Project Jeevan

Restoring Life with Dignity and Love

A sanctuary for widowed mothers in Vrindavan — where abandonment is met with belonging, and hardship is met with healing.

Through safe shelter, nourishing meals, healthcare, and a caring community, Project Jeewan gives these women the life they deserve — one filled with peace, purpose, and love.

Join us in rewriting their story — one life, one smile, one warm meal at a time.

Project Jeewan: A Life of Dignity

The word Jeewan, meaning “Life” in Hindi, captures the very heart of this initiative — a life not merely survived, but lived with dignity, identity, and respect.

Project Jeewan was born from the urgent need to uplift the ageing, abandoned, and destitute widows of Vrindavan — women who, through no fault of their own, have been cast aside by society and left to beg on the streets just to survive.

At Maitri, we hold a deep and unwavering belief:

Every woman, especially every mother, deserves to live — and leave — this world with dignity.

Project Jeewan is dedicated to restoring what these women were unjustly denied — a safe home, nutritious food, access to healthcare, citizenship rights, and most importantly, a sense of belonging. It’s not just about meeting basic needs — it’s about honoring their lives, their stories, and their humanity.

Through the loving support of Maitri’s homes and programs, these women are no longer invisible. They are seen, heard, and valued. Surrounded by a compassionate community, they are given the chance to age with grace, to heal, and to live out their years in peace.

Project Jeewan is more than a program — it is a promise.

A promise that no woman should ever face her final years alone or in suffering.

A promise that life, even in its later chapters, can be filled with hope.

Jeewan: A Journey of Hope and Healing

In 2008, the founders of Maitri visited Vrindavan and were deeply moved by the heartbreaking reality faced by widowed women there. Frail, alone, and forced to beg for survival, these women — all of them mothers — were living in extreme neglect. The injustice was clear: no mother should ever be left to survive on the streets. Every woman has the right to live with respect, identity, and dignity.

From this powerful realization, the Jeewan project was born.

Maitri’s first step was to provide what was urgently needed — fresh, nutritious, and hygienic meals, served daily to improve the health and well-being of these women. In collaboration with Akshaya Patra, a well-respected organization dedicated to feeding children, we extended that same compassion to widow mothers, offering hot meals at a subsidized cost every single day.

Encouraged by the support of local officials and community leaders, Maitri began by reaching out to the most vulnerable among them — women who were frail, sick, and alone. On July 4, 2010, the project was officially launched at the Meera Sahbhagini Ashram (also known as Pagal Baba Ashram), where 320 of the most destitute widows found their first source of hope.

A Life of Dignity Begins with Compassion

What started as a small act of empathy has grown into a powerful movement of change — creating safe homes, nutritious meals, healthcare, and a loving community for those who need it most.

With your support, this journey can continue.

Join us in honoring these women — not with pity, sympathy but with respect, care, and the resources they deserve.