Outreach & Prevention

Community Engagement

Maitri believes that no one deserves to be abused and aspires to create a violence free society. We believe that community engagement is crucial to effect this change. Maitri works to both create awareness and engage in preventive measures to achieve this goal.

Our Awareness efforts include:

  • Educating the South Asian community about domestic violence issues in the South Asian context and how the community can change social attitudes about domestic violence.

  • Training the mainstream police, legal system, shelter workers and volunteers, and therapists and counselors about the South Asian context of domestic violence so they can provide sensitive and appropriate help to the women who reach out.

  • Energizing the younger generation in local universities and schools to raise awareness of this issue.

  • Gaining visibility and name recognition as a non-profit and community service agency in the South Asian and mainstream communities and among South Asians so that they can be aware of how to get help and information to be able to make informed decisions

As part of our Prevention effort:

  • Maitri is piloting an innovative Healthy Relationships Project that targets young adults and teens to enable them to engage in healthy relationships with their peers and to recognize abusive behavior.

  • Maitri has representation on the Board of CALIFORNIA PARTNERSHIP TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (CPEDV). CPEDV is a statewide membership coalition of organizations and individuals, rooted in the battered women’s movement and the values that define this movement, including working towards social justice, self-determination, and ending all forms of domestic violence & oppression of women.

Some of our community activities include:

  • Tables/booths at community events

  • Flyers at South Asian restaurants, grocery stores, public libraries, cultural and social events, religious organizations, and places of worship.

  • Marching in community parades

  • Workshops for students at local universities

  • Presentations to the police, shelter workers and volunteers, and other health-care providers

  • Presentations at community and mainstream conferences

  • Brown bag talks at corporations with large S. Asian populations

  • Media interviews and stories

  • Quarterly Newsletters

To learn more about our outreach activities or partner with us in this effort, please contact outreach@maitri.org.