AAWC

Press Releases

GuideStar India NGO Gold Award (Advanced Level). 31st March, 2016 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) was awarded the GuideStar India NGO Transparency Award (Advanced Level) for 2016. The Award aims to encourage and recognize organizations that practice and voluntarily demonstrate their transparency and accountability in the public domain. Read more »»
AAWC participates in the 13th edition of Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 17th January, 2016 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) participated in the 13th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and we were fortunate to be supported by corporate partner Raheja Universal as well as various runners who ardently ran for our cause. Read more »»
AAWC awarded the Gulabrao Ganacharya Award for 2015 November 2015 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) was awarded the Gulabrao Ganacharya Award for 2015 for our services to the red light community of Kamathipura and Falkland Road. Read more »»
AAWC introduces Beautician Training Program for Umeed Women 1st August, 2015 March 2015 was an exciting month at AAWC as we saw the commencement of our pilot project of the Beautician Training Program for the Umeed women. The beautician training program aims to train women in brothel-based prostitution to learn and develop fine skills to work in a beauty parlor. 21 women registered for the course. Read more »»
AAWC introduces night shelter for the Umang children 31st July, 2015 AAWC started a night shelter for our children in the Umang program this month. Several reasons beckoned us towards initiating this program as we realized that the children were exposed to the same environment back home after returning from AAWC day care. Also, we realized that they required extra care and protection during the night when the area is active and the business is thriving. Read more »»
AAWC shortlisted as 150 global winners for BASF- Connected to Care Program 15th June, 2015 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) has been shortlisted as the 150 global winners for the BASF- Connected to Care Program. Read more »»
AAWC receives Gold Star Status on GuideStar India March 2015 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) was awarded the Gold Star Status on GuideStar India. The GuideStar India Gold was achieved after due diligence of AAWC for legal & financial compliances and for sharing those transparencies in public domain. AAWC’s GuideStar Number is GSN 4358. Read more »»
AAWC shortlisted as top 5 finalists at Dasra Girl Power Awards 19th March, 2015 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) has been selected at the Dasra Girl Power Awards as top 5 finalists under Safety and Mobility category where we presented our Udaan program. Read more »»
AAWC raised 4.2 lac in a book launch event hosted by FunOKPlease 13th December, 2014 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) acted as a partner NGO with FunOKPlease for the book launch event of “Brown like Dosas, Samosas and Sticky Chikki.” FunOKPlease is a Mumbai based publisher of children’s books in English with a focus on contemporary Indian content for children in the ages of 3-10 years. They create books for the curious little Indian of today, mixing a lot of knowledge with fun and written especially for India with Indian names, places, animals and things. Read more »»
AAWC participated in the World AIDS Day rally 1st December, 2014 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) participated in the World AIDS Day rally organized by Sankalp Rehabilitation and Mumbai AIDS Forum (MAF). On 1st December, more than 500 PLHIV, under the aegis of a Mumbai Aids Forum, forwarded their demands to the state health department as well the National Aids Control Organization (NACO). Read more »»
AAWC introduced “Nurture 75 Vulnerable Children in the Red Light Area” on GlobalGiving 20th November, 2014 AAWC has introduced our upcoming new program: “Nurture 75 Vulnerable Children in the Red Light Area” on GlobalGiving in November 2014 which will provide a day-care and night shelter facility for toddlers from the age of 2 to 5 years would help them with a secured space, a protective and encouraging environment to learn and study, keep them away from the area and exposure of the activities. Read more »»
AAWC achieved the title of “Superstar” on Global Giving 1st November, 2014 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) achieved the status of “Superstar” on Global Giving after completing one year in November. GlobalGiving is a charity fundraising web site that gives social entrepreneurs and non-profits from anywhere in the world a chance to raise the money that they need to improve their communities. Since 2002, GlobalGiving has raised $159,913,820 from 416,370 donors who have supported 11,405 projects. Read more »»
AAWC listed on CAF America's Charity Database 8 Aug 2014 Apne Aap Women's Collective (AAWC) is now eligible to receive grants from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) America from 7th August 2014 to 7th August 2016. As a result, AAWC is now listed on CAF America's Charity Database. Read more »»
AAWC’s Udaan project shortlisted in Top 50 entries in Project Inspire 2014 6 Aug 2014 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC)’s Udaan project has been shortlisted among the Top 50 projects out of more than 500 entries from 70 countries worldwide for the Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World competition. The competition is a joint initiative from the Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard. Read more »»
AAWC wins AmeriCares Spirit of Humanity – Jury’s Choice Award 2014 17 April 2014 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) has been selected from more than 200 Indian NGOs for the Jury’s Choice Award at the 5th annual Spirit of Humanity Award sponsored by the AmeriCares India Foundation. The competition was supervised by KPMG and supported by leading health organisations, including Abbott, Novartis, Bharat Serums, and Baxter. Read more »»
Canadian Governor General’s wife visits AAWC’s new Kamathipura centre during nine-day State visit to India 3 Mar 2014 Her Excellency Sharon Johnston, wife of the Governor General of Canada, visited AAWC on Saturday during Canada’s nine-day State visit to India. The event inaugurated AAWC’s new Kamathipura centre and was comprised of an orientation session regarding AAWC’s programs and impact, an interactive session with alumni and current members, and a round of games with the Udaan girls. Read more »»
AAWC concludes successful 15th anniversary fundraising campaign via GlobalGiving 15 Jan 2014 During the 2013 holiday season, AAWC launched our 15th anniversary fundraising campaign through GlobalGiving, an international online fundraising platform. We are pleased to announce that we will give 10% of funds raised to Shweta Katti, an AAWC alumnus who currently attends Bard College in New York. Read more »»
UK resident returns to Mumbai to run marathon for AAWC 31 Dec 2013 Despite running in marathons around the world for the past 10 years, Avanish Kumar, 38, admits he did not become passionate about running until he paired it with a social cause. This January, he will travel from the United Kingdom to Mumbai to run in the 2014 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon for Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC), an anti-trafficking NGO in Mumbai’s red light area. Read more »»
AAWC and Thomson Reuters announce successful conclusion of three-month capacity-building partnership 13 Dec 2013 Last Friday, AAWC and Thomson Reuters Corporation successfully concluded Generate, a three-month corporate social responsibility program designed by Impact International. By connecting AAWC to a team of six Thomson Reuters employees chosen from around the world, Generate functioned as a capacity-building opportunity for AAWC and a leadership development opportunity for the Thomson Reuters team. Read more »»
Marathi actor Aditi Sarangdhar celebrates Navratri and Diwali with AAWC 30 Oct 2013 Yesterday, AAWC welcomed Marathi actor Aditi Sarangdhar as chief guest of the Navratri & Diwali celebration for Udaan members. A philosophy graduate of Ruia College and an actor well known for her portrayal of strong female leads, Sarangdhar encouraged the girls to pursue their academic studies and personal interests. Richard Bale, Consul General for Canada in Mumbai, and his wife Susan Laidlaw, a weekly tutor at AAWC, also attended the festive occasion. Read more »»
AAWC partners with Kidville India for second event in 15th anniversary celebration series 3 Sep 2013 Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) continued its 15th anniversary celebration series with an event for Umang toddlers at Kidville India’s flagship store in Worli today. Umang members enjoyed an afternoon in Kidville’s upscale gymnasium, followed by unique art classes, a puppet show, a music-and-movement class, and a foray into culinary chemistry. The children all received gift bags and balloons as souvenirs of the celebration. Read more »»
AAWC launches first celebration of 15th anniversary 29 Jul 2013 This Saturday, AAWC launched the first of a series of celebrations in honor of its 15th anniversary with a keynote speech from Hasan Kamal, a prominent Urdu journalist. The program featured the stories of our most successful alumni, including a junior chef at an international luxury five-star hotel; Paru Dhanwade, an AAWC teacher certified by Nirmala Niketan Institute Of Social Work; and Shweta Katti, one of Newsweek’s 2013 "Women in the World: 25 Under 25 Young Women to Watch". Read more »»
AAWC alumnus Shweta Katti receives four-year scholarship to a U.S. university 3 May 2013, updated 14 Jun 2013 AAWC alumnus Shweta Katti received news yesterday of her admission to Bard College in New York on a four-year full-tuition scholarship. This remarkable achievement followed her admission in January 2013 to the Unreasonable Institute’s Semester at Sea program, an interdisciplinary studies program aboard a circumnavigating ship. Katti has since been featured on CNN and in Newsweek’s "Women in the World: 25 Under 25 Young Women to Watch" alongside Malala Yousafzai. Read more »»
AAWC inspires Vodafone Foundation’s Red Rickshaw Revolution 18 Mar 2013 After a nine-day auto-rickshaw ride from Delhi to Mumbai to raise awareness and funds for female empowerment in India, the passengers of Vodafone Foundation’s Red Rickshaw Revolution were welcomed this morning at Vodafone headquarters by Cherie Blair. The campaign began originally as a way to raise money for AAWC and eventually spanned 1,800km and five states, reached 12.5 million Twitter users and 18,000 Facebook users, and raised INR 30 million for its three NGO partners. Read more »»
Marathi actor Ketaki Thatte celebrates Holi and International Women’s Day with AAWC 8 Mar 2013 At today’s dual celebration of Holi and International Women’s Day for Umeed members, AAWC welcomed as chief guest Ketaki Thatte, a prominent Marathi actor in film, television, and theatre. Thatte shared stories about about her role portraying a woman in prostitution for a new Marathi play and encouraged the Umeed members to leave the brothel industry. Read more »»
Bollywood celebrity Amole Gupte celebrates Navratri with AAWC 29 Oct 2012 At this Saturday’s Navratri celebration for Udaan members, AAWC welcomed as chief guest Amole Gupte, a prominent Bollywood celebrity. The girls performed the Garba dance, a retelling of the epic battle between the bull-demon Mahishasura and the invincible goddess Durga to whom the Navratri festival is devoted. Afterwards, Gupte engaged them with a lively speech to stay focused on school and presented awards to the girls for various academic and creative achievements. Read more »»
AAWC selected to receive proceeds from The Oberoi Melting Pot 2012 15 Oct 2012 This Sunday, AAWC was one of four organisations selected to showcase its work and receive proceeds from The Oberoi Melting Pot, an annual culinary festival featuring fine dining and dance performances sponsored by consulates from 27 different countries. Thousands of visitors attended and were able to learn about the challenges faced by women and children in Mumbai’s red light area and about the services that AAWC provides. Read more »»
AAWC selected to participate in Dasra Social-Impact 21 Sep 2012 AAWC has been selected as one of 50 high-impact organisations to join the seventh cohort of Dasra Social-Impact (DSI), an executive education program for leaders in the social and social enterprise sectors. Read more »»
AAWC members invited by Bollywood director Amole Gupte to attend Cinema 100 4 Jun 2012 This Saturday, Ùdaan members were invited by Bollywood director Amole Gupte to attend Cinema 100, a celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema hosted by the Whistling Woods International Institute. The girls played games and took quizzes, explored galleries of photos and other artifacts, and watched 3-D film excerpts from Indian classics. After the screenings, they took photographs with Bollywood directors Gupte, Chetan Anand, and Whistling Woods founder Subhash Ghai. Read more »»
AAWC launches overnight shelter at Kamathipura centre 1 Aug 2011 AAWC launched an overnight shelter at its Kamathipura centre for members of the Udaan program (girls of ages 6-18). The shelter seeks to provide a safe living space for girls whom AAWC outreach workers determine to be at highest risk of being coerced into prostitution and complements AAWC’s existing practice of placing at-risk girls into boarding homes and shelter homes with our partner organisations. Read more »»
Two AAWC alumni become junior chefs at international luxury five-star hotel and resort 1 Jun 2011 Two AAWC alumni have joined the ranks of an international luxury five-star hotel as junior chefs upon completing the company’s prestigious three-year hotel management program. One of them, Kavita Jain*, has also recently won the Hans Bueschkens World Junior Chefs Challenge at the regional, zonal, and national rounds and has been selected to represent Asia in the semi-final round. Jain hopes to use this career opportunity to relocate her family from Mumbai’s red light area. Read more »»
AAWC opens second centre at Kamathipura with support from CRY 4 Mar 2011 AAWC inaugurated the opening of its second centre with the support of Child Rights and You (CRY), an organisation that advocates for children’s rights in India. The new centre will provide AAWC’s existing programs to a significantly wider population of women and children living in the red light area. AAWC is the first NGO serving the red light area to be selected as a partner of CRY and has received funds from CRY to conduct a baseline survey of women and children in Kamathipura. Read more »»
AAWC announces rebranding 1 Jan 2011 AAWC has recently come under international scrutiny due to confusion with another NGO founded by Ruchira Gupta called Apne Aap Women Worldwide (AAWW), which has been exposed by Harvard University’s student newspaper for misuse of donor funds. As both organisations are often known as “Apne Aap”, we would like to make clear that our organisation, Apne Aap Women's Collective (AAWC), is not in any way affiliated with Gupta or Apne Aap Women's Worldwide (AAWW). Read more »»
Five AAWC members produce short film on female feticide as part of SHE Creates program 17 Sep 2007 AAWC congratulates five of our Udaan members on their successful completion of Muskurati Roshni (Light of Joy), a short film on female feticide sponsored by the SHE Creates program. These five talented girls were selected to join a group of 25 girls from across India for a three-week immersive program on directing, screenwriting, acting, filming, and editing under the guidance of prominent industry professionals. Read more »»