MAHAN (an acronym for -Meditation, AIDS, Health, Addiction, Nutrition) is a non-government organization established in 1998 to improve health care in Melghat region.

MAHAN was touched by Gandhian teaching that “youths should go to the villages to serve as real India is in villages”.

Melghat is the hilly forest area in the beautiful Satpuda mountain ranges. Population is 2,80,000 & 75% of them are tribal . Korku is the major tribe of Melghat. Most of the tribal (>90 %) are farmers or laborers, living below poverty line (>75%) & very hard life in kaccha houses without electricity (>90%) & illiterate (>50%). Medical facilities are worst in Melghat as compared to rest of Maharashtra .

Due to lack of proper medical facilities & superstitions, tribal goes to traditional faith healers/quacks (pujari & bhumkas) for treatment of illness. Skin is burnt with red hot iron rod for reducing pain known as Damma . These leads to very high under 5 children mortality (>100 per 1000 live births) especially Malnutrition related deaths and very high mortality in age group (16-60years) & maternal mortality. Moved by such things, we started the project in Melghat in November 1997.

Making a donation is easy

STEP 1

Sakal Social Foundation

Mahan Trust

Vivekananda Youth Forum

IDEA Foundation

Deesha Education Foundation

Child Rights and You (CRY)

The CounterMedia Trust