Initiative: Saahas
Organization: The Red Elephant Foundation
Country: India
Facebook: @TheRedElephantFoundation
Twitter: @TheRedElephnt
Website: www.redelephantfoundation.org

Survivors who have faced violence either don’t know where to go for help, or don’t have resources to find out where to go for help. Sometimes, their situation prevents them from finding help, and that can be extremely dangerous to their safety.

Saahas is a Facebook chatbot and a mobile and Web-based app, conceptualised by the Red Elephant Foundation, that provides services for survivors of gender-based violence and child support. The name Saahas, in Hindi, translates to “courage”, and it is courage that it aims to give the users of the app and the chat bot. The Saahas directory of support comprises over 40,000 organisations across 196 countries offering medical, legal, education and employment services, besides food, shelter, clothing and emergency support. Its Facebook-enabled chatbot, especially, is aimed at empowering survivors to find help and counseling immediately. Users can also visit the Facebook page to pull up information and helpline numbers. So far, the Saahas has been able to reach out to 3,000 survivors worldwide, primarily through Facebook.