CRY, which stands for Child Rights and You, is a nonprofit that focuses attention and resources on the rights of children in India, seeking to protect their rights to education, good nutrition, safe water, and freedom from poverty, disease, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. In partnership with social entrepreneurs and nonprofits in India, CRY provides funding, training, networking assistance, and advocacy to promote child development programs and bring about positive social transformation. It also mobilizes self-help initiatives at the grass-roots level, and works with government stakeholders to effect policy reforms.

http://america.cry.org/site/know_us/about_cry_america/

Aseema – this Mumbai-based NGO provides educational opportunities to street children and other underprivileged youths, to feed their imaginations and help them reach their full potential. Aseema means “limitless” in Sanskrit, a name chosen to reflect the unbounded spirit and potential of children. Aseema builds strong bonds between students and teachers, instilling a love of learning and a desire to stay in school, and helping students develop the skills they need to succeed there. The curriculum is multi-modal and includes academic subjects and yoga, art, drama and judo.

http://www.aseema.org/aboutus.htm

AKKA is a nonprofit devoted to the promotion and preservation of the Kannada language and culture among overseas Indians in the USA and Canada. AKKA helps to coordinate the work of several local Kannada Associations, bringing together Karnataka natives and their families for social and networking events locally and at national conferences. The MurthyNAYAK Foundation is proud to support this cultural home-away-from-home for Kannada-speaking members of the overseas Indian community.

http://www.akkaonline.org/akka_about.shtml

The MurthyNAYAK Foundation is pleased to support the important work of SAALT, South Asian Americans Leading Together. SAALT is a national non-profit organization that seeks to build a more just and inclusive society in the United States, one in which South Asians are active stakeholders who fully participate in the common life of our society.

SAALT works to make South Asian voices heard and South Asian perspectives understood in the political discourse of the United States – a mission that has taken on special importance in the years following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the aftermath of which saw a sharp increase in racial profiling, discrimination, and hate crimes perpetrated against individuals of South Asian ancestry in the United States.

SAALT’s work is political, but remains rigorously non-partisan, striving to advance the shared interests of all South Asian Americans, regardless of age, economic status, gender, geography, immigration or citizenship status, language ability, national origin, profession, religion, or sexual orientation. Its constituents include the 2.7 million South Asians living in the United States, who trace their origins to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the diaspora communities in Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, and Africa.

With support from the Murthy Law Firm, SAALT produced an informational guide called “What You Need to Know to Become a U.S. Citizen: A Guide for South Asians,” which provides answers to frequently asked questions about the naturalization process and the obstacles facing South Asian applicants. Attorney Sheela Murthy is a proud member of SAALT’s Council of Advisors. The MurthyNAYAK Foundation also supports one of SAALT’s coalition members, ASHA for Women.

http://www.saalt.org

The MurthyNAYAK Foundation provides regular financial support to the Multi-Ethnic Domestic Violence (MEDOVI) Project of the Women’s Law Center of Maryland. MEDOVI works with foreign-born clients who have been abused by an intimate partner – a spouse or former spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, or parent of a child in common. Domestic violence victims need help to free themselves from their abusers, and frequently must turn to the courts for protection. MEDOVI provides pro bono legal assistance to foreign-born victims of domestic violence in Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition proceedings, and in Final Protection Order hearings around the State of Maryland. MEDOVI also helps foreign-born victims of human trafficking and other crimes to apply for special visas

MEDOVI’s other free services include referrals to other community resources, information about legal rights and options, and safety planning assistance to help victims avoid encounters with their abusers. MEDOVI’s outreach programs raise public awareness about domestic violence and the resources available to victims, and train community service providers about special visa programs that can protect foreign-born domestic violence victims from deportation.

We support MEDOVI because no one should have to suffer from domestic abuse – ever! Every person has a right to be free from violence and abuse. This is a basic human right; and yet, thousands of people in Maryland are victimized in this way every year, and immigrant women are especially vulnerable. MEDOVI gives immigrant victims of domestic violence the legal help necessary to escape this cycle of abuse, and to begin rebuilding their lives.

For further information on the MEDOVI program, visit the Women’s Law Center website at www.wlcmd.org/domesticviolence.html.

Attorney Sheela Murthy is a proud alumna and loyal supporter of Harvard Law School, where she received her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1987. She also is a strong believer that immigration law is a calling, and in a 2008 interview, told the Harvard Law Bulletin that “Immigration is a symbol of who we are as an American people, and we really need to do more to educate people about it.”

Seeking to promote the study of immigration law at her alma mater, Attorney Murthy and her husband, filmmaker Vasant Nayak, have endowed a financial aid fund for LL.M. candidates to study immigration law. That fund can help students who need money for tuition or books. As Attorney Murthy noted in the Harvard Law Bulletin, “I worked as a security guard during part of my time at the law school, which made it hard to concentrate on my studies. I want to make it easier for future students to take advantage of what the law school affords.”

The MurthyNAYAK Foundation has also endowed a special travel fund at Harvard Law School for teachers of immigration law, so they can stay on the cutting edge of learning in their field, attending meetings and conferences on the ever-changing, evolving state of the art in immigration law.

To read the complete 2008 Harvard Law Bulletin interview, visitwww.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2008/winter/commitment.php

Harmony Thru Education – In India, children with special needs are often considered a burden to their families. Harmony Through Education, a Maryland nonprofit, is working to reverse that, and has established a school in Dharamsala, India, for children with mental and physical challenges. The school provides instruction in math, reading, and writing, augmented by vocational and life skills training, and speech and language therapy. These help special-needs children develop self-esteem and employable skills, so they can reach their full potential and contribute to their families and communities. The school also sponsors a Special Olympics team, and provides health education programs for families. In addition, Harmony Through Education provides teacher training, to build the special education infrastructure that now is lacking.

The MurthyNAYAK Foundation provided a grant to pay full tuition costs for 10 Harmony students for one year. An additional grant from the MurthyNAYAK Foundation will feed two nutritious meals a day to all 19 students at the Harmony Through Education school in Dharamsala. For breakfast, the school serves tea, a wheat-based flatbread or chapatti, and curd. Lunches consist of rice, lentils, chapattis, and locally-grown organic vegetables. These carefully-balanced meals instill healthy eating habits, and help students to stay focused on their studies.

http://www.harmonythrougheducation.org/about-2/

Big Brothers and Big Sisters – this Baltimore-based nonprofit provides one-on-one mentoring relationships to help at-risk children reach their full potential. Their mission is to bring a caring adult into the life of every child in need, helping children achieve success in school and in life, while strengthening their communities. Each adult mentor gets together with his or her Little Brother/Little Sister once a month to spend time together, enjoying a meal, playing a game, seeing a movie, attending a concert – in short, having fun together. The children benefit from the attention, friendship and positive influence of a caring adult taking interest in their growth, development, and well-being.

http://www.bbbs.org