Something incredible happened today. It’s been in the making for over a decade, thought about actively for over two years, and actually planned for in the last few months. But today, it HAPPENED. We’ve been invited to set up a Help Desk in the Women and Children’s section of the Doon Hospital – right outside Continue Reading →

When Moy Moy was small, Shaila Faleiro – the first trained special educator we ever hired – used to come by our house on the odd Saturday morning to ask if she could “borrow Moy.” Borrowing Moy meant a few hours of fun and games for Moy (Shaila was a wellspring of ideas, plus there Continue Reading →

I’m not a sporty person. I prefer watching the out doors from an inside window. I was a bookworm as a child and going to the library was my favorite activity. I like swimming because you can lie down to do it and you don’t work up a sweat. So when my sister suddenly got Continue Reading →

So how poor is poor? And what factors go into deciding who is and who isn’t? The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative – a UK based think tank dedicated to reducing poverty – recently published a study on the multi-dimensional aspects of poverty and it’s more important than its bureaucratic description might lead you Continue Reading →

Almost exactly five years ago, I wrote a post on visiting cards. We all carry them around with us, especially at conferences, and we hope they convey – in a tiny little nutshell – who we are and what we believe in, what we think is important, why we are here and for what reasons Continue Reading →

Today is my 55th birthday. Many of my young friends have told me I am yet another year younger, that they cannot think of me as old. I know they mean it as a compliment. But the thing is, I like being old. I’m proud of my grey hair and I like being able to Continue Reading →

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are women selected by their own community to be trained and supported to function in their villages to improve the community’s general health. There is approximately one ASHA per thousand people in the rural areas. In the usual cascade-training approach the government employs, there is another group called ASHA facilitators Continue Reading →

 I just came across a post our old friend Samantha Zirkin wrote after volunteering with the Foundation as a fundraiser almost two years ago. I don’t know how I missed it! Please take a moment and read it. Sam’s time with us was a turn-around point for me as a fund raiser: I had never Continue Reading →