Giving Back to India with the Naz Foundation

Beginning Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022 and running through Tuesday, November 29th, 2022 we are offering our GIVING WITH GRATITUDE SALE in celebration of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday! During this annual sales event, we GRATEFULLY share our largest discount of the year (this year we will be offering 30% off sitewide!!!*) and also donate a percentage (this year we will be donating 5%) of all sales to our charitable organization of choice. It has become our PAAVANI tradition, that during the GIVING WITH GRATITUDE SALE, we choose an organization based in Ayurveda’s motherland, India, so that we may GIVE  back to this country that has taught us so much. In past years, we have donated to Wells for Life, which provides clean and safe drinking water to rural villages and communities in need throughout India, and to the Desai Foundation’s Asani Sanitary Napkin Campaign, which provides economic opportunity for Indian women by training them to manufacture and distribute sanitary napkins (pads) as well as helps to end period stigma which is unfortunately prevalent in India. This year, our charitable organization of choice is the Naz Foundation. 

Originally established in 1994 by Anjali Gopalan to address the HIV and AIDS epidemic as well as challenge the archaic Indian law that criminalized homosexuality, the New Delhi-based Naz Foundation continues to empower marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community, adolescent girls, young women and orphan children living with HIV or AIDS. Through a program called the LGBTQ+ Initiative, the foundation provides counseling, care and support services to the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, this program supports individuals to access their rights such as medical services, face-to-face and virtual counseling and referral services. Further, LGBTQ+ individuals can access the Naz helpline to seek support on understanding their sexuality, coming out with their identity, relationship issues, safe sex practices, testing for HIV and addressing issues of discrimination. Lastly, this program also offers counseling support and home-based care to the LGBTQ+ individuals’ families. With their Young People’s Initiative, adolescent girls and young women who are from economically disadvantaged communities learn empowerment skills through a mix of sport, workplace readiness, training in hard and soft skills and success mindset training as well as career and entrepreneurship pathways. Finally, the Naz Foundation offers the Naz Care Home. The focus of the home is to provide a loving and nurturing environment for children living with HIV or AIDS that have been abandoned by their families. It provides the children with a holistic approach to health and well-being in a safe, caring and engaging environment. 

As you can see, the Naz Foundation is doing exceptional work and with your help, we are GRATEFUL to be able to once again GIVE back to Mother India, as a way to display our GRATITUDE for the culture and wisdom that has sprouted from this sacred land. The ancient teachings of Ayurveda have greatly impacted and forever changed our lives and we are honored to be able to GIVE back in some way. We are also GRATEFUL to once again be able to GIVE in order to support our commitment to the liberation and equality of all people regardless of sexual identity, race, disability/ability, age, gender, socio-economic and HIV or AIDS status. As a small female-owned and operated company, we are also GRATEFUL to be able to GIVE to help support the birthright of education and empowerment for all females everywhere. 

We thank you in advance for your generous contributions to this cause and for SHOPPING SMALL & GIVING BIG this holiday season. 

*some exclusions apply