Dr Girish Kulkarni is the founder of Snehalaya, an NGO based in Ahmednagar, India. Snehalaya means 'Home of Love', and was founded in 1989 to provide support for women, children and LGBT communities, who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, trafficking, sexual violence, and poverty. In India, 93 women are raped every day. It is estimated that 135,000 children are trafficked every year. Over 120,000 women a year will suffer domestic violence. There are 2.1 million people living with HIV, and an estimated 130,000 people die of AIDS each year.
At Snehalaya they believe that grassroots outreach and education is the key to drastically reducing these figures. Their mission is to provide rescue, rights and rehabilitative services to the communities in most need and to offer a safe exit point to women and their children trapped in the crippling cycle of poverty and abuse.
Thus they aspire to develop the awareness and capabilities of individuals who have been deprived of their fundamental rights as a result of the inequalities that exist in our society. They provide services to over 45,000 beneficiaries and are a strong and passionate family, united in the belief that no one should stand alone.
About Dr Girish Kulkarni: He grew up in Ahmednagar enjoying life in a middle class, loving and supportive family. A former journalist with several graduate and postgraduate degrees to his name, he now combines working as a political science lecturer with driving Snehalaya, which he founded in 1989. For the past 32 years, he has been connecting with other NGOs, social workers, politicians, celebrities and anyone else who can help raise awareness of the plight and make positive changes for those who society would like to ignore.
Quote: “I was motivated by my own burden of guilt. I found that working to satisfy that, was much more sustainable than being moved by compassion. To me, that creates unrealistic expectations and places the burden on others. Ultimately their responses to your actions remain out of your control which can lead to frustrations and dissatisfaction, it’s much more rewarding to be clear and focused on your own purpose.”
Links:
Contact:
Volunteer for Snehalaya link
Email: info@snehalaya.org
