| ERADICATE EXPTREME POVERTY & HUNGER |
 Poverty and hunger are denials and violations of human rights. They result in exclusion, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness among affected communities. Children are the most vulnerable among all groups to conditions of poverty and hunger. Lack of food, nutrition, social and physical security, healthcare and education, affect both, the present and future capacities of children. Increased stress o n the abilities of families and communities translates into compounded impacts o n children for years to come. Across India, there has been little significant decrease in exploitative child labor, while the trafficking of women and children is o n the rise. Our Trust will work in Advocating, raising awareness and helping effect policies for children’s well-being. |
| Health: |
 The quality of Indian healthcare is varied. In major urban areas, healthcare is of adequate quality, approaching and occasionally meeting Western standards. However, access to quality medical care is limited or unavailable in most rural areas. According to a 2005 report, 42% of India’s children below the age of three were malnourished, which was greater than the statistics of sub-Saharan African region of 28%. Although India’s economy grew 50% from 2001–2006, its child-malnutrition rate only dropped 1%, lagging behind countries of similar growth rate. Approximately 1.72 million children die each year before turning one. The under five mortality and infant mortality rates have been declining, from 202 and 190 deaths per thousand live births respectively in 1970 to 64 and 50 deaths per thousand live births in 2009. However, this decline is slowing. Reduced funding for immunization leaves only 43.5% of the young fully immunized. Infrastructure like hospitals, roads, water and sanitation are lacking in rural areas. Shortages of healthcare providers, poor intra-partum and newborn care, diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections also contribute to the high infant mortality rate.Leela Charitable Trust supports the Government in its objectives to reduce and prevent malnutrition and to improve the development of children under three years old, especially those in marginalised groups. Our trust will co-ordinate and will create awareness among Rural public and an increased effort will be taken to ensure the necessary reduction in maternal, infant and young child mortality. |
| Water, environment and sanitation: |
| Safe drinking water |
 Access to protected sources of drinking water has improved from 68% of the population in 1990 to 88% in 2008. However, only 26% of the slum population has access to safe drinking water, and 25% of the total population has drinking water on their premises. This problem is exacerbated by falling levels of groundwater caused mainly by increasing extraction for irrigation. Insufficient maintenance of the environment around water sources, groundwater pollution, excessive arsenic and fluoride in drinking water pose a major threat to India’s health. |
| Poor Sanitation: |
 As more than 122 million households have no toilets, and 33% lack access to latrines, over 50% of the population (638 million) defecate in the open.(2008 estimate) This is relatively higher than Bangladesh and Brazil (7%) and China (4%). Although 211 million people gained access to improved sanitation from 1990–2008, only 31% use the facilities provided. Only 11% of Indian rural families dispose of stools safely whereas 80% of the population leave their stools in the open or throw them in the garbage. Open air defecation leads to the spread of disease and malnutrition through parasitic and bacterial infections.Leela Charitable Trust Will support the national and state governments in developing and implementing a range of replicable models for sanitation, hygiene and water supply |
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Children Education and Care:
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 Education is not only a right in itself, but an “enabling right”- a critical instrument for bringing about “social, economic and political inclusion and a durable integration of people, particularly those ‘excluded’ from the mainstream of any society”. The number of children who are not in school remains high and gender disparities in education persist despite a major improvement in literacy rates during the 1990s in India. We work towards developing inclusive and equitable education policies and practices, thereby ensuring a quality education for all children, regardless of their gender, class, caste, ethnicity and religion. We give special educational merit scholarships for students. |
| Help Senior citizens: |
In a country like India, where 100 million (current estimate) older persons, 33% live below the poverty line, 90% are from the unorganized sector with no social security, and 73% are illiterate & dependent on physical labour.‘‘Elder Abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.” Such abuse is generally divided into the following categories:
Our Trust reaches out to the underprivileged senior citizens, through its various services in the areas of moral, health and emotional security.
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| Protect and save animals: |
 Love for animals is universal, and there are people helping animals all over the world. Despite some of the best animal protection laws in the world and a renowned heritage of reverence for life, modern India is a country where millions of animals suffer severe neglect or abuse. Leela charitable trust is dedicated to awareness, education and action regarding cow protection (Go Raksha) as taught in the Vedic scriptures. We wish to honour and implement the Vedic standards of cow protection. |
| Learning Sanskrit Language & Music: |
 It is well known that Sanskrit is a mother of all Indo-Aryan languages and it is this language in which our Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads have been written and in which Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Banabhatta and Dandi wrote their classics. Teachings of Shankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhawacharya, Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya would not have been woven into the fabric of Indian culture if Sanskrit would not have been available to them as a medium of expressing their thoughts. Sanskrit Remains the Supreme Language, With the Vedas was laid the foundation stone of Vedic literature and all Sanskrit literature thereafter. From religion and philosophy to grammar, phonetics, etymology, lexicography, astronomy, astrology, sociology, politics, arts and aesthetics, Sanskrit is everywhere. Leela charitable Trust encourages and educates the importance of Sanskrit for nurturing our cultural heritage. |
| Music: |
| Music participation provides a unique opportunity for literacy preparation. Every home wakes up to the sound of some devotional music in India! Music is made up of different sounds through different media. Proper singing regulates breath, which in turn controls blood pressure, hypertension and unproductive emotive states of the mind such as fear, insecurity and rejuvenates breath related ailments, allergies such as asthma. One can develop concentration, sensitivity towards many different areas in day to day life, which sets the mind at rest and brings peace. Music is a good individual companion when anything else is not possible, bringing a certain mental security. Music soothes the nerves at different centres through specifically activated nerve centres. Here the music therapy can be wedded to yoga, ayurveda and other types of medicines. The discipline in Carnatic music making brings coordination and concentration. Every aspect of music is as a result of utmost attention-meditation. So within the discipline of music everything possible could be subtly accommodated. Music is therapeutic, mind-alleviating, the source of peace and energy. A Musician needs complete command over sruti-sthana-laya, good listening experience, a vast repertoire, and command over improvisatory techniques, presence of mind, good memory, and sense of proportions, ability to gauge the audience, affable nature, and capability to appreciate others. A singer should have good control over voice and should have clear diction. An instrumentalist needs technical versatility to interpret songs and to improvise. We help and Encourage Young talents of India. Special Scholarships are given to talented children and youth by training them, and giving financial aid. |
