Tag: empathy

  • Don’t Stare: Breast Is Best!

    WHAT do you think when you see a woman feeding a child? Disgust, contempt, lustfulness? No? Then why does breastfeeding remain so controversial in many parts of the world, including here in India? Breastfeeding is nature’s way of providing infants with the necessary nutrients and antibodies. World Health Organization advocates for women to breastfeed exclusively…

  • Small Talk with Manju Vyas

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions, not necessarily about their work, but about themselves. This week we catch up with Manju…

  • Small Talk With Ashif Shaikh

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions, not necessarily about their work, but about themselves. This week we catch up with Ashif…

  • Ordinary people, extraordinary power

    By ANSHU GUPTA —- THERE’S a recent image that will remain etched in our collective memory for a long time: 40,000 farmers from Nashik marching towards Mumbai in scorching heat to demand their rights. The reason it makes for a compelling image is because the farmers joined hands across caste, religion and class lines to…

  • To Child Refugees, With Love

    DESPITE the world having the most number of displaced people in history, migration is still a controversial topic. There are currently 68.5 million people forcibly displaced globally – 25.4 million of whom are refugees. Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or violence – a…

  • Bollywood Stars Are Turning Green

    WE all love to read about what our favourite celebrities are up to, but it’s always nice to hear that they’re doing more than going to yet another party, shopping or travelling. Stars supporting charitable causes isn’t a new concept, but once Angelina Jolie and George Clooney made it cool to support social activism, the…

  • Privilege And Bias Affect Our Empathy

    By ALEX GABBAY —- IN 2001, I moved to Kathmandu to produce three films for UNICEF. Whilst making them I realised that films were able to connect two communities: people in need and people with privilege. And that through storytelling we could create awareness and ultimately empathy. To give you an example, I made a…

  • When Fundraisers Become Fun Raisers

    By MICAH BRANAMAN SHARMA —- AS a professional fundraiser in a previous life, we all strive for that ONE idea that will set our campaign up for success. You know you’ve hit gold when it’s all over the place, from celebrities to the news to Facebook, but what does it really mean to have a…

  • Small Talk With Aditi Kaur

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions, not necessarily about their work, but about themselves. This week we catch up with Aditi…

  • The Drama of Social Change

    LIVE theatre has been a form of communication since ancient Greece and was a part of everything from festivals, religious rituals, academia, athletics and poetry to everyday activities, including politics, law, music, weddings and funerals. Over the millennia, theatre developed and focuses shifted, depending on the culture and time. In the last few decades, a reimagining of…

  • Is there a disconnect between donor giving and NGO needs?

    AS a donor, do you have a preconceived notion of what your giving experience should look like? In today’s culture of instant gratification, many want instant recognition of their gift. While it is heart-warming to see the appreciation of the person you are helping and watch them immediately benefit from warm socks or food, does…

  • Small Talk With Maitreyee Kumar

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions, not necessarily about their work, but about themselves. This week we catch up with Maitreyee…

  • Be Kind, It’s Natural

    By AARTI MADHUSUDAN —- IT was 42 degrees. The sun was beating down with a vengeance at 12 noon. I was late to pick up my son from his playgroup. He was a two and a half year old reluctant nursery goer. I couldn’t run any faster from the end of the road where all…

  • Small Talk With Nikita Gupta

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions, not necessarily about their work, but about themselves. This week we catch up with Nikita…

  • Working In Social Sector Similar To Parenting

    By GAURAV SHAH —- WHILE there may be numerous ways of bringing up children out there in the world, there’s one irrefutable, universally accepted fact about parenting: it’s tough. Funnily, the night outs, the constant worrying, the trips to the doctor, the endless negotiations (give and take on every possible thing under the sun) are…

  • No To HIV Stigma, It’s Official

    HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of the world’s worst health epidemics. Today 36.7million people globally live with HIV, but 30% don’t even know it.  Despite the fact that two-thirds of sufferers live in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV is more widespread than we think. Due to its size, India actually has the third largest HIV…

  • A Realisation Of My Privilege

    By WYONNA D’SOUZA —- WHEN I was in class 2, I remember breaking the shower while trying to fix it in my direction. So, I immediately placed it in the shower holder and pretended as if nothing had happened. Mom thought it was the domestic worker (Suman) at fault there, and I let her take…

  • Small Talk With Vishal Talreja

    CHANGE leaders do great things, and often that is all we know about them. Here we want to get a different glimpse of the personalities that constitute the development space. Every month we get one leader to answer four questions. This week we catch up with VISHAL TALREJA, co-founder and CEO of Dream A Dream.…

  • Is Your Smartphone Preventing You From Giving?

    By MOHIT HIRA —- WHEN I was first asked to write for this blog, I tossed around a few themes. And then, as one who has crossed over from the always-waiting-in-a-queue world of the rotary-dial black telephone to on-demand-video-streaming handheld devices, I figured it was best to connect the virtual with the real. So, here goes… In…

  • Giving Back On #GivingTuesdayIndia

    By MICAH BRANAMAN SHARMA —- GROWING up in the US, the day after Thanksgiving is commonly known as Black Friday, the kick off of Christmas shopping as part of the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Over the years, however, Black Friday has become more and more insane with reports of deaths as people stampede stores or intimidate…

  • Acting On Empathy

    THERE is a pervasive theory from people outside the development sector that those who work in nonprofits, charities, or field agencies are “do-gooders”, motivated by empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – rather than the drivers that influence those working in other sectors. Do Gooders Or Doing Good? Anecdotally, this…

  • The Other Side Of Chance The Rapper

    AMERICAN musician, songwriter, and producer Chancellor Johnathan Bennett, better known as Chance The Rapper, has not only made a name for himself in the music industry as a hip hop and rap artist, but is a growing name in the philanthropy world. At just 24, in addition to being at the top of his profession with…

  • Ethical Consumption Is Not That Easy

    By NIMI RAVINDRAN —- A FEW years ago I read about a man who lived somewhere in Japan who had managed to create a perfectly Zen-like atmosphere in his home. All his possessions or every single thing he owned, including his watch, clothes, furniture and appliances, came up to just 100 items. A friend of mine…

  • Why You Should Hand Over All Your Money Right Now

    By SHOVON CHOWDHURY —- MONEY is important, and we think about it a lot. This is normal. But we need to recognise certain truths, which are self evident, and take action accordingly. One of them is this. You can make lots of money, and let’s hope you do, but you can’t take it with you. Whether you’re…

  • The Quiet Altruism Of George Michael

    BRITISH singer songwriter, George Michael, who first made headlines as one-half of the teen duo Wham!, was one of the best-selling musical artists of all time and, apparently, a generous philanthropist. After his death late last year, many stories of George Michael’s charitable giving began to make headlines. A true altruist, he was intensely private…