CHARITY WORK

The Aarohan charity was officially established in 2005, although it was first conceived in 2003 by Rani Patel. Faced with the consequences of petty crime committed by ‘street children’ (her car was repeatedly vandalised), Rani realised that she had to do something to help them build a better future. Her journey began with seven children, with the sole aim of eradicating illiteracy.

Aarohan is a New Delhi-based children’s charity devoted to helping underprivileged children understand that they have a right to an education. Its aim is to assist children who are unable to attend school due to exceptional personal circumstances. Aarohan’s work focuses on the ‘slum’ children of New Delhi, who are forced to survive while being homeless. These young children spend their days collecting rags and sifting through rubbish heaps so that they and their families can survive.

Today, Aarohan has helped over 1,700 children, with more than 750 gaining access to mainstream formal schooling and over 350 children supported each year. All the children also receive a nutritious meal each day.

Our main fundraising activities for Aarohan include non-uniform days, used uniform sales, and bake sales.

MADS (Make a Difference Society) collaborates with several associations, depending on current priorities and needs. Some of the initiatives and partnerships include:

Partage – This year marks our 5th annual food and supply collection, bringing in the entire CDL community in an act of solidarity to help those in need.

Gift Box Project – In the fall of 2024, MADS students led a school-wide gift box appeal, creating over 200 boxes thanks to the generosity of CDL families. These were distributed to children in need, and the project has successfully returned for fall 2025.  

MADS also supports several organisations through its fundraising events, like bake sales and the MADS concert, including:

Coucoudre—A creative initiative that empowers immigrants living in Switzerland by repairing clothing and crafting items from recycled fabrics.

Leman Hope—An organisation that supports young people in Switzerland recovering from cancer, offering them hope and community.

International Red Cross—An organisation that provides humanitarian aid and relief efforts across the world.  

Serenje Outreach for Children’s Help is for the benefit of children with disabilities in Zambia where there is little or no provision for their needs. Originally named Serenje Orphans Appeal (SOA) the charity has evolved into a school and our focus is supporting children with disabilities.

In the creation of this new primary school, 10% of the numbers of each class will be reserved for SOCH children. Support provided for the SOCH children includes school supplies and uniform, boarding and welfare throughout the school year. The remainder of the school is self-sufficient.

As of January 2025, 23 disabled children are sponsored by SOCH. Besides their education and life essentials SOCH children receive physiotherapy, special provision for those who have impaired or no hearing, and provision of wheelchairs and prosthetics. Our specific aim this year is to provide new wheelchairs for 5 of the students we sponsor.

Our fundraising is as essential as ever so we can support those in need.

WATU has supported 5 schools in the community of Moshi in Tanzania since 2001. The name was inspired from our full mission in promoting People’s participation in education and the word for ‘people’ in Swahili is ‘watu’. We believe that all people should work to ensure that every child is properly educated.

WATU has renovated crumbling infrastructure in the public primary schools, added new toilets, a science lab, new desks, and security fences. We have raised money for individual students who risk expulsion for deficient school fees, and provided school lunches for countless students, many for whom this might be their only hot meal for the day.

We also support individuals at university to allow them to pursue higher education. One special recipient was able to earn a degree in electrical engineering at Mbeya University of Science and Technology thanks to WATU’s sponsorship. Opportunities for CDL families to sponsor individual students are available through our organisation.