Category: Founding Story
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How it began at Sarthak Prayas
by Yashika Sharma GE-Countrywide, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd, Wipro BPO Solution Ltd, Hutchison Essar (or Vodafone), American Express—these are some of the companies where Harsh Arora has worked. Today, he is founder and CEO of Sarthak Prayas as well as Improve Life Human Value Management Pvt Ltd. Harsh describes his past occupations as…
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How it began at Blind Welfare Council, Dahod
Blind Welfare Council, Dahod has been set up by Mr. Yusufi Kapadia along with seven of his friends. Infact 8 of the organizations Trustees, including Mr. Yusufi Kapadia himself, are visually-impaired. In 1980, Mr. Kapadia completed his standard 10 SSC examination. Infact, he was the first blind student in Dahod to give this examination. He…
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After setting up LIC, its Founder set up this hospital to give life insurance to the poor
“How do you build a lasting legacy? Not with bricks and mortar, but by setting men’s hearts on fire with the passion of your vision.” – Henry Longfellow That a man in his 70s, an age when most men retire to a quiet, easy life, can dream of setting up a medical institution is remarkable.…
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How it began at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital
Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, a charitable trust, was set up in 1914 by Dr. S.P. Shroff. An overachiever who completed his degree from England and could have easily received a highly-paid job instead decided to open a hospital for the deprived individuals. What motivated him to do so, is probably a question that comes…
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How it began at the Community Outreach Programme (CORP)
by Pearl Edmund The journey of CORP ( Community Outreach Program) began in the year 1976, with an American couple’s yearning to visit the slums of Mumbai. This couple was Mr. Jesse and Mrs. Molly Clement and the slum they visited was Dharavi. Little did they realize at that time that their simple walk through…
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How it began at Gram Vikas Trust
“I am blessed!! I am blessed because I was given, when I had absolutely nothing, the basics in life and was educated to utilize the basics to become who I am today. I will never forget the samaritans, who not only provided me with the basics but also taught me that a part of being…
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How it began at Blind People’s Association, India
The BPA was set up by Mr. Jagdish K Patel or Jagdishbhai as he was more popularly known. In 1936, when he was just eight years old, he lost his eyesight due to a bought of Meningitis that hit West Bengal, where he used to live with his parents. Meningitis paralysed his optic nerve, leading…
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How it began at Saath
Saath was started by Rajendra Joshi to alleviate the problems of the urban poor – be it education, healthcare, unemployment, infrastructure or microfinance. Born in East Africa, Rajendra Joshi came to India in 1977, when he was almost 20 years old. His upbringing and education there played a large role in motivating him towards the…
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How it began at Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust
by Shreyans Shah Mr. Eldred Tellis founded Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in 1995 and has been in the field of drug de-addiction work for the past 30 years. He was driven by his personal experiences as a drug user who managed to quit and stay clean. Having seen the trauma and neglect faced by the users…
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How it began at Shree Navchetan Andhjan Mandal
The primary force behind Shree Navchetan Andhjan Mandal (SNAM) is Mr. Laljibhai M Prajapati. A native of Bachchau, Mr. Laljibhai lost his eyesight at a young age, soon after he completed his SSC/standard 10 examinations. All he knows is that the loss was due to some sort of a nerve dysfunction, which was hard to…
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How it began at the Light of Life Trust
The heart and soul behind Light of Life Trust is Mrs. Villy Doctor. Born and brought up in Bombay by Parsi (Zorastrian) parents, Villy grew up with strong spiritual values. A brilliant student, she graduated from the city’s St. Xavier’s College, went on to attain a Master’s degree in Psychology and followed it up with…
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How it began at Sanskruti Samwardhan Mandal
Spend a day (or two as I did) at Sanskruti Samwardhan Mandal and you’ll understand how one family has taken it upon themselves to develop the district of Sagroli. I’m fairly certain you haven’t heard of it. Well, neither had I till my visit to Sanskruti Samwardhan. Sagroli is one of nine districts of Nanded,…
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How it began at Snehalaya
It says on the organizations website that “Snehalaya was started, by a zealous band of youth volunteers in 1989.” What isn’t clear in this sentence is who the real force amongst these volunteers is. And that is Dr. Girish Kulkarni. It was also one particular incident that led to the formation of Snehalaya. One day,…
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How it all began at the Foundation for Excellence (FFE) Trust
FFE is the brainchild of Dr. Prabhu and Mrs. Poonam Goel. Dr. Prabhu Goel hails from a humble, middle-class family in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He went to IIT Kanpur for his undergraduate education; and subsequently in 1970, to Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, for graduate studies. Getting an opportunity to study at two of the best…
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How it all began at Maria Seva Sangha
Sometimes one particular incident sparks off a major change and that seems to be the case with how Maria Seva Sangha was set up. Ms. Ethel Brito was volunteering with a small school in Ashoknagar, and purely out of curiosity she asked a class of 60 students this simple question: “How many of you bring…
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Ananya Trust – How it all began
While Ananya Trust was officially set up in 1998, its roots can be traced back to the 80s, when Shashi was living and working in the US. She was as a preschool teacher; one of the key things she learnt during her interactions with 2 to 5 year-olds was that a child’s social environment influences…
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An organisation as remarkable as its Founder
The story behind how this organization was setup is as interesting as its educational principles. Setup by Christel DeHaan, it is one of the many schools that falls under the Christel House International network of schools that are present in four continents. The first being in Mexico in 1998, followed by schools in South Africa,…
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The inspiration behind Dignity Foundation
So what led Sheilu Srinivasan, a champion in both sports and academics during her school days, to venture down the non-profit path? Seems to be a combination of her upbringing as well as her exposure to the plight of the elderly. Sheilu was raised in an environment of selfless service and giving to others –…
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The force behind Ummeed
Who’s the force behind this organisation that is working so hard to provide ummeed in the lives of these children and their families? It’s the powerful combination of Vibha Krishnamurthy and John Thattil. While Vibha brings a rare blend of intensive medical training and innate intuition to the table, John has over 16 years of experience…
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National Association for the Blind, India – How it all began
The NAB was setup by a certain Mr. Alpaiwala. Initially destined to become a lawyer, Mr. Alpaiwala became involved with the cause of the blind when he himself lost his vision in his late-twenties due to Retinitis Pigmentosa – an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment and often blindness. So from law, Mr. Alpaiwalla…