitation and any other important issues that come up. Once a year the women are also taken on a field trip so they can go to a religious place they normally would not have the financial ability to go to.
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