NISHTHA means devotion or commitment in Bengali and is also the name of a small organization in West Bengal, India that was founded by women and works to empower women to fight for equal rights, equal opportunities and equal dignity.
NISHTHA mainly operates in the coastal district of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, but has recently expanded its efforts into Maldah which is an ecologically and economically vulnerable district where thousands of people have lost their homes due to the erosion of river banks.
Indian women and girls who live in poor, rural areas have a particularly difficult life with limited choices. Due to lack of education and opportunity, many find themselves married in their teen-age years and it is clear that this practice condemns girls to a downward spiral of dropping out of school, teen-age pregnancy, dependency, abuse, and malnutrition. The region NISHTHA serves, like many in rural India, suffers from illiteracy, child marriage, and poverty – most live on less that $2 a day.
Please view the video link on the menu bar to learn about NISHTHA's programs.
Equal Rights, Opportunity, and Dignity
NISHTHA is a registered NGO* in Kolkata, India and is supported in it's awareness and fundraising capabilities through Nishtha U.S., which is a registered 501 3(c) non-profit corporation. NISHTHA has over 35 years of education and support program experience in the areas of community leadership, health and hygiene, women’s empowerment, legal advocacy, water resource installation and maintenance, vocational training, and education for sustainable agriculture.
NISHTHA supports over 250 villages in rural West Bengal, runs five health clinics, and three schools, including one school for the children of sex workers in the red light district of Kolkata. Over the past decade, NISHTHA has made strides in empowering change agents within village communities to fight for the rights of women and girls. Of primary importance, is the fight to keep girls in schools and to help poor, illiterate women develop a sustainable livelihood. Thus, at the center of all NISHTHA's efforts is the desire to empower women through education, opportunity and self-reliance.
* The international equivilant of a U.S. non-profit.
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