Ritu Jha-
Indians for Collective Action (ICA), a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit will honor four India-based women-focused non-profit organizations at its annual gala this Sunday. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Let Her Soar! Every Woman Matters’.
An ICA release said the four organizations are Bhagini Nivedita Gramin Vigyan Niketan (BNGVN), founded by Nileema Mishra in Maharashtra, and which works in women’s empowerment, health and livelihood through entrepreneurship; Lok Biradari Prakalp, founded by India’s noted social worker Baba Amte and which works on women’s health and education in the tribal regions of the western state of Maharashtra; Snehalaya, founded by Dr Girish Kulkarni and which works on education, health, livelihood, rehabilitation, human trafficking, orphanage, domestic violence and mental health; and Latika Roy Foundation, which, led by Jo Chopra, provides special needs adults and children with opportunities for free expression, leadership development, creative thought, and problem-solving skills.
The keynote speaker and guest of honor will respectively be Dr. Radha Karnad and Dr. Juin Dutta. Karnad is chief medical officer of HealthX Africa and is a third-generation physician. Dutta is the founder of the Srotoshwini Trust, a Gujarat-based non-profit focusing on underprivileged women and children.
“Supporting women is the need of an hour,” Prakash Agarwal, ICA president told indica. “Since its Inception in 1968, ICA has worked in partnership with dedicated social workers and organizations in India and in the US, and it supports and works as an umbrella for over 50 India-based non-profits.”
Agarwal has been active in local and global charities through his private foundation, The Agarwal Foundation, and serves on the board of several non-profit organizations both in USA and India. “ICA is all about having an impact and serving the marginalized,” he said.
Agarwal said BNGVN is not just a sanitary pad story, they also work in remote areas and offer training to women on how to stitch garments and sell them door-to-door, thus generating income for rural women. About Snehalaya, Agarwal said, “We are honoring Snehalaya because Dr. Kulkarni and his team work towards ensuring a life free from inequality, cruelty, and discrimination for every woman and child.”
Four India-based non-profits to be honored this week in San Francisco
