As a parenting guide for urban Indian parents, we aim to spread awareness on organisations that are working tirelessly to improve the lives of less fortunate women and children. We also want to provide our readers with the opportunity to contribute to these efforts.

We’re kickstarting our NGO partnership program by collaborating with Apne Aap Women’s Collective, Mumbai (AAWC), an organisation striving to address the plight of women trafficked into brothel-based prostitution.

OUR CAMPAIGN

The AAWC’s Umang program benefits the children (aged 2 to 5) of sex workers. An essential part of the program is keeping these toddlers well fed and ensuring they have the means and the supplies needed to get an education. With AAWC’s guidance, we’ve identified the most vital supplies for nourishing the bodies and minds of these children (full list below). We aim to provide AAWC with a quarter of year’s supply of rice and a full year’s worth of art supplies; we invite you to help make it happen by making an in-kind donation of supplies.

If you would like to contribute to our campaign, please get in touch with us at contact@theswaddle.com. We accept new or slightly used items, and we will arrange to have the supplies picked up from anywhere in Mumbai. Even if you have something other than rice and art supplies, but think it still might be useful for the Umang programme, feel free to write in; we’ll work something out.

WHAT IS AAWC?

AAWC was founded in 1998 on Falkland Road, Kamathipura, in Mumbai. Initially working from a single-room, AAWC eventually developed into a resource centre that holistically addresses its members’ needs. Today, AAWC provides professional counseling, medical care, and micro-savings facilities in order to empower women with the long-term skills necessary for exiting prostitution permanently.

Over the years, AAWC has also expanded its reach to empower the children of these women. AAWC works with young girls at great risk of being coerced into prostitution in order to prevent second-generation trafficking.

AAWC runs the Umang programme, which helps the sex workers’ young children develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially in preparation for formal schooling. Although new members often mimic the violence, abusive language, and sex acts they observe at home, Umang provides a safe space for toddlers to unlearn harmful behavior and form healthy habits. The children are provided uniforms and attend daily kindergarten classes at the AAWC center, where they develop discipline, neuro-motor coordination, basic English and Hindi literacy, and numbers. The programme also hosts workshops to develop self-confidence and leadership, and encourages creative expression through arts and crafts.

AAWC’s Umang kids need:

• 240 kgs of rice
• 81 sets of sketch pens
• 96 sets of colour pencils
• 46 sets of water colours
• 25 sets of paintbrushes
• 20 packets of marble paper
• 25 scissors
• 126 drawing books (A3 size)
• 10 dozen sheets of drawing paper (A3 size)

Contact us at contact@theswaddle.com and to arrange the collection of your donation!