Sneha Jawale urgently needs our help!

Our friend and colleague Sneha Jawale is in desperate need of our help to save her home. She is currently facing foreclosure on her home unless we can fundraise $20,000 by April 27th. We, her NIRBHAYA Family, are reaching out to all the people who have been touched by Sneha’s story with the hope that we can keep Sneha from being evicted and losing everything.

Sneha has never failed to both inspire and devastate people when recounting the events of her life. She recently told her story to BBC News World Service after being celebrated among BBC’s 100 most inspiring women of 2022 (please watch the video above to hear Sneha's full story). We witnessed this strength during the creation and performances of our play NIRBHAYA, based on the death and gang rape of Jyothi Singh Pandey and the testimonies of gender-based violence survivors who comprised the cast. Night after night, with truth and power, she told audiences of the unimaginable abuse she endured and the devastating loss of her son. Her strength to rise despite the injustices of her life, and her determination to never give up on the hope to be reunited with her son again, inspired so many.

Against all odds, Sneha continued to support herself financially through the years, but initially, she was repeatedly rejected from every job application due to the profound disfigurements her husband left her with. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, she created her own business, reading Tarot cards and healing others even as she herself heals. She has always found ways to continue to give back to other burn, acid victims, and women abandoned by their families. But Covid has decimated her sources of income, and now - after everything Sneha has endured - she faces foreclosure on the home she purchased in 2010. Knowing she was struggling, she tried to see if there were foundations or charitable organizations to help her, all the while the debt and penalties kept spiraling.

We know how difficult it is to ask for help, but we are grateful Sneha has done so – giving us the opportunity to try to ensure she doesn’t lose her home. Sneha has given her blessing for this campaign and has shared, “I have hope now that with your help we will save my house. Thank you and respect you all”

Our goal is to raise $20,000 USD by April 27th to ensure Sneha will not be homeless. If we can find 400 people to give $50 we can make that happen.

We have a further dream that would not only see Sneha remain in her home, but own it outright with no debt. To do that we need $30,000 USD. That is 600 people giving $50.

Help us change this women’s life and be the support her family was not.

Black and white photo by Sinbad Phugra