With an unwavering commitment to social change, Manna Dabholkar has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of the marginalized and giving voice to the voiceless.
Manna’s passion for social justice can be traced back to her upbringing. Raised by a father who served as a public servant, she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of compassion and assistance. Her father’s tireless efforts to aid impoverished and homeless children in the most perilous slums of India deeply influenced her worldview. It instilled in her an indomitable spirit to speak out against injustice and stand up for the vulnerable.
As an activist, humanitarian, conscious leader, and social entrepreneur, Manna has dedicated her skills and expertise to empowering communities, challenging systemic inequalities, and promoting human dignity. Through her role as the CEO of GIFT Global Initiative, she has spearheaded initiatives that address critical issues such as poverty, education, gender equality, and access to healthcare.
In this interview, we have the privilege to delve deeper into Manna Dabholkar’s inspiring journey, her invaluable insights on human rights, and the transformative work she continues to champion with GIFT Global. Join us as we explore the life and vision of this trailblazing activist.
As an activist, humanitarian, conscious leader, and social entrepreneur, what is your idea of giving back? Why do you think people should give more?
My idea of giving back is empowerment, empowering others to do better for themselves, for their families and for society in general. ‘Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’
As a former therapist and life coach I believe that the answer to the debate on whether altruism is an integral part of human nature, written in our genes, or that generosity is a product derived from the civilizing influence of culture and religion in human society may come from neuroscience. Contemporary social neuroscience research shows that altruism is associated with a specific pattern of brain activity. These studies indicate that the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain responsible for our most advanced cognitive functions, is involved in altruistic behavior. Studies also show that when people donated to charity, either financially or through volunteering, the mesolimbic system, the portion of the brain responsible for feelings of reward, was triggered. The brain releases feel-good chemicals, spurring you to perform more kind acts—something psychologists call helper’s high.
Dr. David Hawkins did some 267,000 experiments, he created a Scale of Consciousness. If you haven’t read his book Power vs Force, it is a must read. Dr. Hawkins measured human consciousness and puts forward a very simple science-based path to understanding your brain’s psychology and its Physiology and using it to reach your personal goals and desires.
Imagine you are looking at a staircase with 1000 steps. Now the bottom steps 1-200 are feelings of hate, anger, sadness, and pessimism. From about 700-1000 are feelings such as love, appreciation, happiness, and optimism. And there’s a whole bunch of frequencies (i.e., feelings) that fall in between. What Dr. Hawkins observed which is of major significance here is that the brain’s physiology also changes dramatically at consciousness level 200, which is the level where the quality of life starts changes, this is expressed by the emergence of concern for the welfare, survival, and happiness of others rather than just for the personal self.
The benefits of transcending that scale is clearly correlated to happiness and when our state of mind is happy, fulfilled, content and satisfied, there is nothing in this world that cannot be ours. Materialistic values may stem from early insecurities and are linked to lower life satisfaction. People who transcend that scale of consciousness and thereby attract opportunities and abundance understand one basic truth about human beings. Human brains are wired to give, help, and empower. When we help, it puts us at the top on that scale and your positive empowered state of mind can only attract abundance.
Talk to us about your growing up years. Being the daughter of a public servant who dedicated his life towards making a social change, how much has that influenced your perspective and values?
My journey, a conscious decision to commit my life to public service started well before I landed in the United States as an immigrant 12 years ago. Born and raised by parents who were lifelong public servants – Papa was in politics, a lawmaker advocating for the poorest neighborhoods and slums in India and Mom was a homemaker supporting his aspirations and crazy ideas to create a better world.
While other kids were out playing and making friends, we were accompanying my Papa on his election rallies, holding his hand, and walking through some of the most dangerous slums of India. The people who lived in these slums had no food on their tables, no running water, no sanitation, or electricity but they welcomed us with open arms. I would see him sit on dirty floors and eat with these families. Children in shabby old clothes with snot running down their noses, greasy dirty fingers would hug him. As a child I cringed that he didn’t mind the unhygienic conditions around him, often spending hours in these places.
Years later I found myself standing in a small, cold, congested dirty brothel, as it poured outside, trying to rescue those little babies to safety from their traffickers. I couldn’t turn my back on so many others who are still living in environments that make them easy targets of the darker underbelly of our society. My journey is a lifelong commitment to speaking up against injustice and giving a voice to the vulnerable children, women & men and sharing their stories of perseverance and success. In many ways, my life has come full circle. Today, I find myself following in my Papa’s footsteps, loving every minute of this journey.
Prevention and Empowerment are two keywords behind the GIFT Global Initiative. Can you please talk about the emphasis your organization has continued to place on these two impactful keywords?
GIFT Global Initiative is a global diplomacy foundation that uses Social Impact Entertainment to empower children and families from some of the poorest places on our planet in Asia, Africa, South, Central and North America.
In my 15 years of working in areas that are underserved, poverty-stricken, drug infested, controlled by cartels, affected by violence, abuse and exploitation, I recognized the stark absence of efforts geared towards prevention. It became clear I must make it a priority to educate governments, individuals, and corporations about mindful sustainable charity, bringing a hand up, not a handout.
GIFT was founded to protect families and their children by preventing situations that lead to exploitation of these people. Prevent is a big word for us at GIFT. I never understood why anyone must go through a traumatic episode to get the help they deserve. We must be proactive with humanitarian aid and mindful with the nature of aid we provide to people in need. Transitional aid such as free food, free blankets, free shelter, free medical, etc. is great but only for so long. That’s not what GIFT is about. Our goal is to uplift these children, strengthen their family unit so it can provide and protect their own and do not have to rely on outside entities for simple necessities in life. Our goal is to bring them a hand up in life, not a handout.
We do so by 1) identifying areas that require support 2) implementing programs that are preventive in nature and scope such as Education for All, Sports for Solar, Renewable Energy, Clean Water Initiative, Medical Fund, Mobile Clinics, Pop Up Schools, and more.
What has been this journey like for you over the years? What would you change if you were to start again?
The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. I learnt that early on from my father who has always advocated for people who were marginalized by systematic oppression or stuck in the generational cycle of poverty. It was a learning curve with many ups and downs.
Creating and running a Non-Profit is no different from creating and running a For-Profit business. On top of that, humanitarian work can be very exhausting. It is easy to lose sight when there are so many who need help. Knowing and understanding your end goal(s) can help you avoid getting sucked into the sinkhole of depression. You need to have strong boundaries, know what you’re fighting for and what you stand for, so you remain focused and driven to keep pushing without getting overwhelmed by the demands. Clear vision will help you go beyond the realm of fuzzy.
We work with families who have no food on their table for days and most of them use water from a nearby gutter. They don’t have toilets, electricity, cable, internet and all the simple pleasures of life. We work with children who are abandoned by their families because they are HIV positive or have cancer or such other medical condition that the family either doesn’t understand or does not have the funds to treat or both. We serve children who are at risk of being sex trafficked at the tender age of 4 and 5. What is our end goal?
What keeps us going is the clarity of our vision for these families and their children. We are not in this just to provide transitional aid. Our goal is Uplifting these people, to Improve their financial condition, not to keep them poor, to bring them a Hand up in Life and Not a Handout. Our goal is to educate the world about mindful sustainable giving. We are motivated to keep fighting by the success stories we get to share with you all.
More and more companies are getting involved and creating social impact initiatives to contribute to global causes. What according to you is attributing to this change?
I believe that Human brains are wired to give, help, and empower. When we help, it puts us at the top and our positive empowered state of mind can only attract abundance. That applies to individuals and corporations.
A study from Accenture in 2020 says that Companies with a social impact initiative are more profitable than the ones who are only in the business of making profits for themselves. According to Forbes, a whopping 73% of Millennials are willing to spend more on a product if the brand is environmentally sustainable. According to the same source, nearly 2/3rds of Gen Z consumers have already stopped buying from brands that aren’t aligned with their values. And 40% would consider doing so again. The customers are transcending and so should your business. 65% of Americans, including 76% of millennials, will research whether a company’s social claims are true. If you’re not being straight with people, they’re going to find out.
According to a 2017 Cone Communications study, 63% of Americans want businesses to advance the cause of social and environmental change – regardless of whether the government takes a role. According to the same study, 87% of Americans are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that promotes a cause they care about. Tom’s shoes is a great example of leading with a social cause. Started in 2006 with $500000 by its owner Blake Mycoskie. He sold all his assets to start Tom’s and ran with the mission Buy a Shoe, Give a shoe. In 2013, 7 years after it was founded Tom’s shoes was worth $625 million in revenue and Mycoskie was worth $300 million. You can build tremendous value for your brand, expand your customer base, increase your existing customer loyalty by simply rebranding yourself as a Socially Conscious Entrepreneur who cares about the general wellbeing of the society around you.
Finally, what does the future look like for GIFT Global? What programs or schemes are you most excited about in the coming months?
GIFT Global Initiative has adopted the Sports for Solar Energy Initiative that aims at providing Portable Solar Lights and Trees to Plant to households in Africa, Asia, Mexico, and USA, giving families access to low-cost portable solar energy. Our clean energy initiative will expand access to low-cost, durable solar tops, solar jars, and solar lanterns to low-income communities. Solar Power is Education Power.
The population we serve faces complex barriers to accessing ladders of opportunity. Those same barriers are what keep them off teams, out of leagues, and unable to access programs that could support them to reach their full potential. Addressing one barrier alone is a band aid. Barriers stack up on one another and feel insurmountable.
As you know there isn’t a better way to inspire children and create positive role models than to get them engaged in sport. In Africa, Latin America, and Asia, we are tapping into the local love for Soccer and creating a semi-yearly tournament. At the end of the tournament, all participants will receive Solar Lanterns instead of trophies thereby bringing solar lights to their homes in the settlement/slums. We estimate that some $520 million will be saved by consumers by switching from kerosene or biomass fuel to solar energy.
In addition, carbon emissions will be reduced considerably. To deliver these clean energy products, we rely on our strong network of volunteers, non-profit partners funded by GIFT and the For-Profit sector to provide the cash and technology influx needed for a project of this scale. We hope other futuristic companies, governments and individuals will consider partnering with GIFT to bring Solar Lights to communities like the one in Soweto in South Africa.
If interested in our Solar Initiative, they can email us at Kim@GGIUSA.org.
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