Healthcare
Community health and development centres, mobile units and outreach services bring diagnosis and treatment to people living in slums.
The organisation we support
Asha India
Asha works alongside people residing in slums in India, tackling the issues that keep them trapped in poverty through healthcare, education and empowerment programmes.
Created by Dr. Kiran Martin in 1988 — more than 700,000 people from over 91 slums
Who they are
From a medical project to a movement
Asha India was created by Dr. Kiran Martin in 1988. What began as a health project for a small community has grown into an organisation working with people living in slums across India.
Today Asha reaches more than 700,000 people from over 91 slums. The Australian Friends of Asha for Slums raises awareness of this work and supports it from Australia — standing with residents as they move towards a life free of poverty.
Programmes
Three areas of work
Asha’s programmes address the everyday realities that hold families back: limited access to healthcare, gaps in schooling, and the absence of secure income.
- Healthcare — community health centres and outreach bring treatment within reach of people who could not otherwise afford it.
- Education — schooling and learning support help children attend class and continue their studies.
- Economic empowerment — skills and livelihood work help residents earn a living and break free from poverty.
Asha India works with people living in slums across India, addressing the conditions that keep families trapped in poverty through healthcare, education and empowerment programmes. Founded by Dr. Kiran Martin in 1988, the organisation grew from a small community health project into a broad movement reaching hundreds of thousands of people across dozens of slum communities. Australian friends of Asha slums exists to support that work, raising awareness, funds and practical help so that children and families can access the essentials they need to survive and thrive, with a focus on health, schooling and long-term self-reliance rather than short-term relief alone.
Why it matters
Working alongside residents
Monthly donors help provide lifesaving emergency care delivered every day of the year — care that children could not receive without it.
Donations over $2 to the Australian Friends of Asha for Slums Overseas Development Gift and Relief Fund are tax deductible, so every contribution goes further.
Programme areas
Healthcare, education, empowerment
Education
Schools, remedial classes and learning support give children the chance to attend, progress and continue into higher study.
Economic empowerment
Training and income-generating programmes help adults secure livelihoods, so families are no longer reliant on a single precarious wage.
At a glance
Asha India in figures
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988, by Dr. Kiran Martin |
| People reached | More than 700,000 |
| Slum communities covered | Over 91 |
| Head office | Asha Community Health and Development Society, Ekta Vihar Sector 6, RK Puram, New Delhi 110022, India |
Australian Friends of Asha for Slums supports this work from Australia, raising awareness and funding programmes through tax-deductible donations to the Overseas Development Gift and Relief Fund.
Get involved
Stand with slum communities
Whether you give monthly, give once, or simply share the story of Asha’s work, you help people in India’s slums access healthcare, schooling and a route out of poverty.