Working and living at a garbage dump, Okhla-Estate, New-Delhi, 2017
Our Story
Why we do what we do
That’s an easy one: Each child in this world has the right for healthy childhood and future. Each child deserves a chance to fulfill its dream and to live a decent life.
Being born in Austria, Europe is – in comparison to most parts of the world – a privilege. Around 2016 we decided, to give back some of the luck the we have had.
We chose India for rational reasons as we can unfold our maximum effect there.
Our first journey in 2017 took us to some of the worst places one can imagin. We visited steaming landfills, slums where people live with less than some cardboard boxes, and brick factories. We witnessed a world where children’s rights did not exist, where access to healthcare, education and social ascent are impossible by birth.
We visited charitable organisations in Austria and India. Finally we realised we were shown fancy presentations and big numbers, mostly without any significans in detail. We saw expensive domestic and internatioanl administrations. In the end we realised that collecting aid is also an industry, at least in the “first world”.
Desilusonised from most of the organisations we met, we decided to lay brick to form our own organisation. We strived to choose a form of organisation which is highly transparent as well as broadly accepted. In 2015 Austrian laws allowed to form a “Bundesstiftung” for charitable organisations: In terms of transparency and oversight the most regulated form of its kind. Bundesstiftung “Mein Beitrag” was born.
Since 2017 we have been plenty of times to India. We met child poverty from different perspectives. We visited quite a number of slums, came to talk to their population, met with school principals and caretakers.
Since 2021 we are operating our learning center in New Delhi’s north-east. Our team on site consists of four fulltime employees who are taking care of selected children from the nearby slum.
Read More: How we help
Why India
The global hunger index lists a handful of countries, including India.
From there we chose India because of the following criteria:
- political stability and personal safety
- General attitude towards foreigners, other culutres and different religions
- Buying power of Euro
- easy/quick access from Austria
India meets these criteria the best.
Address Learning Center
If you need support getting to our learning center, we can support you organising your trip.
Shree Shyam Residency, Apt 1-104
Shahbad Extension
New Delhi, 110042 Delhi, India