In the fifth story of GoBarefootRealHeroes we are sharing an inspiring story of Poorvi Shah. “To give of your possessions is to give little but to give of yourself is to give everything” -by Kahlil Gibran. This is the maxim that defines me. When I was in my finance career, I did take some volunteering initiatives like painting a school or teaching a module at a public school, but what I did most was write a cheque annually typically to an education focused Not for Profit. How many people, male or females can see their dreams come true? Either they don’t have access or they are pursuing someone else’s dreams. I was fortunate to be one of four sisters each of whom got the opportunity and encouragement to pursue career of choice. My children were fortunate to be in an environment where education was a given. I had seen my father work his way up and teach me that there was no short cut to hard work. I strongly believe that education is a leveller and can be a life changer. Fast forward a few years, and I took a break from corporate career and in another couple years I was pulled into the social sector not because I had planned it that way. I landed in Social Sector by chance, but once I did, there was no looking back. I grew professionally and personally. The beauty of being in the sector is that there is as much impact on oneself as on the beneficiaries. It’s a win-win. Having come from an MBA and finance background, management and numbers came naturally to me. I leveraged that to develop a leadership program at The Akanksha Foundation and then also got into donor management and reporting. I was in an organization, an NGO, filled with leaders mostly women, and only a few men. Lot of my myths were busted and stereotypes broken. I was finally educated! However, the joy came out of working with and nurturing the young minds and maximising their potential. I had learnt a lot from travel, exposure, reading and believed the same was required for these young minds. I helped implement the community research project, organised leadership outbound, participated with my students in Global forums such as UN WASH forum, went […]
