“Hanif is well known for his contribution and proactive work with child welfare committees in Maharashtra. He also recently coordinated the toughest mission in our Sanjay Nagar slum providing quality homes to families for just 1 lac rupees investment. Hanif is capable, fearless and a strong ringmaster inspiring quality teamwork in some of the toughest situations.”
Dr Girish Kulkarni, Founder, Snehalaya
Hanif initially came to Snehalaya as a volunteer before becoming a team member of our Childline team in 2004. With a passion for child rights, he soon was asked to lead our education programs, English medium school, IT center, Childline and Balbhavan slum-based drop-in centers, taking them to new heights. Hanif is the 'man who can' and works with drive and enthusiasm, carving out real opportunities from situations previously filled with impossibilities and conflict.
Hanif previously worked with a local news channel, after completing a course in professional photography and a Masters in Social work. During this time, he met our Founder, Dr Girish Kulkarni who invited him to join our Childline team. In 2009-10 he worked as a Project Coordinator of our Rehab Center, implementing the Five-S system: Security, Sort, Set in order, Standardize and Sustain. He then became project coordinator for our Balbhavan, a project for the education and overall welfare of slum children. He successfully transformed the project into a replicable model to inspire and guide slum schools all over India, providing the fundamental right of education to each child and ensuring them promising futures. Our slums were easy grounds for the spread of addiction, child labor, child marriages, prostitution and rag-picking. After 19 years of our presence we now have afterschool programs in seven community centers where children regularly attend schools leading to massive reductions in child marriages and labour.
On top of working with more than 4,000 children in our slums, between 2014 and 2022, Hanif was also instrumental in solving more than 3,000 Childline cases in his capacity as Assistant Director of our education-related projects. He has also sat on various state and local government committees related to child welfare and was Chair of Ahmednagar District Child Welfare Committee from 2018 to 2022.
In May 2022, Hanif was promoted to the position of Director - Projects (Non Shelter) and we look forward to seeing some new and exciting developments and improvements under his proven leadership.
“As an honest police official and strict parent, my father developed moral qualities in me and my siblings that included the importance of education and social awareness which continue to guide me every day in my work with Snehalaya.”