About
Why Astha.
Astha is a Hindi word for faith and trust. We chose it as a reminder that trust has to be earned, with evidence, every year.
Where this comes from
A foundation run by the people who started it.
Astha Foundation was started by people who build and run businesses, and who wanted their giving held to the same standard as their work: clear goals, honest numbers and results you can see.
We keep it small on purpose. We would rather do three things properly in a few places than a little of everything everywhere. Education comes first, then water, then skills.
We work in India first. Work outside India follows where trusted partners invite us.
The people responsible
Who runs Astha.
Astha is run by its founders, who serve as its trustees and answer for every decision and every rupee. There is no fundraising agency and no layer of managers between a gift and the work it pays for.
Write to us through the contact page and one of them will reply.
How we hold ourselves to account
The five rules.
One public ledger
Every rupee that comes in and every rupee that goes out is listed on this site, with the date and what it paid for. You do not have to ask.
Projects that finish
Each project has a place, a budget, a start date and an end date before it begins. When it ends we publish what was promised beside what happened.
Proof before praise
A classroom counts when children in it can read a paragraph they could not read before. A tap counts when it still runs a year later. We report those checks, including the ones that fail.
Skills that end in income
A skills course is complete when the learner has earned money with the skill: a first sale, a first client, a first salary. Certificates alone do not count.
Learners become teachers
People who finish a course are the first we ask to teach the next one, and they are paid for it. The knowledge stays in the place.
Get involved
Join us.
Astha is being built now. People who join in the first year shape what it becomes, and their names stay on the record of how it began.
- Give timeTeach, mentor, translate, photograph, keep books.
- Point us to a needA school without readers. A village without a working tap.
- Fund a projectTell us what you would back. A trustee replies with the project, its budget and how to give.