About Maitri

Maitri Delhi-Based NGO
Maitri's Mission
Promote primary health, education and restore human rights
to empower India’s most vulnerable populations.

Maitri defends human rights and strengthens communities through individual and community empowerment with advocacy, education, community-based program development, and networking. Maitri is committed to improving the quality of life and dignity of the vulnerable populations it works with, which include:

● Destitute and marginalised widows
● Members of uniformed services and their families
● Migrant workers and their families
● Survivors of domestic violence
● Underprivileged children
● Individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS

Background
“Maitri” is a developmental humanitarian NGO named after a Sanskrit word that translates as loving-kindness, compassion, and friendship. It was founded in 2005 by Lt. General (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh and Winnie Singh in Shillong, India. Maitri was established to help combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria among armed personnel of northern India. Through workshops and seminars, Maitri has been able to promote awareness as well as offer treatment, counseling and support to individuals and families influenced by these diseases.

As Maitri became more involved, it was compelled to broaden its scope and address additional social issues such as: domestic violence (especially within the uniformed services), health and welfare for vulnerable populations, care and support for widows, educational and economic opportunities for slum children in Delhi, financial support for children’s education, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns with voluntary counselling and testing centres, and nutrition programmes with mid-day meals.

Presently, Maitri has focused its many projects on key target populations: Violence Against Women, Uniformed Personnel, Migrant Workers and Local Community Empowerment. Please click on each of them to learn more.

Past Achievements
Among the first initiatives was the International Conclave: ‘Combat HIV/AIDS – A Uniformed Intervention’ with heads of security forces and defense establishments. The event was held in Shillong in September, 2005, attended by the Honorable President of India, Dr. APJ Kalam as the keynote speaker. The event featured the National Commission for Women Chair, Girja Vyas, NACO, UNAIDS, and other NGOs as partners. Approximately 300 delegates from India and abroad participated in the conference, which was the first of its kind to be held in India.

To view our Past Events, please click here.

Looking Forward

Maitri has grown vertically and horizontally in terms of the populations it serves and the programs that it offers. The magnitude of many of the issues Maitri is confronting is daunting; however, with the support and collaboration of its partners, local governments and the civil society, Maitri continues forward striving to increase the depth of its existing programmes to maximize the number of beneficiaries.

For more information visit: http://www.maitriindia.org