The India Freedom Fund

Freedom through Transformation

The India Freedom Fund is a group of funds consisting of five options for designating gifts more specifically to our Community Transformation programs in India. The India Freedom Fund is the foundation from which our programs in India launch, expand, and are sustained.

The Education Fund
Gifts to this fund are directly applied to Dalit Education Centers and associated education needs in India, such as building and expansion costs and academic tools.

The Economic Development Fund
Gifts to this fund support economic development programs in India, including micro-loans, Self-Help Groups, and Vocational Training Centers.

The Healthcare Fund
All gifts designated to The Healthcare Fund support our comprehensive healthcare programs in India, which include Community Health Workers, who monitor nutrition and growth in children at Dalit Education Centers and provide preventative care, such as immunizations, at the village level; clinics and hospitals for Dalits; feeding programs for Dalit children in our schools; and innovative HIV/AIDS programs.

The Women’s Empowerment Fund
Gifts designated to this fund are applied toward special programs, such as The Lydia Project, which trains Dalit women in professional tailoring and the manufacture of accessories and home goods; Self Help Groups, which allow Dalit women the opportunity to establish their own businesses and enter onto the pathway of economic and social empowerment; and Women’s Empowerment Conferences, that teach and equip women with an understanding of their rights and value as individuals.

The Ambedkar Urgent Need Fund
Gifts to this fund are reserved for an unforeseen, urgent need in India. This fund is named in honor of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit hero. In the mid-twentieth century, Dr. Ambedkar launched a campaign for freedom of conscience for every person in India, including the Dalits. He was influential as the framer of the Indian Constitution, the document that declared India a democracy in 1947, and he included freedom for all people as a fundamental right. Dr. Ambedkar pioneered the modern Dalit movement by laying the foundation for the work that the Dalit Freedom Network and our Indian partners are accomplishing today. More than sixty years later, a global-scale effort to impact India by investing in Dalit children and giving them the tools to live free, dignified lives is changing the face of India.