For over thirty years, Guria Sansthan has worked to eradicate human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children in India. That work involves, among other activities, identifying those living in poverty who are most at risk of unsafe migration and exploitation, and directly providing them with what they need to survive. Guria has long-standing relationships with some of the poorest communities of Uttar Pradesh, a state in which 59 million people live below the poverty line. 

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Guria is using its existing network to deliver essential resources to these most at-risk communities. Guria India has spent the past year implementing an ambitious food distribution program in the Uttar Pradesh districts of Ghazipur, Mau, Varanasi, Chandauli, Azamgarh and Mirzapur with the partial support of Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, Kanpur Logistics Pvt. Ltd. and other individual supporters. But the COVID-19 crisis grows more acute every day, and Guria is now in desperate need of additional funds to continue its emergency work.

Given the lack of social welfare support and medical infrastructure in India, Guria also hopes to begin delivering medicines and monetary support for funeral rites, in addition to groceries. 

Please consider donating generously to this small organization working at the frontline to protect the most vulnerable people in India during this public health emergency.

A personal note from Shaina: From 2009-2010, I spent a year in Guria Sansthan's Varanasi office, working closely with Guria’s staff on various programming initiatives aimed at preventing human trafficking. I returned in 2013, to spend several months shadowing Guria’s leaders, Ajeet Singh and his wife Santwana Manju, and filming a documentary about Guria’s work. I have since stayed in close touch with organization’s staff. The staff of Guria have entirely dedicated their lives to ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation—they take almost no weekends or holidays off, and they carry out this often-dangerous work at tremendous personal risk to themselves. There is no group that I trust more to do this work during this national nightmare for India.

Guria UK raises funds for Guria's work in India. Guria UK is entirely volunteer-run and any minimal administrative costs are covered by the volunteers. 100% of your donation will go to Guria's work in India.