Birthday Girl Seeking A Specific Gift (eyeroll!)

Growing up, I was the only one in the family who got new dress, cake, balloons, friends, and family and all possible things to make me feel like the princess of everyone’s heart on my birthdays. I blame Kaka (My Dearest Uncle) for spoiling me and so do my parents and sisters. No matter how near or far my family (both natal and marital) is, they make sure I feel the same even now. I feel the luckiest when my friends go extra mile to make my birthday a memorable one each year!

It was most difficult to learn ‘NO ASKING FOR GIFTS’ norm, which my sisters tried hard to teach me. However this time I am going to make an exception and will ask for a particular gift and I hope as my friends have always played along with my myriad ideas of celebrating my birthday, they would do so too this year.

I hereby present to you my demand for a specific birthday gift and the idea behind it:

Around two months back my sisters; a few friends and I raised an emergency fund to help a young woman with three children in Murshidabad, India. This was used through a local non-profit SPMUS with whom I been associated for many years now. The young lady’s children were badly burnt when her distant cousins burnt down her humble hut as they didn’t think it was a good idea for her to leave her abusive marital home in search of better future. You can find her story in my Facebook Page (March 4 & 15). She was in desperate need of shelter, health care, and food. Thanks to our friends we could reach out and provided her immediate support, so that she could get her children medical care and get basic supplies in place. The organization also could provide her legal help from their other program. The neighbors and the family that she worked with as a domestic-help, also helped her when they saw support pouring in.  Now the young woman is emerging as a role model and being approached by local organizations and women in distress, for counseling support. What we did is nothing more than being a ‘Missing Link’ that she needed during the most trying time of her life. Our support was small when you look at the quantity, but had immense impact in her life. It can prove to be a life changing impact, wherein she turned from the victim needing support to someone capable of providing support in a short period of time.

Over the years while supporting SPMUS I understood, unfortunately, these cases are fairly common. There is widespread child marriage, lack of education, and poverty leading to human trafficking as well as bonded labor. The geographical location of the area (it is situated near India-Bangladesh border) further intensifies the vulnerability of young women. The success of the latest case inspired me to begin a project called 'MissingLink' with the non-profit SPMUS (registered and all accounts done and maintained) in India. The Goal of 'MissingLink' is to provide immediate emergency assistance and shelter to young mothers (over 18 years, as younger go to Government run children’s homes) who are escaping domestic violence and potential target for traffickers.

Project 'MissingLink' will go live on Global Giving Site (a Fundraising website for non-profits for donors like us in the USA) and we need to raise $5000 from at least 40 donors in one month from the time it goes live to secure a permanent spot in Global Giving.

If we make it possible, we may secure a matching donation through Global Giving. We need to raise $10,000 in total to initiate the project formally and more effectively rather than doing things at the spurt of the moment.

I am reaching out to few funding organizations in the mean time, which support similar causes, as I know probably raising $5000 won't be possible through individuals at this moment. Once we secure the permanent spot we can raise $10k over the period of time. Here's the link of the project, which is still not active in Global Giving.

I am also forwarding a page for donation amount just to let you know that even $10 will be help a future resident of the facility to travel around for finding job/work. Please set your calendar for Reminder for June 12. I will also be happy to remind you if you pledge to be the 'MissingLink'

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/shelter-for-women-escaping-trafficking-n-domestic-abuse/

Please do not forget to share it on your page.

As I gave you a background of my wish list, the greedy birthday girl also went around asking for pledge as birthday gift from her immediate friends and family members to help her and guess what! I already have $500 in total pledge!! Even if I have a long way to go in order to make the project come live, I feel 1000 times more motivated with this strong support I received. Will you too help me be the MissingLink? It will be a delayed birthday present coming and making me happy in the month of June J

For more information-

Who betrayed them?

Of my love and other demons!