According to the World Giving Index report of 2021, India bagged the 14th rank among the most generous countries of the world. There are over 30 lakh charities in India that work towards helping different sections of the society.
Over the years, the number of donors in the country has increased tremendously. Nowadays, finding a charity nearby is very easy. One can just google titles like ‘food donation near me’, ‘charity near me’, ‘children orphanage near me’ and so on to find a suitable organisation to donate.
This is because there are various types of charities in India today that work for several charitable purposes.
Types of charities
A charity can be either public or private.
- Public charity- These charities do not have specific beneficiaries and are established for the benefit of certain sections or groups of the society. The management of these organisations are handled by a board of trustees.
- Private foundations- These organisations usually have one or few beneficiaries. The management of these organisations are often handled by a managing trustee or few appointed trustees.
There are several charitable purposes for which a donor can either do resource or money donation. On the basis of this, various types of charities are established. They are-
- Health charities
Being the second most populated country in the world, India has its own share of problems when it comes to public health. These problems are usually related to lack of awareness on health risks, malnutrition, lack of medical facilities and so on. Hence, there are many health charities in the country that focus on these problems and work towards them.
- Education charities
Lack of education is one of the biggest issues in India. According to the National Survey report of 2022, India has a literacy rate of 77.7 percent which indicates that every one in four Indians lacks the privilege of education.
Hence, there are various education charities in the country that work towards providing education to underprivileged people. Narayan Seva Sansthan is one of them. The Sansthan has been actively trying to provide quality education to poor children and divyangs for free of cost. Hence, an individual can donate for education by giving their donations to such charities.
- Animal charities
The primary focus of animal charities is to protect animals (especially endangered ones) and work towards their welfare. They may do this by providing various animal shelters, helping with their treatment, animal rescue and so on.
- Environmental charities
India is rich in biodiversity, however, it also accounts for being one of the most polluted ones too. Water scarcity, deforestation, water pollution, and so on are some of the major issues that the country faces. In order to prevent such environmental degradation, various environmental charities have been established in India.
- Religious charities
India is a country that showcases a vast diversity in religion and almost all of them shed light on concept giving and helping people.
Be it in the form of ‘Dana’ in Hinduism or ‘zakat’ in Islam, every year, a huge amount of money is donated to religious organisations.
- Art and culture charities
India is known for its rich history, art and culture and in order to preserve them, several art and culture charities have been set up in the country.
- International charities
International charities are those NGOs that are established in one country but work towards the welfare of other countries.
It is not necessary for a charitable organisation to work towards only one type of charity as their charitable purpose may overlap with different types.
For instance, Narayan Seva Sansthan is one of the most reputed NGO of India, that not just provide treatment to Divangs and polio patients but also provide quality education to underprivileged and special children. Along with that, they also work towards empowering divyangs and other underprivileged people by providing them with vocational training. To know more about the sansthan and their offerings, you can visit the website here!
