The contribution of women in every field has been commendable over the years whether it's the women scientist in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) or doctors at eminent hospitals. Non-profit organisations or individual initiatives reach where government relief doesn't. Women have left no stone unturned in making a difference in the field of social work as well, so let's discuss 5 women from Mumbai, making a difference through their non-profit organisations.
1. Bina Lashkari
Even though school on wheels might be a common concept today, it was started by Bina Lashkari 30 years ago and since then, she has helped over 2,35,000 students. She has founded Door Step School and has even been honoured with the Civilian Honour – Stree Shakti Puraskar 2013 – (Mata Jijabai Award) for her outstanding contribution towards the socio-economic development of children and for the achievement in the field of education and training.
2. Shaheen Mistri
When we talk about non-profit in Mumbai, the first thing that comes to our mind is Aakansha Foundation and Teach For India. Shaheen Mistri was the pioneer in establishing both which were founded way back in 1991. Talking about the reason for establishing the same, she had said to The Humans Of Bombay, "I had to fight to get a 9-year-old boy admitted to a hospital because he slashed his wrists. I had to watch a 13-year-old special needs child die because her clothes caught on fire when she was alone at home. I had to convince the parents of a boy that the growth on his neck needed medical attention and that he wasn’t possessed. I wasn’t prepared to deal with these situations, and I felt helpless often. But the vision of all children being able to achieve their dreams fueled my efforts to create more awareness and educate people, which laid the foundation of Akanksha Foundation and then motivated us to start Teach for India. The path ahead was definitely rocky, but our kids showed us that they were worth all the hardships we had to go through, and more."
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3. Deepali Vandana
Enabling homeless young women to live life in dignity, Deepali Vandana-led Urja Foundation is an organisation that supports homeless women in finding employment, providing shelter and helping them live life with dignity. A patriarchal bound country that India is, it is common that women are treated as liabilities with no due respect in some houses. The sexual and emotional abuse survivors find their solace at Urja Foundation and all the support from Deepali Vandana.
4. Haimanti Sen
As Malala famously quoted, a pen, a paper and a book can change the world; Haimanti Sen has utilised the skywalk space in Kandivali to the fullest by teaching underprivileged kids on it for free. She started with teaching the basics to the kids which have empowered the kids further to attend school regularly.
5. Dr. Arminda Fernandes
Dr. Arminda Fernandes is the founder of SNEHA which stands for Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action. Established in 1999, Dr. Fernandes was a professor and Head of the Department of Neonatology at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital and Medical College. She also served as Dean of the hospital for three years. Sneha has impacted over 37,000 pregnant women and 25,000 undernourished children.
These women have been an epitome of being the best at all walks of their life and have proved that the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away to the society.
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