Imagine childhood to be a painting, or rather, the base, the foundation of the painting of life -that we paint as we grow, learn, experience new things and encounter a plethora of people and situations. The foundation of any painting is of paramount importance. It sets precedence for the way the rest of the painting turns out.

Childhood, as one experiences it, shapes the way a child perceives the world. It heavily influences the way children grow to become a part of the society. It affects the way they form relationships, how they view themselves and the way they decide to pave the way for their future selves.

While there are issues aplenty that not only underprivileged, but also children from well to do families face, for the purpose of this article, let’s narrow down our focus on underprivileged children who are often deprived of the basic necessities of life.

These issues range from poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, lack of proper healthcare, child mortality, child labour to abuse. Some children have to unfortunately deal with health conditions from a young age such as Neurodisabilities, hole in heart by birth, cancer and many others. The struggle of having to live through these painful experiences can prove to be debilitating.

So, how is it that we can help these children face the challenges that destiny bestowed on them and still experience the joys of childhood?

There are some organisations or charities that are working towards helping children face many of the above issues. Some are charities that support education for children, some charities help in ensuring that children have access to clean drinking water, some are NGO for child heart surgery, some charities provide financial support to underprivileged families to ensure that they can get their child the treatment they need to live a healthy life.

We all can participate in the incredible work being done by these charities and make a difference in the life of a child.

What are the ways to support a charity working for underprivileged children?

1. Financial Support
– The first and one of the most obvious ways to support a charity is by providing financial support through donations. Charities are always open to financial donations as these monetary donations help them reach out to a greater number of people and provide better support thereon.

2. Volunteer
– Another way to support a charity is by volunteering your time. It always helps to have more hands-on board. One may volunteer to provide direct support on ground or maybe even to help with backend or administrative work. One may volunteer their time and efforts for certain events, drives or any other activities organised by the charitable organisation.

3. Raising awareness
– We can help charitable organisations by generating and raising awareness about the cause they’re supporting, as well as the organisation. This helps garner more support, expand their reach and serve their purpose better.

4. Donations in-kind
– Donating items like furniture, equipment, computer etc count as donations in kind and can be useful for some NGOs. The utility of in-kind donations will vary from one charity to another based on their area of work.

5. Fundraising events
– One can either take the initiative to organise a fundraising event for a charity or volunteer by working with them to organise and execute a fundraiser. Fundraising events are great ways for most charities to build awareness about the cause they support and at the same time raise finances to plan and implement their interventions. They provide a great platform for people from all walks of life to come together to show solidarity for a specific cause. Genesis Foundation, an NGO for child heart surgery based in India organises an annual music festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. Using music as a participatory force, the Foundation has successfully built awareness and raised funds for congenital heart defects.

Childhood is a beautiful and critical phase. It is a building block on which the rest of the life of an individual is built on. However, when some children are deprived of the necessities of childhood it is unfair and unjust. Underprivileged children in India continue to face many challenges only because their families are not able to access the basic facilities. Healthcare is one area where many children are still struggling to overcome their disease and live a normal life. Many children continue to be born with cancer, neurological issues, hole in heart by birth and are unable to access timely medical care leading to a life filled with struggle, challenges and sometimes even death. We all can do our bit to help these children live a life they deserve- where every child has the right to access the basic blocks of life. Act today and make a difference!