Message from the President: Community

Last year was hard for Sambhali Trust. Most of the Trust’s funding comes from foreign sources such as Sambhali U.S. and similar organizations in Austria, France, Germany, and the UK as well as from international foundations. When the Trust found itself unable to accept or use any foreign funds while it sought recertification under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)—and with no idea when the situation would resolve—it needed to find innovative ways to move forward day-by-day.

There were so many reasons why they simply had to keep going:

Twenty-year-old Chideya, who has three children, needed to continue to gain the skills to support her family through sewing.
Divya, who didn’t know how to hold a pencil when she started at a Sambhali Primary Education Center, longed to learn to read.
Manisha, who had been studying in Sambhali boarding homes for more than a decade, must not be sent home to her village, leaving her dream of a college degree behind.

Nor could the hundreds of other women and children enrolled in the Trust’s ten Empowerment Centers and Primary Education Centers, or its three boarding homes, halt their journeys. And the dozens of women who called for help with gender-based violence each month could not be turned away.

Somehow, these programs had to keep running—perhaps running on fumes but still running.

The answer was much more tangible than fumes . . . it was community. The staff, participants, and local community believed in Sambhali Trust and wanted—needed—its programs to continue. And so, the community rallied. Indian donations grew. Some landlords agreed to defer receiving rent, private schools—even colleges—agreed to postpone tuition payments. When a center had to move, families in the neighborhood offered the small spaces of their courtyards so that the programs could continue. In one case, staff, participants, and community members literally picked up the sewing machines, desks, and other equipment and walked them 500 meters down a small lane to the new center in a participant’s home. When cloth to teach sewing ran low, teachers donated their older saris so the students could continue to learn. When the elementary school girls of the Laadli Boarding Home took up residence next to the college students at the Abhayasthali Boarding Home, the young women welcomed their younger sisters, finding joy in helping with homework and being role models. Staff stayed even when their salaries were delayed.

There were refrains:

“Sambhali stood with us during the pandemic and now we will stand with Sambhali.”
“Sambhali is important for our neighborhood.”

When I witnessed this community last fall, I was in awe. So many people, most with few resources themselves, were putting Sambhali above their individual needs. With the exception of two centers that temporarily suspended operations, the programs did continue, day in and day out. The learning continued, the joy and the sisterhood all were there. It was hard—very hard—for staff who had their own bills to pay, for students who made do with limited materials, and for landlords and schools who also needed payment. But they knew, and deeply felt, that it was worth the hardship.

The Sambhali U.S. Board of Directors also grew as a community. The Board made the difficult decision that Sambhali U.S. should suspend active fundraising until we could put our donors’ generosity to work. We realized this could greatly impact our ability to raise funds for Sambhali Trust’s future, but also wanted to respect our donors and their past generosity in choosing Sambhali U.S. As December began, instead of the end-of-year campaign that is the bedrock of most non-profits’ funding, board members began contacting donors who had given within the last year or usually made year-end donations to alert them to the situation and offer refunds if they wanted to redirect past donations we had not yet been able to send to India. And we, in turn, were surrounded by community. Donors were upset that Sambhali was facing this obstacle and steadfast in their support for the mission of Sambhali U.S. and the work taking place at Sambhali Trust’s many projects—especially under such difficult circumstances. The refrain we heard:

“Please let me know when this is resolved, I want to be able to help.”

Then, on December 21st, the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, new light showed and Sambhali Trust received its FCRA recertification.

Amidst the joy, we wondered whether it was possible to make up for the months we didn’t actively fundraise with only a few days left in December. As we announced earlier this year, the answer was a glorious yes! In the end, we exceeded our 2022 goal, raising nearly 14% more than in 2021. And by year’s end, the funds so generously donated here were making up for lost time in India.

The community, in India and in the United States, realized the value Sambhali Trust has in the lives of those it serves. And it rallied.

2023 is going to be a good year!

With gratitude,

Shereen Arent
President
Sambhali U.S.