TW: Suicide
A January 2023 newspaper article claimed that on average, 8 farmers end their lives in the state of Maharashtra every day. Some are unable to pay the loans they’ve been forced to take from local moneylenders while others have incurred huge crop losses due to erratic rainfall and a lack of proper irrigation facilities.
These are not mere statistics. These are real people – someone’s father, someone’s husband, someone’s son, or brother. They are victims of the red tape of the banks that disburse loans to the farmers, they’re the scapegoats of moneylenders who charge heavy interest and unfortunately, they’re also the ones who don’t get an adequate price for their produce. The farmer who sustains an entire nation is laden with guilt as he is unable to feed his own family. Eventually, he is forced to take an extreme step and end his life.
For the last several years, Maharashtra has topped the list of farmer suicides in the country, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. While the rising cases of farmer suicide are alarming, one is often left wondering what happens to the families and the children of these farmers who have lost their everything without any foreboding. More often than not their dreams remain unfulfilled as they’re forced to pay back the insurmountable debts of their fathers. Their childhood now becomes a struggle for the bare minimum.
Here are 4 NGOs working in the drought-prone regions of Maharashtra determined to give these orphaned children a better chance of survival. They are feeding them, educating them, and giving them the love that they had not known for a while.
Ashok Deshmane, Snehwan
Growing up in Parbhani, Maharashtra, Ashok had first-hand experience of the helplessness of the farmers and wrote about them in his poems. He knew that the one thing that had the power to change their lives and that of posterity is education. He quit his IT job in 2016 and founded Snehwan to give 50 kids of marginalised and drought-affected farmers a better life. Today, kids from the districts of Parbhani, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Aurangabad, and Wardha are living happily in Snehwan. Ashok and his wife, Archana look after them as their own.
“Marathwada has become infamous for farmer suicides and once a family loses their sole earning member, they hardly even have the time to grieve. They can’t even think of giving their children a better future. I have always wanted to change that.”
Over 700 kind donors supported Ashok on Donatekart and helped him build a new home for the children in his care. He was able to raise more than 8.5L worth of products that were used to buy construction materials and essential groceries.
Santosh Garje, Balgram
In 2003, Santosh started Balgram, a home for orphaned children, in Beed, Maharashtra – a region that’s extremely drought-prone and has a high rate of farmer suicides. The son of a farm labourer, Santosh had seen poverty and suffering from close quarters. Today, Santosh and his wife, Preeti, look after over 107 children. These children have been through a world of pain.
“They’ve had to go through so much, for no fault of theirs. I want to give them the best life possible, I want to give them a childhood worth remembering.”
Santosh’s dedication and desire to make a difference touched many hearts. 500+ donors came together to help him provide groceries for these underprivileged kids.
Prasad Mohite, Prarthana Foundation
Born to farmer parents in a small village called Irlewadi in Barshi Taluka, Maharashtra, Prasad Mohite lost his father to suicide when he was just a young boy and was forced to start working to afford his school fees and food. Prasad was determined to complete his studies, and through his grit and determination, he was able to finish his post-graduation in Social Work. But he quit his job and started working as an auto-rickshaw driver. Prasad and his wife, Anu, both came from poor families and wanted to uplift many more children who face similar challenges.
“We registered our organization in 2018, the same year we lost our newborn baby girl. We might have lost our baby, but through Prarthana Foundation we have become parents to hundreds of children, and we are so grateful for that.”
Prasad was able to raise over 21L worth of construction materials and groceries with the kind support of 1700+ donors. All of this was used to give the 300 children and elderly he is taking care of in Prarthana.
Vinaya and Mahesh Nimbalkar, Snehgram
Mahesh and Vinaya Nimbalkar started Snehgram Democratic School in 2014 in Korfale Tehsil- Barshi District, Solapur. They work for underprivileged children belonging to nomadic tribes from Marathwada and Rajasthan the ability to forge their own futures. There are 192+ children at Snehgram, out of which 43 of them live in the hostel. They have taken in sexually abused children, children of suicide victims, children of prostitutes, orphans, and migrant children.
“All of these children come from difficult homes. Staying at Snehgram, we can ensure that they’re given healthy meals and all their needs are taken care of. Tomorrow when they go out into the world, they need to be able to believe in themselves and know that they have people who believe in them.”
Over 1000 donors supported this well-meaning couple so that they can continue their noble work. To date, they have been able to raise 9.5L worth of construction materials like steel rods, sand, etc which have been used to construct rooms for these children.
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