India has around 1,300,000,000 inhabitants, and these people face daily challenges such as poverty, lack of healthcare, unemployment, and environmental degradation. NGOs in Mumbai support these challenges and try to change the already impoverished society.

More precisely, NGOs in Mumbai were created to improve the rural areas’ social development, to better the future of children, women, etc. They focus on the education, welfare, and rights of children. NGOs also work to empower and develop women, the elderly, and social justice.

Here are the top 10 NGOs in Mumbai:

1. YUVA India

YUVA was founded in 2015 by a group of enthusiastic young individuals. The organisation aims to create a brighter future for the children and youth of Mauritius and India. YUVA is one of Africa’s and India’s largest and most active youth-led organisations. It aims at promoting peace and non-violence, especially among the youth. It promotes peace in each individual and how they can reflect it to the world.

YUVA work with families to ensure that children and young people have access to good health, are well educated, experience the love of parents and their surroundings, and are cared for, protected, and participating.

YUVA focuses on creating better opportunities for the children and youth of Mauritius and India by getting them involved in the country’s development. Their voice is heard, and their concerns are being acted on. Children and young people gain new skills and experiences that will be useful for their development. Their objective is to develop healthy, educated, empowered, and employed individuals to break the cycle of poverty.

YUVA has arranged health programmes because it is often the cause of poverty for some families. The organisation also came up with some initiatives to enable employment.

2. UDAAN Foundation

Udaan Foundation was founded in 2007 by Dr. (Prof.) Amit Varma in 2007 with the aim dedicated to improving all citizen’s life by initiating various activities such as medical welfare programmes for the medically under-served section of the society, scholarship programs for talented medical graduates and postgraduates, social welfare programs for the vulnerable members of the community and to drive academic research in the field of medicine.

 The organisation’s members are from all walks of life: doctors, psychologists, engineers, and social workers dedicated to the cause. They have dreams of providing healthcare at every doorstep free of cost, creating awareness in the masses, and providing health education to medical and paramedical personnel.

3. Neptune Foundation

Neptune Foundation is an endeavour to make a difference, bridging the gap, and awaken the sensibilities of today’s materialistic individual. It is an initiative to make this world a better place where basic dignity is not the privilege of a blessed few, whether human or animals.

The Neptune Foundation is meant to aid those less fortunate. Neptune Foundation’s initiative spanned from caring for the girl child and aged to saving the dying art forms in villages. They identify people living on the streets with mental disabilities and bring them into the foundation for treatment and care.

4. Akshara Foundation

The organisation was founded in March 2000 and believes that quality education is the absolute right of every child. Children should not be deprived of this just because they do not have access to it or the resources to realise their dreams.

The Akshara Foundation believes technology and shared digital infrastructure have become more relevant now than ever. Leveraging their combined power to impart education to all children is essential. The focus has to be on blended models that can accelerate conventional learning through accessible technology-based innovations for teachers and children.

5. Prerana

Prerana works to end intergenerational prostitution and to protect women and children from the threats of human trafficking by defending their rights and dignity, providing a safe environment, supporting their education and health, and leading significant advocacy efforts. Prerana strives to ensure the optimum protection of children.

This is reflected in the broad spectrum of interventions that provide a continuum of care by addressing issues of child sexual abuse in parallel with anti-human trafficking. Since its establishment in 1986, Prerana’s pioneering efforts have been instrumental in supporting victims through the entire cycle from prevention to repatriation.

6. Concern India Foundation

Concern India Foundation was set up in 1991 as a registered non-profit, public charitable trust to extend financial and non-financial support to grassroots NGOs working in education, health, and community development. Their motto is to “Help People Help Themselves” by making the disadvantaged self-reliant and enabling them to lead a life of dignity. This philosophy lays the foundation for their programs to have the buy-in of the entire community and are sustainable and effective.

They work with and through grassroots organisations with passion and purpose but strapped for funds. They will help such organisations with funding, capacity building, systems, and planning to continue their work even after the financial support. Over the past 30 years, they have strengthened and supported over 1,000 NGO partners nationwide through our offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune.

7. Light of Life Trust

Light of life trust was founded in 2005 and has ensured that thousands of underprivileged children from rural communities in India have completed their secondary education. They focus their projects on single parents, neglected, tribal, and orphan children, youth, and women from rural communities of India and their holistic development.

Their mission is to break the generational cycle of poverty, one life at a time. They have developed multiple projects to do so. Project Anando is based on the belief that no child should be forced to drop out of school. It helps children complete their secondary education, delay their age of marriage, and equip them for employability.

8. Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH)

The Foundation for Mother and Child Health works on maternal health and malnutrition. They empower families from vulnerable communities with contextual, timeline, and actionable information and services, resulting in health-seeking behaviour and nutritious food choices.

 This leads to better maternal health, reduction in malnutrition, and ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty. They have worked with over 60,000 families across the low-income slums of Mumbai to change these alarming numbers. Their vision is a world of healthy mothers and thriving children.

9. National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH)

The National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped is led by doctors, social workers, and professionals to serve the cause of persons with disabilities. They work with the Indian Government, National and International bodies to create awareness of the problems and issues concerning the disabled in the area of Education, Vocational Training, Employment, and advocacy.

NASEOH organised conferences and workshops at the All-India level and proposed recommendations and action plans to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Government of India for their consideration. 

10. Dignity Foundation

Dignity Foundation has worked for senior citizens since 1995, offering an enriching set of opportunities to lead a more dignified, secure, joyful, and fulfilling life. Dignity Foundation deals with the psycho-social challenges of senior citizens in India and helps them tackle their loneliness and insecurities, bringing joy back into their lives.

Dignity Foundation identifies poor senior citizens in slum communities and provides them with introductory dry provisions and Covid-19 essentials. Dignity also has a helpline that enables senior citizens to seek help and assistance against abuse. It is also helpful in information dissemination and counselling senior citizens on several matters.

Ingrid Roussel, YUVA Intern