Borderless World Foundation (BWF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization registered under India's

Societies Registration Act, 1860 The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is a legislation in British India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society – education, health, employment etc. The British Indian Empire, with a wish to enco ...

. Working in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

, along the conflict-riven border region in between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, BWF has rescued hundreds of girls orphaned in the conflict along the India-Pakistan border. BWF carries out a variety of activities, including disaster relief and emergency medical support for the community and rescuing children left orphaned by the ongoing conflict.

History

BWF was founded in 2002 by Adhik Kadam and Bharati Mamani in Pune, India.

Programs

BWF works in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (or "ER doctors") specialize in providing care for unscheduled and undifferentiated pa ...

, and

women's empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several method, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, equal status in society, ...

. The organization runs four homes for girls who have lost their parents in the

armed conflict War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

, during

Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

and

2005 Kashmir earthquake An earthquake occurred at on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a territory under Pakistan. Its epicenter was 19 km northeast of the city of Muzaffarabad, and 90 km north north-east of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, ...

. BWF support girls' education, vocational training and mentoring for the purposeful life. * Basera E Tabassum (BeT): A home for orphan girls started in District

Kupwara Kupwara ( ; ) is a city, District headquarter and a municipal council in Kupwara district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Municipal council Kupwara is an Urban Local Body with elected members which administers the city Mun ...

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

Anantnag Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...

Budgam Budgam (), known as Badgom (; ) in Kashmiri, is a town in Budgam district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. In the 2001 census, it was recorded as having a notified area committee,This gives the population of Budgam adga ...

and

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

with the help of the Silicon Valley chapter of

Asha for Education Asha for Education ("Asha") is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the United States. History and Mission Asha was founded in 1991 by V.J.P.Srivatsavoy, Deepak Gupta, and Sandeep Pandey at the University of California, Ber ...

. * Kashmir Life Line (KLL): First critical care

Emergency Medical Services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

started by BWF in Kashmir in partnership with

National Securities Depository Limited National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) is an Indian central securities depository, based in Mumbai. It was established in August 1996 as the first electronic securities depository in India with national coverage. It was established based ...

(NSDL), DP World and Jammu & Kashmir health department. Through this program, BWF provided the first four ambulances for the public to the region. * Rah-e-Niswan: Rah-e-Niswan helps the girls growing up in the BWF homes learn entrepreneurial skills and financial management. Established as the first ‘ladies-only’ business in the area and run by the young women of the BWF, it provides women in the larger community a safe and hesitation-free environment to shop for their requirements such as sanitary napkins. * Surgeries of Pellet Victims: Following an upsurge of violence in 2016, BWF organized free surgeries for those at risk of losing their eyesight because of pellet gun injuries. BWF partnered with Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital,

Sankara Eye Foundation Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) USA is a US-based non-profit organization that works toward eliminating curable blindness in India. SEF is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization. Beginning Founded in 1998 by Murali Krishnamurthy, K. Sridharan ...

in this effort. Conducted by leading surgeons from India, these operations saved the sight of hundreds of victims. * Disaster relief: The BWF team has been a first responder in wake of many natural disasters, including the floods in 2014. BWF was able to recruit doctors and donations of medical supplies, including fully equipped ambulances, from across India to help the people in Kashmir.

Awards and recognition

In 2010, BWF was presented the Harmony Foundation's " Mother Teresa Award" in the field of Social Justice and Peace by the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

. Adhik Kadam and BWF were recognized in 2016 for their work by Indians for Collective Action.

References

{{Reflist Organizations established in 2002 Organisations based in Jammu and Kashmir Organisations based in Maharashtra Children's charities based in India Peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir 2002 establishments in Maharashtra