Who are we and what are we trying to do?

A Cry For Help is an organisation that aims to deal with adolescent issues like substance abuse, peer pressure, bullying, suicide, and stress. It was started by and is completely run by teenagers who have faced these issues themselves.The redressal method is to establish self help groups to encourage young adults in the age group of 11-18 years to share their problems & to help solve hem as a community by empowering the teens themselves. ACFH has received backing from the Ashoka Foundation as well as the Robert Bosch Foundation to collaborate with EduX Space China for a one of a kind exchange program between school children from the two countries. In collaboration with Teach for India, ACFH shall be training student leaders about the aforementioned problems & how to solve them. They shall be in touch with their counterparts in China, culminating in a 5 day exchange program wherein the children visit Beijing to participate in various workshops & team building exercises. The end result shall be the creation of a self-synthesised manual on these pressing problems & a redressal model which shall then be implemented in schools in both countries. ACFH wishes to provide children from low-income households an opportunity to participate in this unique initiative.

Why should you help us?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the teenage group is the highest risk group for suicide in approximately 33% of countries around the world. The WHO estimates that one suicide attempt occurs approximately every three seconds, and one suicide every minute. It is estimated that 50% of teenagers suffering from depression do attempt suicide at least once, and of those, roughly 7% to succeed in the first attempt. ACFH not only helps the teenagers suffering from stress, it also helps the teenagers working for it. For some of the people who have already been working for ACFH, it is something that has become an integral part of their life and has helped them become better individuals. Children from low-income households are at higher risk for all these issues. In our experience with these children, they have shared several personal experiences with us, of bullying, substance abuse and much more. In the past, many teenagers have opened up to us about their problems and thanked us for lending an ear and a helping hand where they could earlier find none.

Your contribution will go a long way in helping us cover the cost of travel, accommodation etc for these bright young minds. Each child under this program is an incredible individual, brimming with bright ideas to combat the crisis of mental health. You can help them make the most of an opportunity that their financial conditions otherwise constrain. Your valuable input will also directly aid the creation of a sustainable self-help model that will start by helping students in India and China and hopefully eventually, the world. 

What does this mean to our children?

These children have very limited world exposure, their families' financial constraints have also constrained the experiences and education they have received. For them, to visit another city, much less another country seems like an unattainable dream. This exchange truly has the potential to change their lives and gives them a shot to turn the most far-fetched of dreams into reality.

Risks & Challenges

It is our heartfelt desire to be able to take as many kids to China as possible but if we are unable to raise sufficient funds, this number would get restricted to two as that is the maximum we can sponsor with the grant from the Robert Bosch Foundation. Another challenge is to raise enough money to be able to take along caretakers for the children to China. We also plan to perform in public places through various flash mobs, street plays etc to raise awareness about the campaign and raise more money.

How shall we use your contribution?

Your contribution shall directly go towards funding the following expenses for each child:

Visa: Rs. 3000

Passport: Rs.2500

Travel(flights, bus in China): Rs. 25,000

Accommodation on triple sharing basis for 4 nights: RS.8000

Total: Rs.38,500 per child

Ketto Charges: Rs. 11,000

Total funds required: RS.38,500*14= 5,50,000

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