Origin:
Founded in 1998, Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) is an anti-trafficking organization serving women and their daughters of Falkland Road, Kamathipura and Turbhe Stores, the red light area of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Initially a single-room drop-in centre, AAWC evolved into a resource centre providing professional counselling, medical care, micro-savings facilities, education and empowerment services. Thus, the Umeed (hope) program marked the beginning of AAWC initially with only 10 women beneficiaries.
Expansion:
Recognizing the risks faced by the daughters of the Umeed program—being coerced into prostitution due to their extensive exposure to the brothel system, lack of educational aspirations, and absence of positive role models, AAWC launched the Udaan (flight) program in 2000 to prevent second generation prostitution.
In 2010, AAWC geographically expanded and created a new centre in Kamathipura to serve more beneficiaries. In 2011, a shelter home was initiated for girls aged 2.5 to 18 years to provide a healthy environment.
In 2019, responding to an influx of women in Turbhe, Navi Mumbai, AAWC opened a new center, increasing its reach to 3,100 women beneficiaries across three centers. In 2022, AAWC identified the vulnerabilities of the daughters of women in Turbhe and initiated daycare activities to provide the necessary support.
In 2023, the shelter home was relocated from Kamathipura to Nerul, creating a safer environment for the overall development of the Udaan beneficiaries.