From Abandoned to Empowered: Stories of Varanasi's Widows
Super Admin 07 Feb 2026
Varanasi, the city of light, harbors a dark reality: thousands of widows from across India arrive at the ghats every year, abandoned by their families. They survive on ₹5-10/day alms from temples, sleeping on pavements, suffering from untreated diseases.
Our Widow Support Program has been providing shelter, meals, medicine, and livelihood training to these forgotten women since 2020.
Meet Kamla Devi (72):
Abandoned by her sons after her husband's death, Kamla Devi came to Varanasi with nothing. Through our program, she now lives in a supported shelter, receives 3 meals daily, and has been treated for her chronic arthritis. She says, 'For the first time in 5 years, someone asked me how I'm feeling.'
Meet Sunita (45):
A domestic violence survivor, Sunita fled to Varanasi with her two daughters. We enrolled her in our tailoring program, and within 6 months, she started earning ₹8,000/month stitching clothes. Her daughters are now in school with our scholarships.
These stories are not rare — they're happening every day. With your support, we can reach more women like Kamla and Sunita.