Why would Management professionals abandon promising careers or a wheel chair-bound individual serve the disabled through setting up their own NGOs? If heart did not rule head, social entrepreneurs would seldom be born. Fortunately, three such champions of change were identified by the Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani (MSDS) and awarded the Sadguru Gnanananda Fellowship Program in the city last week.
Having met with a road accident Dilip Patro a software professional suddenly found himself wheel chair bound. This could hardly curtail his passion for reaching out to help others and in 2007 he set up The Ability People (TAP) an NGO that educates and supports rehabilitation of spinal cord injured persons (SCIP) at Vizag.
Appointed as a representative under the National Trust, TAP provides mobility aids and appliances for various disabilities besides working with the police for road safety and promoting Right to Emergency Care in the critical ‘golden hour’ (the first one hour of an accident). The TAP website provides an All India Helpline and a toll free number within the state for easy access to citizens.
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With a similar motive to serve the masses, Shobha Gosa, Founder, Young People for Life India based at Hyderabad was chosen for empowering youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with communication skills and behavioural management.
Her years as a Business Coach inspired her to focus on education and training of teenage girls gifting them leadership skills, cross cultural engagement, human rights etc.
The third awardee, Akshai Abraham an MBA from Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal founded Project KHEL in 2012 at Lucknow merging his interest in social work and sports in order to positively impact the lives of underprivileged children. KHEL being the acronym for Kids Holistic Education & Life skills his NGO playfully develops confidence, leadership, team work, trust and addresses important issues of health and sanitation through games. “Across the world sport is being applied to address development issues such as creating health awareness, promoting peace and gender equity,” said Abraham.
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MSDS, is a registered Public Charitable Trust that initiates social consciousness amongst people.
The Fellowship constitutes monthly monetary support for a period of one year, extendable on impact.
Their learning Centres for Social Initiative & Management are located at Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Coimbatore.
It’s the helping hand that truly serves the world and the world comes to those that serve selflessly!