I am Dr. Geetanjali Chopra, founder of the Delhi based NGO- Wishes and Blessings. Born and brought up in Delhi, I finished my schooling from Convent of Jesus and Mary, completed my Bachelors from Lady Shri Ram College, my Masters, M.Phil. and my Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I have traveled the world, given talks and lectures in India and abroad, published a book and have worked at Center for Policy Research for about 5 years, and founded my NGO, Wishes and Blessings, in 2014.
When and how did you think about Wishes and Blessings NGO?
My family has always believed in the power of philanthropy, the power of using our privilege and access to resources to help those who need it- the lesser privileged, those who do not have access to things that fulfill basic needs and wants. So, the seeds of charity were planted at a very young age.I used to visit a school for the visually impaired with my grandfather to celebrate festivals and events with the children. I continued this tradition even after he passed away. Every visit I would ask the children what they wanted. In 2014, the children made an interesting request- they wanted to play Holi. This request shook me. I could not associate Holi, a very visual festival, full of colour, with children who do not have 20/20 vision.
My family has always believed in the power of philanthropy, the power of using our privilege and access to resources to help those who need it- the lesser privileged, those who do not have access to things that fulfill basic needs and wants. So, the seeds of charity were planted at a very young age.I used to visit a school for the visually impaired with my grandfather to celebrate festivals and events with the children. I continued this tradition even after he passed away. Every visit I would ask the children what they wanted. In 2014, the children made an interesting request- they wanted to play Holi. This request shook me. I could not associate Holi, a very visual festival, full of colour, with children who do not have 20/20 vision.
But I was determined to bring happiness into their lives. With the help of my colleagues at Center for Policy Research I was able to raise funds, and in the month of March 2014, 100 visually impaired children celebrated Holi with water and colour. I had never liked this festival before, but that Holi changed my life.
My organization is built up be people who have given up lucrative careers to work in the social sector. Each one is as passionate as the next, and we all work together.
What makes us special is that we do not focus on one cause. We believe that happiness isn’t just a final effect, but is also a major cause. So, in order to spread happiness, we focus on 9 areas some of which are infrastructure, relief work, education and hygienic nutrition.
My organization is built up be people who have given up lucrative careers to work in the social sector. Each one is as passionate as the next, and we all work together.
What makes us special is that we do not focus on one cause. We believe that happiness isn’t just a final effect, but is also a major cause. So, in order to spread happiness, we focus on 9 areas some of which are infrastructure, relief work, education and hygienic nutrition.
To work in these 9 areas we have more than 15 projects, some of which are:
Daily Meals Programme: We feed over 350 people daily, and serve 3 nutritious hot meals. Currently under this project we are feeding 225 women and children in 5 different shelters homes. Till date we have served over 2.5 lakh meals in Delhi NCR.
Birthday Manao: Many of the children we sponsor do not even know when their birthday is, let alone what it means to celebrate a birthday, what it means to cut a cake. Every month we celebrate the birthdays of all the children that have a birthday in the same month. This acts as a huge boost to the self-esteem of our children.
Sponsor a Childhood: We invite donors to fund the education of underprivileged children. Education is the prime way to change the future of children, of society. The programme can be modified to suit both donors and beneficiaries.