Guria India Blog

Over the past week, Guria hosted a concert at a local college in the village of Jarkania which featured marginalized artists from UP, MP, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. The concert lasted five days and featured artists performing in traditional art forms such as Bundeli Ghat, and the Mayur and Rai dances.  In addition to keeping alive India’s traditional art forms, the concert also contributed to the income of the performers, all of whom come from communities that are vulnerable to exploitation. Additionally, the concert acted as a platform to introduce the villagers of Jarkania to Guria and to raise awareness about human trafficking. Jarkania is the epicenter of many smaller villages, all of which are vulnerable to trafficking. Thus, Guria hopes to establish a presence in Jarkania and gain the support of the villagers in order to effectively prevent human trafficking in the area. 

Namaste from New Jersey. It’s Azza, Bridge Year India Guria volunteer from 2011-2012. Princeton hosted an event called  “Unite for Guria” to raise funds and awareness on campus! Katie Horvath, Shaina Watrous, and I worked for Guria during the Bridge Year Program, and planned the event through the campus organization Princeton Against Sex Trafficking. Students enjoyed samosas, henna designs, and performances from Princeton Bhangra (high-energy Punjabi dance, of which I’m proud to be part), Princeton South Asian Theatrics (a desi acting troupe), and beautiful sitar music from another Bridge Year alum and Guria enthusiast Doug Wallack. Students also wrote notes, in English and in Hindi, on vintage Princeton postcards and mailed them to the kids of Guria.  Azza, Katie, and Shaina Through the sales of handmade Guria cards that we brought back from Varanasi, Princeton Against Sex Trafficking was excited to send over $500 to the NFE center. Katie, Shaina, and I shared ou...

Maria Stahl, a supporter of Guria, and her friend Mylie set up a Guria stall at the Annual Christmas Fair of the International Women’s Club in Reigate, Surrey in the UK. The stall featured hand-made beads from Benares glass and clay, and hand-painted wooden toys and statues also from Benares. They sold greeting cards made by the children at the Non Formal Education centre in Varanasi as part of an art therapy project, as well as beautiful hand-woven Benares silk scarves and shawls made by marginalized women who have received help from Guria.   In addition to the Guria stall, Maria was invited to a special birthday party hosted by her friends Patricia and Gary Phillips from Bermuda at a well-known restaurant in London. There, she gave a short talk about Guria, and received  £ 150 in donations.  Altogether, Maria raised  £500 for Guria! 

On Saturday November 10 th , Guria’s Non-Formal Education center in Shivdaspur hosted a Diwali celebration for the children in the area and visitors. The children were split into two teams, one team in charge of decorating the new building (Kabir House), and the other in charge of decorating the old building (Sahid Bhagat House). They spent the week leading up to the celebration decorating their respective buildings with streamers, signs, drawings, dias, clay, rangoli art, and paper chains. Both teams did a fantastic job. By November 10 th , the buildings were covered in colorful decorations, and lit up by dias. The children had a great time preparing their buildings for the celebration and competing with one another for “best building.”  Visitors from India and abroad attended the event at the Non-Formal Education center. The children of both buildings proudly showed the visitors their work. After a week of preparation, Sahid Bhagat House and Kabir House were beautifully...

Brian Millington, a friend of Guria UK, cycled from London to Brighton to raise money for Guria. The race was 58 miles long, and Brian completed it in just under nine hours.  Through the cycle race and a fundraiser at a café in Brighton, Guria UK raised over £1280!

Guria rescued 29 minor girls from the red light area of Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh. 

Read about the Guria FREEDOM NOW! concert series that took place in London and Cambridge. (Click for more)