10320 women, 7561 girls were reached by Nishtha to combat the Coronavirus crisis and then the Amphan disaster.
Following health norms, social distancing regulations, getting proper government permissions Nishtha reached out to women and girls providing them relief and support. The women and girls not only needed material support but mental and emotional support to overcome the trauma and stress of the lockdown and its impact on their health, livelihood and more. The Amphan cyclone then broke havoc and South 24 Parganas was badly affected. Till now girls and women had a roof on their head, were able to communicate with each other through telephone and internet, were able to keep in touch with Nishtha. Now even that was lost!
The pandemic and the cyclone are not just health or natural disasters; they are mental disasters creating tremendous trauma and mental stress especially to women and girls. Violence against women was already on the rise during the pandemic now it is even more worrying. Women are facing domestic violence as aftermath of the economic instabilities of the households. Girls face the risk of getting trafficked, being married off early, emotionally weak. It troubles us to think that girls and women will soon become 'Missing Women'.
The women, girls, children are living in very difficult circumstance and the needs are many. Nishtha continues its relief work and support.
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NISHTHA means Dedication in Bengali; dedicated towards empowering women to fight for equal rights, equal opportunities and equal dignity.
Initiated in the year 1975 by Mrs. Pritilata Das, together with about 5 to 10 women, over the years Nishtha has come to be known as an organization for the women, by the women! Today Nishtha is what it is because of the tireless struggle and efforts of its 580 odd women volunteers, 420 odd girl volunteers who have been volunteering to keep the work going on in the grassroots without bothering about incentives or remunerations. Along with the volunteers are about 8920 women, 8152 girls and 2000 men who are the reason behind our organization and 52 odd team members working continuously and selflessly indirectly benefitting about 2 Lakh individuals, enabling our vision to build discrimination free just world a reality. Read more
Rev Swami Suparnanandaji Maharaj, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata, is like a father and Guru of Nishtha. Nishtha works with his blessings and advice. He helps in every possible way. His blessings have given us the courage to face any trouble, any disaster, befalling our journey towards our goal. He is like the polestar who guides us in the right direction. We convey our heartfelt gratitude and pranam at the feet of our Guru Swami Suparnanandaji Maharaj.
Our NGO partner NISHTHA encourage these girls to form groups and hold regular meetings to discuss social issues such as gender understanding, child marriage and their human rights.
Recently I visited these powerful women again and it’s wonderful to see how they are standing up for themselves and their next generations, flourishing and grow, from being a victim to taking their lives in their own hands. Change is possible. Together we can make a difference.
Karuna have found Nishtha to be responsive, clear and transparent in their work. They are accommodating, warm and friendly, a delight to work with, always making us feel more like a member of their family than a funder.
I became aware of Nishtha's work through my association with Asha for Education. The sheer scale of the challenge that they have taken upon is terrifying. Their work is built on strong principles of nonviolence and inclusivity. I am deeply impressed by the various programs they conduct, to try and tackle the dominating patriarchy at different levels.
