See you later...

Chances are if you have visited Snehalaya over the last 10 years we may have met. I have been living alongside the women, children and staff residents of our Rehab Center reporting for duty in the Fundraising and Marketing team on a daily basis since April 2016. It’s from there I have contributed to the development of the Snehalaya’s volunteering, social media, website and other communications while also managing Snehalaya UK in my role of CEO of the UK registered charity.

My love affair with India started in 1984 when I visited north India and I returned many more times including in 2010 as a staff team leader for Leeds Beckett University students visiting on a placement to introduce them to the Indian charity and social issues. I returned as team leader annually until 2015 when, inspired by Snehalaya founder Dr Girish Kulkarni, I decided I wanted to commit more time to this amazing organisation.

In April 2016, I resigned from the University, packed my cases and committed to one year to see how I could help. My arrival coincided with one of initial Malala Fund campaigns to promote girls’ education through the screening of the documentary of He Named me Malala. With temperatures climbing over 40°C, I joined the Snehalaya Malala team on our school bus to deliver 16 roadshows throughout Ahmednagar District.

Travelling and working alongside a core team of around 50 Snehalaya staff was a great way bonding experience and we definitely got to know each other a lot better. We also visited the 16 main towns of our district which showed me the character and diversity of my new home and allowed me to meet with thousands of women, children, volunteers and stakeholders. All in all, despite very long and hot days it was an excellent way to start my experience and I have continued to work with girls aged 13-17 to deliver annual Malala Day campaigns to maintain the momentum created by this massive undertaking.

My Snehalaya journey has left me with a million life-time memories, most exhilarating and happy, but also some incredibly sad and challenging. My years have been peppered with so many festivals and celebrations while dealing with a strange but familiar culture and frustrations such as time-keeping and language barriers. I wouldn’t change it for the world!

When asked what my biggest achievement has been I always think of COVID. As for everyone this was an extraordinary situation. As we all watched the world closing down I realised we didn’t know the impact the virus would have on people living with HIV and like many others I was frightened. I encouraged the daily staff coming to our shelter homes to decide whether to stay or leave as we closed the gates to our Rehab Center. As we said goodbye to so many colleagues not knowing when we would see them again, I assumed responsibility for ensuring we followed lockdown guidance.

I have to say this was one of my most satisfying times at Snehalaya as my focus remained on ensuring the health and wellbeing of our staff, women and children, balancing maintaining the guidelines without invoking fear. Daily meetings kept us all up to date with the current situation and crating schedules to keep everyone calm, reassured, healthy and busy with activities. We lived in a bubble of nearly 200 people, definitely a privilege that I know many others couldn’t afford, with a positive energy thanks to the commitment of the dedicated staff that had chosen to stay and support us. I am still incredibly proud and happy that not one resident contracted COVID in the first lockdown!

At the same time, the funding platform Give.do contacted us to arrange relief payments to daily wage workers and, working with our teams out in the field (and so many spreadsheets), I was able to submit nearly 5,000 applications for the emergency funding, all of which reached those most in need. It was also a defining moment for the organisation, as Snehalaya once again proved how quickly it can act. So many food and hygiene parcels, health services and roadside centers for migrant workers ensured the impact of the pandemic on the people of Amednagar was far reduced. I am very proud of the small part I played in this.

I have developed and learnt so much during my time at Snehalaya, I have made great friends and certainly feel I will always be a part of this large, crazy and loving family. Last year, due to my own family circumstances I moved back to the UK. I returned in December to celebrate Christmas with the Snehalaya kids and have now again returned to the UK with no planned visit back to Ahmednagar for now.

It’s also not the end of my work for Snehalaya. As CEO of Snehalaya UK my focus is to build on the current strength of our UK team. We are now in our 12th year and have already made significant contributions to the Indian charity through volunteers, fundraising, networking and more. I plan to use my spare time to build on this and reach out to current and prospective UK supporters with the support of the UK board. I aim to use my commitment and my Snehalaya experiences to help spread the word of this amazing place to many more!

I am so grateful to so many for making my time at Snehalaya so meaningful. There are too many to name but my UK colleague Nick Cox has been my partner in crime since day one and continues to be my man on the ground to keep my up to date with all the news and gossip. I am of course grateful to Girish Kulkarni for starting this amazing place that has given so much to so many and also for the endless road trips and laughs. And finally the incredible staff team, each and every one of them is committed and bring fun, endless energy and professionalism to challenging situations and I am proud to stand alongside them for years to come. It definitely not goodbye, more of a see you later!

If you or someone you know is based in the UK and interested in working with our team to help promote Snehalaya please do get in touch: give@snehalaya.org.