Desai Foundation Invites You To “Lotus Festival” — Their Uplifting Virtual Concert For COVID Relief
Community Spotlight Sep 26, 2020
Focused on the health and welfare of women and children the Desai Foundation has been bringing grassroots programming, vocational training, menstrual hygiene education and equity to women and children all over the world for 23 years. They now have an upcoming virtual fundraiser to raise funds for COVID relief.
My Business: Desai Foundation
City: Bedford Massachussetts, USA
Follow Us: Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook
Email: [email protected]
Launched In: 1997
Our Mission Statement: “The Desai Foundation empowers women and children through community programs in health and livelihood so that they can cultivate dignity and dream beyond their circumstances. We do this through grass roots programming in vocational training, livelihood, entrepreneurship, hygiene, and menstrual health. We operate in over 700 communities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, New York, and Massachusetts.”
Our Target Market: People interested in supporting the health and livelihoods of vulnerable women and girls.
We We Offer: Health, livelihood, menstrual health — and now COVID relief.
Desai Foundation’s President Megha Desai shares their journey.
The Desai Foundation empowers women and children through community programs in India & the US by providing them with opportunities and resources to elevate their health and livelihood. Their flagship Asani Sanitary Napkin program aims to eradicate cultural stigma around menstruation by educating communities on menstrual hygiene and management, and they have impacted over 680,000 women and girls through awareness sessions, education seminars, and advocacy campaigns for menstrual equity.
In light of the pandemic, the organization quickly pivoted from their usual health and livelihood workshops to ensure women have access to not just menstrual hygiene products, but also the financial means to meet basic health and nutritional needs for themselves and their families. Through the program Masks for HOPE (Health, Opportunity, Perseverance & Empowerment), more than 200 women across rural India are now earning a much-needed regular income to produce and distribute 100,000 hand-sewn face masks monthly in vulnerable communities. These women, originally part of the organization’s sewing program, are able to work safely from their homes during India’s severe lockdown. The organization also redoubled its efforts to provide food, masks and sanitary napkins to those in need.
We could all use a bit of joy and levity at this time, and the Desai Foundation is inviting everyone to join them on October 3rd for their hallmark Lotus Festival, a virtual-live hybrid celebration to support their continued COVID relief efforts. Watch parties all across the country are tuning in to hear from celebrity guests, including Jay Wadhwani from Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking (and a few other surprise cast members!), singer Avanti Nagral, and World Cup-winning soccer coach Jill Ellis. The event will highlight the people at the heart of the organization’s work through a tour of a community where they work and a meet-and-greet with beneficiaries, and there’s even an exclusive VIP networking event, featuring virtual sponsorship “tables” where guests can mix and mingle and real-life food and drinks sent to your home. After the program, the one and only DJ Rekha will host a national dance party to end the night.
Every dollar raised during the event will be matched 100% and go towards these much-needed COVID relief efforts focused on health, hygiene, menstrual health and livelihood. You can see ticket levels and buy your tickets here.