Embracing the World®

Embracing the World® (ETW) is a global network of charitable projects established by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. ETW is one of the largest relief organizations in India.
ETW supports the basic needs of the people with various projects.
The organisation has been awarded the Special Consultative Status of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (www.embracingtheworld.org).
Thousands of volunteers ensure that administrative costs remain low.
ETW does not pay any money for an administrative apparatus, neither regionally nor internationally. Amma (Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi), the founder of ETW, emphasizes the value of selfless giving and leads by her own example. This philosophy shapes all levels of the organisation. Thus, the donations go directly to the needy and are not invested in administrative costs.

What does Embracing the World® do?

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
- Over 7,000 self-help groups, a total of more than 100,000 women
- Job training and microcredits for each self-help group
EDUCATION FOR ALL
- 32,000 scholarships for children of peasants who have lost their parents, target: 100,000
- Literacy courses for adults (Partner: JSS), Unesco Prize
- Schools for the hearing impaired, schools for indigenous people (Adivasis)
DISASTER RELIEF
- 9.4 million Euro - Houses, food, medical care for flood victims (2005-2009)
- 775,000 euros - Reconstruction aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina (2005)
- 35.5 million euro - houses, clothing, food, education, medicine, tsunami (2004)
Aid supplies and scholarships for Haiti
HOUSE CONSTRUCTION & SLUM REDEVELOPMENT
- 40,000 houses for the homeless, including roads, electricity, sewage treatment plants, drinking water supply. Target: 125,000
- 1,600 apartments for slum dwellers
ORPHANAGES
- Orphanage for 500 children in Kerala
- Orphanage for 100 children in Nairobi
COMBATING HUNGER
- Food for more than 10 million people per year (rice, lentils, milk etc.) in India
- Food for more than 100,000 people per year worldwide
HEALTHCARE
- Over 2 million patients treated free of charge (www.aimshospital.org)
- Free medical care for more than 42.5 million euros since 1998
- 100 medical camps annually with mobile clinics with telemedicine
- Further training of country doctors via satellite link to the main hospital
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Lifelong pensions for 50,000 widows and invalids in India
Old people's homes
free meditation classes for the military, the police and everyone
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- Partner of the UN campaign "one billion trees
- More than 1 million trees planted worldwide since 2001
- Use of solar energy, permaculture and eco-sanitation
RESEARCH FOR A BETTER WORLD
- First sensor network worldwide for early warning of landslides
- vocational training with computer biofeedback for the rural population
- cost-effective, state-of-the-art biomedical equipment (www.amrita.edu)

Amma (Sri Mata Amritanandamayi) - Founder of ETW

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, usually called Amma, is a spiritual leader who is very committed to the needs of the poorest. Amma has inspired people all over the world for more than 40 years through her great wisdom. Her selfless actions have touched the hearts of millions of people.

Amma is at home all over the world. She regularly travels throughout Europe, North and South America, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Africa. In the speeches she gives at her free events, she not only gives precious advice for a fulfilled life, but also offers solutions to the most urgent problems of our society: cultural differences, lack of women's rights, climate change and terrorism.

Amma invites everyone to participate in building a society where people are there for each other.

To this day, Amma embraces every person who wishes to do so during its events. This motherly embrace is called "Darshan" (Sanskrit for "seeing"). Amma has so far pressed 33 million people to her big heart. She gave "Darshan" more than once for 22 hours without interruption.

Amma has been awarded many international prizes for its humanitarian commitment. In May 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from SUNY University (New York) for her efforts in inter-religious dialogue, for her humanitarian work and for her educational programmes. In 2006, Amma was honoured for her inter-religious understanding with the James Parkes Morton Interfaith Award, which was given to Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama before her. In 2002, Jane Goodall presented her with the Gandhi King Award for non-violence. She has also made several speeches to the UN, including in 2000 at the General Assembly of the World Peace Summit in New York.