Pushpa is a widow, aged about 35, engaged in vegetable trade with a self-help group loan, in Natham village, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu When Pushpa lost her husband unexpectedly in an accident, she approached the Raja Rajeswari women self-help group in Natham village through IFDE field coordinator, D. Jayalakshmi for advice and help. Out of... Continue Reading →
S. Ranjani, citizen next door
With self-help group loans, S. Rajani, aged about 30, living in Kundrathur village, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, has developed the milk trade within 3 years. The Moon Self Help Group formed in 2007 with 12 women had been actively functioning. S. Rajani got a loan of Rs.15,000 in 2011 and bought a cross-bred cow. She... Continue Reading →
Sandhya Swamy (IPS), citizen next door
A young and dynamic IPS Officer, freshly inducted into the Indian Police Service, Sandhya has shone through her tireless endeavours directed towards getting into the bureaucracy to serve the society. During her struggling years, she not only set exemplary standards of hard work and enrichment of self but also showed empathy and compassion for the... Continue Reading →
Rinku Mecheri, citizen next door
Rinku Mecheri is the founder of Chennai Volunteers, a social initiative that fosters civic engagement and ensure that volunteers can engage with non-profits in a sustainable and meaningful way . A dynamic web portal, CV partners with over 140 NGOs and institutions across our city today and work towards making our civic society more inclusive. An alumnus... Continue Reading →
Ritika Arora, citizen next door
A young software developer, who exudes compassion for the society and is doing her own bit towards community building by taking up the responsibility of educating her maid’s daughter. She not only teaches the child for free but also participates whole-heartedly in helping the little one excel in extra-curricular activities. She deserves recognition and remembrance... Continue Reading →
J. Mallika, citizen next door
J. Mallika of Manajcheri village, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, aged about 40, who started selling saris 10 years ago, has developed her trade, also rendering voluntary guidance and counselling services to people. Mallika received a loan of Rs.10,000 from Indira Gandhi Self Help Group, Amman Koil Street, Manajcheri village, which was functioning for 12 years.... Continue Reading →
Jayanthi Buruda, citizen next door
"Jayanthi Buruda is the youngest tribal scribe from Odisha who is the first woman Koya journalist to report from conflict areas of Malkangiri. She owes her interest in helping the needy and social work to her farmer parents who inspired her despite their meagre resources. She said she chose journalism as it would help her... Continue Reading →
Vimla Kaul, citizen next door
Guldasta lets children bloom so that their future blossoms Established in 1995, Guldasta owes its existence to the sheer tenacity of Vimla Kaul and her husband late Prof Hari Mohan Kaul. An engineering graduate from BITS, Pilani, Prof Kaul served as Chief Engineer in the Government-run Central Ground Water Board but took voluntary retirement and... Continue Reading →
Meenakshi Ramesh, citizen next door
Seven years in a full time role, and seven more as volunteer, as India's largest NGO - Pratham - which is committed to helping every child in India attend school and learn well. I have worked with teams on helping them budget and plan their cash flows, report in donor-designated formats and in the training... Continue Reading →
Neerja Rai, citizen next door
"She’s my mother. My first teacher, who showed me what it is to practice compassion and empathy towards fellow citizens. When I was a kid, I saw her gathering all the under privileged children in and around our colony and seating them in our drawing room with a copy and pencil each. At the far... Continue Reading →