My name is Priya. I was born and brought up in Hyderabad, India. After finishing my bachelors in 2007, I started volunteering at an organization called “Make a Wish Foundation India”.

Make A Wish Foundation - India

In 1995, Uday and Gita Joshi took their little boy Gandhar suffering from Leukemia for treatment to the USA. Gandhar agreed to go only on the promise that he would get to visit Disney Land. In the course of his treatment, Make-A-Wish Foundation® volunteers met the Joshis and went about fulfilling Gandhar’s wish in a way beyond his imagination. His sister, Bhargavi was specially flown in from India by the foundation to join the family on a 6 day memorable trip of Disneyland®. Gandhar passed away soon after their return to India. Inspired by the joy and magic that the wish experience had brought into their lives in a difficult time and in memory of their little boy, the Joshis were determined to bring the same wish experience to children with life-threatening illnesses in India. Thus, the Indian affiliate was established in 1996 and since then wishes have been granted to children across the country and Gandhar thus lives on – each time a wish in India comes true!

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon when I and Rajni Aunty went to the NIMS hospital cancer ward for children. It was there, I met a 10 year old child Yogesh, and he had a charming face, the sweetest smile and the brightest eyes in the room. We went over to him and chatted with him. He was so cheerful, telling us all about his likes, dislikes and hobbies. We asked him what his ambition was; he instantly said “I want to be a Police Officer like my Granddad and dad (who died in an encounter)”.  more…

More than a year ago I started working in a school named “Tulsa Hope Academy”. It is an alternative Christian school for “at risk youth”. It has been my privilege and challenge to work in a place like this.  Here I was introduced to the director of this school Debra  (Debbie), an amazing lady with a burning passion and zeal to bring change in the lives of the ‘at risk youth’ students who come here.

As I was working as a teacher, I got to see Debbie’s life personally.  I could see her dedication and commitment to these students who gets a second chance at Tulsa hope Academy (THA) to mold their career and life. For some of them it is their last chance to prove themselves, graduate from high school. The students who come here have been through a lot of life’s struggles and faced many vivid challenges than a regular teenager. And that is one of the reasons they are here at THA.

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All over the world, 8th of March is celebrated as International Women’ day. Many women have struggled and faced many difficulties to achieve the rights of equality and freedom, we enjoy in this world today. Here is a story of one such Hero who led the flame for us. We offer our tribute to her life and legacy. Global Woman salutes her and all other women who have made it so easy for us.

Clara Zetkin was born as Clara Zeissner in Saxony, Germany on 5 July. A communist and political activist, she was also an ardent campaigner for women’s rights and helped create the first International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March 1911.

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From the slums of Mumbai to Oscars in Hollywood

An Overwhelming success and response to “Slumdog Millionaire” has made many run to the theatre to check the buzz about this ‘rags to riches’ story of a teenager from Mumbai.  The critics have and will find the negatives about the movie, but at its core, the movie is about hope, resilience and human triumph. What truly amazes me about the movie is that Jamal Malik, Rubiana Ali, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and all other children are not child artists, but real teens from the slums of Mumbai.

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February is a month of love and romance, a day when we send roses or rings and exchange cards and candies. A day filled with hugs and kisses. This sounds so sweet and pleasant among all the terror and suffering going on in the world. At times I wish there were more days like this in the year when we took a moment from our busy lives to think of our loved ones, friends and family.

Let’s think for a moment what is LOVE……

It is feeling, we cannot see love but we feel it. We can proclaim it with our actions which speak louder than words. But more than anything, LOVE IS A COMMITMENT.

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This is a very recent true story. In fact, every story posted on Global Woman is a real life story…an experience from a life of a real woman in this factual world…..But for this story I am changing the names to maintain privacy. When you read …you will be able to understand why I am doing this…

Last year in December 2008, I received an email for a guy named John. He had inquired about a life story of Marian in our site. He knew this lady in the story and his son few years back but he was making sure that she is the same one. At first I was a bit hesitated to reply him back but the facts he wrote in the email were so compelling. Marian is elderly woman, who lives by her self, her children have moved away and she is not into the technological world of internet and emails.

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Coffee! What comes to your mind, when you hear this word?  Morning… Freshness…… Starbucks?

But I have a surprise for you. It is none of the above. Coffee was my wonderful and pretty kitten. I named her Coffee. I adopted her from street when she was two months old. She was very playful and attractive and everybody loved her. I always had a blast with her. It was December of last year that one night I suddenly noticed that she was missing from my home. Coffee was so shy and introvert kitten that not seeing her in my home just scared me. more…