My wife works as a volunteer for The Child In Need Institute (CINI)
Here is what they do:
The Children in Need Institute works to break down the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Its vision is of an India in which children are able to reach their full potential, regardless of their gender, caste, class or ethnicity.
To bring this about, the charity works with local community groups and government bodies to bring about sustainable improvements in nutrition, access to healthcare and access to education. In particular it empowers women and children at key stages in the life-cycle: childhood, adolescence and pregnancy, with programmes designed to help them lay the foundations for a happy healthy life. These programmes are implemented by local staff and volunteers, keeping costs lower than for organisations dependent on foreign aid workers.
CINI shares successful approaches with other organisations working in related fields. CINI is widely recognised as a leading authority on mother and child nutrition and healthcare in India, and has provided training on related issues to major charities such as UNICEF, CARE and CRY, as well as many smaller local NGOs.
In November 2005, the Indian government recognised CINI’s outstanding work by giving the charity the National Award of Child Welfare. Recipients of this prestigious award are chosen on the basis of the quality of their programmes, their significance in leading the way on improving child welfare in India, and the numbers of children whose lives have been touched by the charity’s work.
CINI UK, registered with the Charity Commission in 2002, raises awareness and funds for CINI’s projects in the UK. The charity provides its donors with full progress reports on the projects they fund, and actively encourages them to visit the work in India so that they can see for themselves the impact this is having on people’s lives on the ground.