Based in the U.S., The White Rainbow Project is a nonprofit 501(c)3 Humanitarian Organization empowering the women of India with a focus on deconstructing the stigma of widowhood by teaching sustainable skills.

We Are Dedicated to:

• Empowering widows and at-risk women in India by sharing love, hope, and job skills.

•  Building a product line: The White Rainbow Collection product line as an avenue to sell handmade, fair-trade goods created by women who are in need.

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• Challenging stigmas to eliminate cultural and economic oppression.​

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​The Story Behind the Name
​White Rainbow

​Many of the widows’ lives revolve around chanting all day, seeking shelter and even waiting to die in hopes that their next life will be better. Stripped of the joy of the literal and figurative color of their lives, ​like
​white rainbows.

​However, all the colors of the rainbow actually do come from white light as it passes through a prism, so a perspective change can make all the difference. According to Founder Linda Mandrayar, “We want to shift their perspective, from despair to joy, because we believe that they are not unlucky or unworthy, but that they should be loved and cherished.”

Watch movie

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​​The White Rainbow Open Home and Partner

In an attempt to further the efforts of the film, the first White Rainbow Open Home Center was started in 2012. Located in Vrindavan, the center provides paid life skills, food and medical stipends, and respite shelter for widows. Since its inception in 2012, White Rainbow Project has also grown to collaborate with new partners in both North and South India. Together we work to supply training to village women’s co-ops and self-help groups. 

​The long-term goal is to meet women in their personal need to prevent social stigmas from further debilitating their self-worth and ability to make a living. We also believe in connecting women to one another, so that they can share the burden of their experiences and the joy of sisterhood across generational, cultural, and societal boundaries.
We see treatment of each person as a whole, with every part of the life-cycle in mind, as the best approach for serving the women of India. We acknowledge the many ills facing the women of India as interdependent and therefore, all are relevant to healing the widows of India and their daughters.