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Manav Sadhna means "serve all and love all with total dedication". An effort to visualize and serve the all mighty residing in the souls of every one which makes the seva (service) a Sadhna (worship). The organization was not founded to do seva (service). The seva was being done but family/friends and donors wanted to be a partner in the cause, required an organization. Manav Sadhna was registered first in USA and than in India. To contact us, visit www.manavsadhna.org or email manavsadhna@gmail.com

A team of young volunteers inspired by the Gandhian values and ideas came together in 1989 to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged kids and mothers. India like many other countries is facing several problems like education, poverty, population, environment, health and many more. With the guidance and support of organizations like Gujarat Harijan Sevak Sangh and Safai vidyalay Gandhi Ashram, it became apparent that lack of education and illiteracy have lot to do with most of our problems. It is impossible for a Government or limited NGOs to tackle all the problems and lead India in to a brighter and batter future. As a part of a collective effort and like a drop in the ocean, Manav Sadhna is trying to make some difference from a quiet comer of Gandhi Ashram.

Several experiments and projects are in place. Thousands of lives are transformed for the better since last 13 years. A nonstop seva yagna have attracted so many dedicated young team of volunteers (from all over the world ) and employees. We serve over 4300 children and women under 21 project in and around Ahmedabad slums and villages.

A Socially Responsible Business
Products displayed on this website have taken form under unique conditions and by unique children - each child's story is as different and colorful as the designs displayed here. Most of these children have wandered the streets for years earning money by polishing shoes or picking rags. Yet others are victims of physical abuse. Our products are based on the work of such underprivileged children who, in making handicrafts, have empowered themselves to move away from street life. Organizations that facilitate such empowerment are our suppliers and by using products from this website you are helping all of us make a difference.

About the Products
The word 'khadi' refers to a rough variety of homespun cotton that was advocated by Gandhi as a mark of simplicity and of self-sufficiency in the days of colonial rule. Nowadays of course, variations of 'khadi' have found their way into various fashion statements. Khadi paper, which is manufactured from recycled course cotton, represents an eco-friendly alternative to regular paper products because it utilizes 100% recycled material. The parchment quality look and feel of this paper has great appeal today. The paper manufacturing plant is located next to the Gandhi Ashram and is a product of Gandhian ideals in that it effectively manages waste and provides employment to slum dwellers.

Child Labor?
The issue of child labor is ever present in India today. How can the selling of handicraft work by children be justified? Is it not merely another form of child labor?

We at Manav Sadhna are deeply conscious of the ideal scenario in which no child should have to work. Unfortunately, the harsh realities and constraints of life cannot be ignored. Often, these children are large contributors to a dismal family income. Sometimes, they are even the sole earners. Therefore, the approach that Manav Sadhna has taken is to provide a holistic umbrella for child development. The handicraft work is but one thread in the fabric of opportunities afforded to a child at Manav Sadhna. For example, after making these handicrafts for two hours a day, children at Manav Sadhna receive nutritious snacks. Because of this involvement and sense of belonging, they are more likely to participate in the plethora of opportunities that Manav Sadhna provides. They learn through numerous programs including non-formal schools that run in the afternoon at various locations throughout Ahmedabad, or in Saturday Special - a back to childhood program, or in tuition classes within the organization, to name a few. The children learn the value of saving money, and are encouraged to save via a scheme that the organization has introduced. As their talents in arts, crafts, teamwork, and leadership increase, they become more confident, responsible individuals.

It was fourteen such Manav Sadhna children from the slums that drew standing only crowds during their Ekta show, which toured 18 cities in America for three months in the summer of 2002, taking the message of Gandhi and Martin Luther King to the world and giving the problems of the developing world a face- fourteen faces, proud, hopeful, talented faces, that could not be ignored.