Project Title: The Unforgotten

Location: India

Grant Amount: $41,100 - Over Two Years

Grantee Website: www.unforgotten.org

Areas of Impact: Economic Sustainability, Education & Literacy, Safety and Security

Mission of The Unforgotten
The Unforgotten Fund (UNFF) shares the United Nation's vision of promoting sustainable development in the poorest areas of this planet, as stated in the Millennium Development Goals.

They focus on three areas:

Eradicating extreme poverty, by helping those whose income is less than $1 US per day.
Attaining universal primary education.
Improving access to safe drinking water.

UNFF focuses on projects that aid the most vulnerable - mothers and girls living in extreme poverty.

Summary
The Unforgotten works in a trash dump in the city of Pune, India - one of the most dire living situations for women and children. Their multifaceted program provides mothers first with the bare essentials of clean food, water and shelter. Mothers then learn basic literacy, business skills and receive micro-loans to start small businesses. Children are enrolled in primary school with additional free tutoring, keeping them in school while liberating them of the burden of selling and eating scraps found in the trash.

The overarching objective of the program is to enable mothers presently living in trash dumps to support themselves and their children through means other than trash picking. DFW’s grant of $41,100 over two years will support 50 mothers with 100 daughters presently living in the Pune dump with support counseling, microloans and facilities to provide training. Our grant also covers school fees and tutoring for 100 girls.

Why We Love This
We are helping the poorest of the poor - women and girls living among the worst conditions in the world, helping them create a better life for themselves. Life in trash dumps consists of make-shift plastic bag and scrap metal dwellings. Children earn about $0.50 per day selling scraps found in the trash for mere survival. Mothers try to prepare meals of waste scraps as best they can, and, if they are lucky, they can eat one meal a day. We love the focus on keeping girls in school and helping mothers learn a new way to make a living outside horrific living conditions.