Here’s a spotlight on one of the communities where your support can make a real difference.

Shiv Vihar is a community of about 40,000 people in Delhi in India. An average household is made up of five or six people who live together in small homes. The most common businesses in the area are food stalls, just like Babita (pictured) runs. For mothers like her, a small business means a regular income, helping them put food on the table and send their children to school.

If you lived in Shiv Vihar, you would most likely have electricity but almost certainly be without a toilet in your house. Water supply is a major issue; you’d have to collect water from community taps which can mean walking long distances or waiting for long periods of time throughout the day. To beat the queues, you might get up before dawn to collect buckets of water for your family for the day.

Natural disasters like earthquakes are a concern in the area, but even more deadly can be preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dengue fever and the flu. For mothers like Babita, the income they earn from their small businesses also enables them to make sure their children stay healthy and can be treated when they are sick. But there are still many mothers without this opportunity.

You can invest in mothers in communities like Shiv Vihar and help them leave poverty behind. Your gift can help a mother start a business and earn the income she needs to afford nutritious meals, clean water and education for her children.