Best NGOs in Mumbai: Transforming Lives Across Diverse Communities

Mumbai, a city that is widely known to embody a rich tapestry of cultures, dreams, and aspirations, isn’t always as it seems. As we delve deeper into the grassroots level of the city, we unearth its harsh reality. Harbouring over 20 million people, Mumbai nestles the world’s largest slum—Dharavi. Owing to its poor living conditions and being home to nearly a million people, Dharavi is a breeding ground for dengue, tuberculosis, respiratory infections, and other communicable diseases.

To address this issue, The WE Foundation—a leading NGO in Mumbai, Maharashtra—has been aiding people from marginalised communities, especially in Dharavi, with its social welfare interventions.

The WE Foundation opened its Mumbai chapter in 2022 with its first state intervention, Project Atmanirbhar, distributing soaps among 30,000+ students from 14 schools under BMC and sensitising them on the 6 steps of handwashing. Our week-long campaign ‘Care for Hands’ was launched to generate awareness at both the community and school levels and benefited 135,520 people directly.

How The WE Foundation is inspiring change dynamically through our holistic approach

Piloted in 2024, Project Saksham, with its six pillars—Health, Nutrition, WASH, Environment, Education, and Art and Culture—was launched in five schools in the Bandra Kurla Complex. An initiative such as Project Saksham was the need of the hour. With common nutritional deficiencies like iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, and vitamin D deficiency prevalent in the area, the lack of proper WASH facilities was aggravating the living conditions of the residents. Hence, The WE Foundation, in collaboration with BMC and WHO, stepped up to address this issue.

Project Saksham brought about a perceptible change within the community through its community health programs, educational programs, and environmental programs.

During its first week, Project Saksham engaged with five BMC government schools in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area, conducting impactful activities such as:

• Health & Nutrition Screening Camps: Providing medical checkups and nutrition guidance to students.
• WASH Awareness Sessions: Educating children on hygiene best practices and sanitation.
• Community Cleanliness Drive: Encouraging participation in maintaining clean school and community spaces.
• English Education Program: Enhancing language skills through interactive learning methods.

From Clean Water to Clean Minds: The Circle of Wellness

Project Saksham was our call to action to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases following an integrated approach. Our robust project model ensured and maximised its impact by empowering more than 10,000 individuals through awareness generation alone.

The WE Foundation strives to ensure that every child is entitled to basic sanitation and that their health and hygiene are safeguarded. From end-to-end services to impactful awareness generation, we take full ownership of our projects and go above and beyond to ensure their vitality.

To promote consistent hygienic practices, we not only distributed hygiene kits but also made arrangements for one-on-one counselling and demonstrations on personal hygiene, along with community and school cleanliness drives to instill the habit of hygiene in them.