The PunyaDham Trust was conceptualized in the year 1999 by Maa Krishna Kashyap, lovingly known as ‘Mataji’ to all, in fulfillment of her aspiration to serve the poor and needy; and in this undertaking she had the blessings of Acharya Sudhanshu Maharaj.
The PunyaDham Trust Pune, of which this Ashram is a constituent, is headed by Mataji and has been actively involved with various social welfare services such as helping victims of natural calamities, scholarships to needy children, rehabilitation of widows, arranging blood donation and eye camps, providing support to the paraplegics and arranging mobile clinics in slums and labour camps.
The Trust is indeed fortunate to have the services of very eminent and dedicated personalities as its turstees such as Padma Bhushan. Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, and Shri Shashikant Page, who ably headed as Chairman, Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple Committee, Pandharpur for 10 years.
Our Vision
To become a premier Social Support Centre in Maharashtra, providing motivation, inspiration and facilities for underprivileged children, youth and senior citizens, particularly girls and women to enable them to improve the quality of their life and live their lives with dignity and purpose. In doing so, contribute to the development of the family, society and the nation.
Our Mission
It is our mission to help the needy and give necessary financial help, educate and develop necessary skills in them and enable them to improve self-worth and become useful members of society.
‘Hamari Beti’ Project
Hamari Beti (Our Daughter) is a major initiative of the Vishwa Jagriti Mission Trust for the empowerment of underprivileged girls and young women across Maharashtra. Poverty hurts women the hardest – physically, emotionally and mentally. The Trust therefore decided to initiate a variety of programmes for the upliftment of poor girls and young women with the goal of empowering them for a better future.
The objective of the project is to achieve holistic development of the girl child and young women. Children of migrant construction labour, girls affected by insurgency in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and children of poor farmers affected by floods or drought are the prime beneficiaries of this project.
Training is provided by experienced retired service officers, professionals heading various projects, experts and volunteers.
This project has six concurrent programmes
= Education of underprivileged girls through sponsorship. Providing training to rural school teachers.
= Self/Vocational training to include job placement for young women.
= Life Skills programme for young girls.
= Home for destitute women widows and elderly single women.
= Medical facilities in the form of Health/Eye Camps for the weaker sections of society.
= Special Social Projects to provide relief to people ravaged by natural and man-made disasters on a regular basis.
Organising Mass Marriages !
The families of young, underprivileged women are often burdened by heavy debt at the time of marriage. This debt adds to their misery, keeping them trapped in their poverty. Punyadham Ashram conducts a ‘Mass Marriages’ programme for underprivileged couples to help them embark on their married life on a joyous and confident note.
Under this programme, the Vishwa Jagriti Mission Trust bears the entire expenses of the wedding ceremony and also blesses the young couple with generous gifts.