Our Projects

I know it seems like all fun and games over here in Hyderabad, but I promise we've been working really hard.

Here is a rundown of the projects we are working on:

1. Prajwala Video Screenings at Local Universities

Problem: Sex trafficking is a huge problem throughout the world—and especially in Southeast Asia. A “culture of silence” surrounds this problem, making it difficult for people to become aware of its prevalence and ways to fight it.

Short-term Objectives: Students at local universities will become aware of the problem of sex trafficking and commit to do something to fight it.

Long-term Objectives: The “culture of silence” regarding sex trafficking will be broken. Everyone in India will know about this problem and how to fight it.

Project Summary: We plan to host screening events at the local universities in Hyderabad to show and discuss Prajwala's award-winning video Amika. This project will involve planning the event, coordinating screening times with the universities, advertising, and hosting on the actual event. We would also like to use surveys to get feedback from the universities.

Partner Organzation: Prajwala is based in Hyderabad and fights sex trafficking throughout Andra Pradesh. They work to prevent, rescue, and rehabilitate victims of sex trafficking. This is the first time HELP has partnered with them.

2. Prajwala Public Awareness Campaign Kits

Problem: Sex trafficking

Short-term Objectives: Prajwala will be able to use public awareness campaign kits to raise awareness about sex trafficking both locally and globally.

Long-term Objectives: The “culture of silence” regarding sex trafficking will be broken. Everyone in India and throughout the world will know about this problem and how to fight it.

Project Summary: We plan to create public awareness campaign kits that Prajwala can use to raise awareness about sex trafficking both locally and globally. Kits will include quality information sheets, posters, flyers, brochures, petitions, and powerpoint presentations that Prajwala can use to raise awareness. Many people ask them for ways they can get involved but they have no deliverable to send to them. Ideally people will be able to start a club or group.

3. Village Profiles

Problem: Many children are suffering from child labor. The MV foundation is the forerunner for combating child labor but they don't have very many profiles of the villages they impact. They need data from the key stake holders to document their impact as an organization.

Short term objectives: write village profile reports with full days of interviews with the government officials of the village, parents, children, children employeers, and teachers.

Long term objectives: increase awareness and have some important data for the MV foundation to use in their presentations and to further their studies.

Partnering organization: The MV foundation (see post below)

4. Bridge School English Classes

Problem: The kids are generally doing a great job in the MV foundation's bridge schools (18 month boarding school) but could always use some variety and improved english.

Short term objectives: Give the kids a chance to learn with actions and songs to improve their english and help them continue getting excited about learning.

Long term objective: Contribute to the MV foundations structure and schools, specifically in helping them get excited about english.

5. Hysterectomy Awareness Campaign

Problem: In some rural villages in India there are traveling doctors who pocket money for surgeries. For common stomach illnesses and aches they will recommend women get hysterectomies. In some areas it's estimated that 1/10 women have undergone this surgery. Thus causing health problems for the rest of their lives as well as inter-marital problems. Women currently trust these illegitimate doctors.

Short term objectives: We will host a training meeting for 6-7 other grass root NGOs in how to increase awareness about these doctors and then give them kits and commit them to spreading awareness to their villages they work in.

Long term objectives: When these other NGOs are on board, they will be able to reach about 5,000 other women and people. With the major push to be to get a second opinion before they undergo surgery.

Partnering Organization: CARPED. They have successfully brought the issue to light and have been able to mobilize 700 women in their jurisdiction who have undergone this surgery.

6. 1/4 acre homesteads

Problem: Villagers aren't getting balanced diets and are frequently not able to make ends meet and get enough nutritional food to their children. Many do not have much land to grow things on and don't know how to farm in small spaces.

Short term objectives: Put in a model 1/4 acre garden in the land for the future community center that CARPED has bought.

Long term objectives: Create a way for them to buy their own gardens, provide trainings and nutrition classes within the trainings.

Partnering organization: CARPED

7. Vermin Compost

Problem: there isn't much composting done in the villages. Waste is thrown at the roadside.

Short term objectives: train and teach villagers through a model community center compost pile.

Long term objectives: Sell the vermi compost for pretty good money

Partnering organization: CARPED

8. Beehives

Problem: The women with hysterectomies are too weak to do much hard labor for income generation

Short term objective: start with one beehive at the community center for training and offer a subsidized fee for women to buy and start their own beehive

Long term objective: Allow a lot of the women who have undergone these surgeries to work together and become a major provider of honey to Hyderabad

9. MFI's

Problem: poor people do not have access to short term capital to jump start small business ventures.

Short term solution: A few members of our team will do a variety of projects with different MFI's including analysis, research, and field studies.

Long term objectives: Help a few MFI's continue to improve their programs.

Partnering organizations: Trident, SKS

10. Grant writing

Problem: Some of these NGOs are not raising much money to support their programs

Partnering organizations: The rescue foundation and CARPED

11. Career Workshop

Problem: many people have a hard time selling themselves and finding work

Objectives: help people find jobs through a series of weekly classes and curriculum

Partnering organization: The LDS church