Meet This Social Entrepreneur, Who Is 'A Ray of Hope' For Over 5 Lakh Poor And Marginalised People Across India

On a cold December morning, on her way to school, Dr Neelam Gupta saw a poor little girl on the roadside, shivering in the cold. She was only wearing a torn, thin, cotton shirt. Moved by the girl's pathetic condition, she gave her own woollen sweater to the kid. The next day, while going to school, she met the same girl again, wearing the same clothes. When asked about the sweater, she said that her father took it away to sell it off for some money, as they had nothing to eat.

The incident was the trigger for Gupta and she immediately decided to help the poor and needy how to 'fish and fend for themselves. That day, she decided to work for the upliftment of the poor and underprivileged people and provide equal opportunities for growth and development to as many poor people as possible.

How AROH Foundation Started?

Years later, when she was a grown-up woman, Gupta established AROH Foundation – a not for profit organisation, to realise her childhood dream of creating a positive change in society.

Set up and registered in 2001, AROH Foundation works towards empowering poor and marginalised communities through well-designed programmes in the area of education, skill development, sustainable livelihood, health and sanitation. Currently, the NGO is spread across more than 18 states of India.

AROH has its impact in the remotest locations of India, ranging from rugged terrains of Meghalaya to Naxal impacted red corridors in Chhattisgarh to aspirational districts of Sitamarhi, Bihar and has led to the socio-economic alleviation of around five lakh people by far.

"If entrepreneurship is a difficult life, social entrepreneurship can be more difficult. The first and biggest challenge came from my parents, who asked me to drop the 'stupid idea' and take up a job and get married. My parents found it stupid to think of charity when we could barely survive with my father's meagre salary. I was asked to achieve financial stability and wait for the right moment to give wings to my dream," Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO, AROH Foundation, told The Logical Indian.

"Being a woman can be doubly challenging in our society. I also passed through several challenging phases before I could start AROH Foundation. I got married and my career took a back seat. My family was sceptical about the scope and future of an NGO," she added.

Gupta decided to first become financially independent by taking some small business. She set up a printing and publishing business and ran it for about 10 years. It gave her good financial standing.

However, she felt the time was running out. The new millennium had started. She could wait no longer and registered AROH Foundation as a charitable society in 2001. She took up some research studies in fields like Primary and Secondary Education, Minority Education, Gender Parity, Female Foeticide, Girls Education, Women Empowerment, etc. However, she was not happy with only research work and wanted to work for people at the grassroots.

Reaching Out To Remotest Areas

In 2008, the social entrepreneur decided to work in the country's poorest and most backward areas. "I employed two girls, and set out to help the poor in areas around Noida. We started work in village Gharbara in Gautam Budh Nagar. It was a village suffering several development challenges. Poverty, ignorance, health and sanitation, skills for youth and women, agricultural problems, etc., were the issues faced by the villagers. The community was backwards, where women were facing extreme discrimination and oppression. Literacy levels were too low for women," she shared.

However, there were a lot of challenges waiting for her. Gupta was unable to receive any funds till the end of 2009.

With the start of the first SGSY project, AROH could establish as a social organisation working towards poverty reduction through programs of skill development and job placement for the rural poor. After proving themselves with the first project, AROH got several more in the series.

At the same time, AROH Foundation could venture into the field of Education as one of their projects was approved as a CSR initiative of a large public sector enterprise. This project allowed them to serve nearly 20,000 poor, underprivileged children in the slums of Delhi. The NGO mainstreamed these children in formal schools and improved their education status.

Venturing Into Other Sectors

Besides skill development and education, AROH quickly ventured into the sectors of health and sanitation, renewable energy, natural resource management, etc. With its enriching multi-sectoral experience, AROH Foundation took up Holistic Rural Development Programs in more than 200 villages in Bihar, UP, MP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Meghalaya, thereby creating model and prosperous, self-sustaining rural communities.

"Working in the social sector has been rewarding for me, as it fulfils my long-cherished dream of helping society. However, there have been daunting challenges. It was a huge challenge to work in the remote, unreached villages, particularly Naxalite affected areas.

AROH took the bold decision to venture into the Red Corridor villages of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. The field staff and functionaries have gone through the threats of Naxalites. I was personally challenged and threatened by the Naxalites. But we have bravely carried on the work in areas where most needed and came out with significant impact," Gupta recalls.

Leading NGO In India

Despite all the challenges, AROH Foundation has emerged as a leading NGO in India. It has built a good team by inculcating commitment and sincerity towards work as solid values for the organisation. The use of technology to bring transparency and accountability through information sharing and to develop sound systems and policies of internal checks, monitoring and evaluation has helped create goodwill and credibility for the Foundation amongst the stakeholders.

During its journey, AROH Foundation has touched more than 5 Lakh lives through its various programs. Women's empowerment has been a cross-cutting theme and focuses in all its endeavours. The NGO has impacted the lives of more than one lakh women through various interventions. Economic empowerment of India's youth is a must to reap its rich demographic dividend. So far, the Foundation has trained and employed more than 25,000 youth and engaged them in jobs and self-employment. It has also helped the economy by employing nearly 200 full-time people in the organisation.

AROH Foundation has been recognised both nationally and internationally for its significant contribution to the social sector in India. The Foundation is known for its work in impacting all 17 SDGs, for which it received the Best NGO Award from Global Compact India Network in 2019.

"The future of AROH Foundation is no more just what I dream and plan, but it now carries dreams of all the employees and beneficiaries. The need for diversification of serving other varied causes and extending the patronage to the deprived as much as possible is our future ideal. The future plan also comprises issues that need immediate thought and action for the wholesome development of the marginalised sections of the society," Gupta said.

"With its experience, expertise and learning of nearly two decades, AROH has a robust roadmap to establish itself as the largest NGO in its outreach, both nationally and internationally. I feel proud to establish AROH as a creditable institution scaling new heights and working for the empowerment of the poor," she concluded.

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