about us

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Since its creation in January 2007, Sambhali Trust has worked tirelessly to change the lives of Rajasthani women by providing them with access to formal education, training in traditional income-generating skills such as handicraft production, as well as arranging and monitoring women’s self-help groups, helping them to save money, have access to loans and create small enterprises of their own.

We also empower women by teaching them about their human rights and provide refuge, counseling and support in cases of domestic violence, and financial help with legal or medical issues.

We focus our work on women within the scheduled caste community and from all religions who experience three levels of discrimination based on their caste, their economic situation, and their gender.

Together, we can empower the women and girls of Rajasthan, India

In our Empowerment Centres, we provide underprivileged Rajasthani women and girls an education in English, Hindi, and Maths.

Through our Scholarship Project and Boarding Homes, we sponsor children from poverty-stricken families to continue going to school.

We provide counseling, health, and legal support when women are abused, abandoned, and blackmailed.

Most importantly, we provide a space that is safe and free of discrimination, to uplift the hearts and voices of deprived Rajasthani women and nurture lasting networks of support.

learn more about our programs

Where we work

Sambhali Trust's projects are based in Jodhpur, Setrawa, and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India.

our impact

  • 10 Empowerment Centres

  • 3 Boarding Homes

  • 57,168 women and children reached

  • 940 Sewing Centre graduates

  • 2915 Scholarship Project students

  • 13,398 Nirbhaya Helpline Cases

Our Policies

 
 

SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS BY THE ECOSOC

Sambhali Trust has been granted Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations on 23 July 2015.

Read more >

 
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Sambhali's Founder Govind Singh Rathore with Trust's students
 

 our founder

When Govind was 15 years old, his father died, leaving him the head of the household. In India's patriarchal society, widows have no status, respect, or rights. He began to look at the plight of women and children in the local community and decided to do something about it.

read govind’s story

 

Our Leadership

 
 
 

Honorary Web Admin - Ginka Poole

See our whole Organigram here

 
 

 Board of Trustees

Shyama Tanwar - Sambhali Trust

Shyama Tanwar

With a BA in administration, Sanskrit and education, Shyama came to Sambhali following over 20 years spent teaching Hindi and Sanskrit.

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Badan Kanwar

Badan is retired from her hospitality business, and she is a survivor of domestic violence and early widowhood. Govind Singh Rathore credits her for inspiring him to start the Trust.

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Virendra Singh Chouhan

Virendra is director of 'RAJPUT Cultural adventures in Rajasthan.' He has a diploma in tourism from the Hotel Management Institute, Jodhpur.

 
 

 Patron

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our patron

Deepa Mehta is an internationally acclaimed director, filmmaker and screenwriter. She joined Sambhali Trust in 2017 as a supporter of the grassroots nonprofit's decade-long service to families across India.

Hear about Deepa’s commitment

International Advisory Board

  • Mag. Ernestine Badegruber - Sambhali Austria, Hilfe für Frauen und Kinder in Indien, Linz, Austria

  • Ms. Renate Massmann-Krei - Freunde für Sambhali e. V., Allensbach, Germany

  • Mrs. Sarah Harrington - Sambhali UK, United Kingdom

  • Mrs. Jacqueline de Chollet - Founder/Director of Global Foundation for Humanity, UK/USA

  • Mrs. Flo Bornecque- Rousseau  - Dynamique au Féminin,  La Valette, France

 National Advisory Board

  • Advt. Vandana Bhansali - Mrs. Bhansali has a Master’s degree in Law and is an advocate at the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur, where she has been practising since 2006. She is a member of the Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, “Women Redressal Committee” and has worked on women’s issues specialising in declining sex ratio and domestic violence, a project undertaken by UNFPA and CHEARS.

  • Ramona Saboo -Mrs. Saboo is Founder/Director of Forty Red Bangles, which she founded in 2010; a socially conscious and ecologically responsible company based in Mumbai, which supports many NGOs and cooperatives throughout India by sourcing items from them for her store. Mrs Saboo has long been a supporter of Sambhali Trust, in particular its sewing centres.

  • Dr. Shakti Singh Khakhadki - Dr. Khakhadki has a Doctorate in Rajasthani literature and is formerly assistant to the Rajmata Saheb of Jodhpur. He is a passionate tourist guide, social activist and writer and also runs a business for hand-made fashion wedding accessories.

  • Dr. Mahendra Singh Tanwar - Writer & Asst. Manager Maharaja Maan Singh Pustak Prakash, Research center, Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, India.

  • Dr. (Mrs) Kunjan Trivedi - Dr Trivedi has been the Professor of the Dept of Human Sciences in Jodhpur from 2001-13. She obtained a PhD in Human Development and more recently a Master’s Diploma in Gender Studies. Amongst her many achievements in her illustrious career she has written several publications, papers, articles and books on social issues surrounding women in Rajasthan as well as helping to establish the syllabi for several degree courses in universities in Jodhpur.