How is COVID-19 affecting the Social Sector?
Navigating work from home and the new normal these past few months has been difficult for everyone. The social sector,
Read moreNavigating work from home and the new normal these past few months has been difficult for everyone. The social sector,
Read moreIn the next story of GoBarefootRealHeroes we are sharing an inspiring story of Subhankar. “Hello. I am Subhankar from Lantern Edusports Foundation. We work with the school leaders and teachers in the underprivileged communities of Maharashtra. While growing up, I always felt that I was privileged to get where I was, considering that my mother was from a scheduled caste family in a remote village and my father from a family who migrated to India during the 1947 partition and had to start all over again. I had a privileged life because my parents took the pain and fought against all odds to get educated. A software engineer by qualification, I joined Accenture after finishing graduation. Two years into my job and after some soul searching, I realized I wanted to do a job in which I could contribute directly to remove inequity in the society and thus I joined the Teach For India Fellowship. My first introduction to students was in 2014 when I joined the Teach For India Fellowship. I was placed in an 8th-grade classroom in Ja’Fari English High School, Shivaji Nagar, Govandi. There were 140 bright-eyed adolescent kids that I was responsible for. The students were very restless, it was difficult for them to see instant results from hard-work and that constant disappointment had normalized an attitude of disrespect in the classroom for them. Some of them were slow learners and in response to the apathy their immediate environment had shown to their problems – the students had given up on studies themselves. I would go as far as to say that they would not be in school if they had a choice. Given this tough community landscape, no
Read moreIn 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
Read moreIn the fourth story of #GoBarefootRealHeroes we are sharing the story of Antara Sarkar How it began: I have been volunteering on and off since 2006, when I was studying in BITS Pilani. It was in 2016, when I first walked into a government primary school in the outskirts of Delhi. My neighbours told me they needed someone to teach English for an hour, a week, and I volunteered. Little did I know ,what a huge impact this one decision would have on my life.
Read moreIn the second story of #GoBarefootRealHeroes we are sharing the story of Preeti Chaudhary. “My passion for kids can be tracked back almost a decade ago when I used to teach at a Toddler’s school while pursuing my MBA course. The only thing which got me doing that job was just one simple fact My Love for kids.I get fascinated by their innocent smile and it gave me immense pleasure spending time with them. My course got completed, then I got married and life was pacing ahead, But the passion was still deep down within me. One fine day, I got to see a few underprivileged children (poor children from slums) outside a temple near our home. They were begging for food and
Read moreWe at GoBarefoot starting this new series of #GoBarefootRealHeroes under which we would be sharing stories of people who are
Read moreThe social sector holds exciting and promising opportunities for a meaningful, satisfying and financially sustainable career that promises purpose and
Read moreSo what does it take to start a not-for-profit organisation for underprivileged kids? Well, all it takes is a little
Read moreThird Sector Partners (TSP) and it’s social initiative ‘Katalyst’ has reached an exciting milestone this year, completing more than 10
Read moreFood is an essential part of everyone’s lives. A meal after a long day of work, feels like a treasure.
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