At 70, Seema Is A Mother To 42 Children Of Sex Workers, Donate To Give Them A Brighter Future

"These children grow up in an environment that messes with their minds for life. I once heard a small boy asking his mother to take up more clients because he was hungry…it broke my heart!”- Seema Waghmode, Founder, Rev Haribhau Waghmode Patil Pratishthan.  

Since 1993, Seema, now 70, has worked tirelessly for the cause of the Commercial S*x Workers (CSW) and their children. This is no longer just social work for this woman who has given it her all - she believes that we have to open our hearts to understand what these women and their children in the worst of conditions go through.  

Loved and respected by thousands, Seema is a ray of hope for all those who have only faced neglect and discrimination 

Seema founded Rev Haribhau Waghmode Patil Pratishthan in 1994 in Budhwar Peth, Pune’s red light area. It became the first NGO to cater to H!V/A!DS pat!ents, while also working as a rehabilitation centre for the children of s*x workers. She has impacted over 10,000 s*x workers and their children for more than twenty years. 

Rev Haribhau Waghmode Patil Pratishthan joined hands with the YMCA Pune to open a day and night care facility to house the children. Soon, she decided that these children deserve a better and safe place to live - away from the pain and suffering. In 2015, her in-laws, the Waghmode family, donated a piece of land in Bori village, and with funding from the Scottish charity organisation, The Free to Live Trust, a Child Development Centre of 6,500 sq ft was built. Today, this place is home to 42 children whose upbringing is taken care of by Seema and her dedicated staff. 

“We want to give them a life free of pain and away from the st*gma. Some of the kids here are suffering from dis*ases - we try our best to give them the right kind of support. But with every passing day, it is getting difficult. I am all they have, I want to continue supporting them all my life.” 

Donate today and make a difference in the lives of these children  

Has society been more accepting of the s*x workers and their children - we asked Seema. She breaks into a small story about when she had taken a s*x worker to a government hospital for her delivery in the 1990s but the hospital didn’t allow her inside. 

About the NGO:  Founded in 1994 in Budhwar Peth, Pune’s red light area, Rev Haribhau Waghmode Patil Pratishthan became the first NGO to cater to HIV/AIDS patients, while also working as a rehabilitation centre for the children of s*x workers. She has impacted over 10,000 s*x workers and their children for more than twenty years.