Terna Public Charitable Trust has completed 45 years of service & this International Day of Charity, our celebration is special. It marks 45 years since our founder decided that people in rural Maharashtra deserved the same healthcare & education as people in big cities.
What is the International Day of Charity?
The United Nations declared September 5 as the International Day of Charity in 2012. This date was chosen because it is the death anniversary of Mother Teresa, who spent almost fifty years serving the poorest people of Kolkata. The day asks a simple question: what have you given back? For a person, the answer might be a donation or a few hours of volunteering. For an organisation like ours, it is a day to look at our work honestly and promise to do more.
The Terna story: 45 years of service
Terna Public Charitable Trust was founded in 1980 by Dr. Padmasinha Patil in Osmanabad (now Dharashiv), Maharashtra. The trust is named after the Terna river, which flows through the district. The idea behind it was simple. Rural Marathwada had plenty of talent and plenty of need, but the nearest good hospitals and colleges were hundreds of kilometres away. So the trust decided to bring them closer.
How it began
One of the first big steps was starting the College of Engineering in Osmanabad, which brought technical education to a district that had none. From that beginning, the trust grew into a family of institutions across Dharashiv and Navi Mumbai. The buildings have grown taller and the numbers larger, but the founding rule has stayed the same for 45 years: serve first, and let people’s trust follow.
Healthcare that reaches everyone
Health has been at the heart of the trust’s work from day one.
Terna Hospital and speciality care
Terna Speciality Hospital & Research Centre in Nerul, Navi Mumbai offers treatment in many specialities, including heart care, brain and nerve care and critical care. A large share of patients receive free or low-cost treatment under the trust’s charitable mission. Terna Medical College, attached to the hospital, trains young doctors who also serve in community health programmes while they study.
Free health camps & rural outreach
A hospital helps the people who can reach it. For everyone else, the trust organises free health camps across Dharashiv district and the Navi Mumbai region every year. These camps check for diabetes, blood pressure, anaemia and eye problems. Many patients at these camps meet a specialist doctor for the first time in their lives. That single check-up often catches a problem early, when it is still easy to treat.
Education as empowerment
Ask any family in Marathwada what changes a household’s future and you will hear the same answer: a degree.
Engineering colleges & other institutions
The trust’s education work runs in both its home district and Navi Mumbai. The College of Engineering, Osmanabad was one of the trust’s earliest institutions, set up so that students from Marathwada could earn an engineering degree without leaving home. For many farming families in the region, it was the first time an engineering college was within reach.
Terna Engineering College in Nerul followed in 1991 and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. Its graduates now work in companies across India and abroad. The trust also runs [list your other institutions: medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, schools], educating thousands of students every year.
Scholarships and student support
Money should never be the reason a bright student drops out. The trust gives scholarships and fee concessions every year, with priority for students from farming families and low-income homes. For many of these students, that support is the difference between leaving college and finishing it.
Women’s empowerment programs
The trust runs [describe your programmes: self-help groups, skill training, health awareness sessions] for women in both rural and urban areas. Women who complete skill training often start small businesses or find steady jobs. When a woman earns, the whole family moves forward with her.
Rural development work
For the trust, development means practical things: [water conservation, farmer support, village infrastructure: add your real programmes]. This work is slow and rarely makes headlines. That is exactly why it matters.
How you can join us this International Day of Charity
Forty-five years of service was built by thousands of ordinary people who chose to give something. This September 5, you can be one of them.
- Donate through ternatrust.org to support free treatment and scholarships.
- Volunteer at a health camp or a school programme.
- Share this story with someone who believes rural India deserves better.
Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” After 45 years, we can tell you from experience: the small things add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a special day created by the United Nations to celebrate the spirit of giving. It reminds us that helping others, in big or small ways, makes the world better.
sometimes. The day encourages people, schools and organisations everywhere to give their time, money or skills to those who need help.
For 45 years, Terna Trust has run hospitals, colleges and community programmes across Maharashtra, serving families who need care and education the most.
Start small. Donate to a cause you trust, volunteer a few hours, or simply help a neighbour in need. Even sharing a charity's story online counts.
