14 years of fearless impact
A force for good
With every choice we make, we hold the power to shape our own lives - and to transform the lives of others.
In 2012, we made a bold choice: to believe in the strength, resilience, and compassion of women and girls. We believed they could become the change agents their communities needed to combat domestic violence and sex trafficking. That belief gave birth to My Choices Foundation.
From the very beginning, our mission has been clear - to give women and girls the power to make their own choices, to live lives free from abuse, violence, and exploitation. Because empowered choices don’t just change one life; they create ripple effects that can transform families, communities, and generations to come.
14 years of fearless impact
In 2022, we proudly marked 10 years of My Choices Foundation. What began as a humble journey has become a national movement. Over the past decade, our programmes have evolved, our reach has expanded, and our impact has touched millions of lives across 10 Indian states and more than 10,000 locations.
This journey has not been easy. We have walked alongside grief, heartbreak, and unimaginable pain. But through it all, we have grown stronger, fiercer, more determined. Because we are more than an organisation - we are a movement of warriors and survivors.
Our fire still burns bright. It is a steady, fearless flame - one that will guide us into the next decade and beyond. We know who we are, and we know what must be done.
We have done it before. We will do it again.
My Choices Foundation is built by warriors and strengthened by survivors.
Take a look at our timeline
Elca Grobler founded My Choices Foundation in Hyderabad, India to stop domestic violence and end sex trafficking in India.
We opened our first Operation PeaceMaker counselling centre for the survivors of domestic violence at Falaknuma of Hyderabad; the event was marked with training the PeaceMakers as first responders to domestic violence in vulnerable communities.
Two more counselling centres for the survivors of domestic violence were opened at Lakdikapul and Golconda, Hyderabad.
The operations of Operation Red Alert, the anti-sex trafficking wing of My Choices Foundation, began with a strong foundation in evidence-based strategies. This included commissioning an 18-month in-depth behavioural research study to understand the contextual factors that drive men to sell or force young girls into trafficking or buy girls for sexual exploitation (rape).
We rolled out our flagship Safe Village Program and launched India’s first national anti-human trafficking toll-free helpline 1800 419 8588.
The Telangana State Police Department designated OPM as a Nodal counselling centre for all domestic violence cases for the North Zone and South Zone divisions.
Led by the Indian cricketers, we launched the Respect2Protect mass media campaign to encourage men and boys to respect women and girls and, to protect them. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and other members of the then-Indian Cricket Team pledged their solidarity.
We won the most prestigious market research award from the ESOMAR Foundation for our report on understanding how to address men’s behaviour to buy and sell girls, understand decision-making in at-risk families and identify levers that will make the fathers and mothers protect their girl children.
Notes to My Father, the world’s first live capture virtual reality (VR) documentary on sex trafficking was created in partnership with Oculus’ Facebook initiative VR for Good and has been screened in more than 30 festivals worldwide.
OPM was chosen as one of the top five social innovators in the BridgeBuilder Challenge, which elevates promising ideas and provides them with seed funding to test new approaches and prove solutions to some of the world's most urgent needs.
Participants from 185 countries responded to the challenge with more than six hundred and fifty ideas.
Rakshaks (Grassroot volunteers in the villages), the vigilante of the village, was introduced to ensure the sustainability of the Safe Village Program.
The Lotus Safe Home opened its doors as a sanctuary for women and children escaping abusive homes, offering them immediate safety, shelter, and a place to heal. Beyond providing a secure environment, it serves as a beacon of hope where survivors can access counselling, legal aid, vocational training and emotional support, empowering them to rebuild their lives with dignity and strength.
We hosted our first Asian Anti-Trafficking Forum (AATF), bringing together experts, advocates, and policymakers from across India to tackle the pressing issue of sex trafficking.
My Choices Foundation was chosen by CHILDLINE India Foundation to run the 24- hour operational CHILDLINE 1098 help desk at Nampally Railway Station, Hyderabad.
The Safe Village Program is enhanced by the involvement of Nodal Teachers (Protectors) and Gram Mitras (Friends of the village) to sustain the programme’s impact.
MCF deepened community interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to address the increasing domestic violence and trafficking cases. Also, we provided essential supplies to more than 13,000 people, impacting 5,169 families hit by COVID-19.
In partnership with the State of Telangana Police Women Safety Wing, we developed online counselling protocols for survivors of domestic violence on Dial 100 and launched Empowerment Programmes for Anti-Human Trafficking Units.
We held our first Safe Village Program in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, making us active in 10 states.
We started the 24x7 Child Help Desk at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station with the support of ChildLine India Foundation, Women Development and Child Welfare and the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation.
OPM has integrated the evidence-informed and internationally recognised SASA! Together approach to drive positive and sustainable change in social norms that perpetuate violence against women. This approach incorporates a gender-power analysis, a structured four-phase process for change, holistic community engagement and benefits-based activism.
OPM was chosen as a technical expert partner by a large microfinance organisation, ESAF Foundation to conduct gender sensitisation and domestic violence awareness sessions for Arogyasakhis (friends of health) on the correlation between violence and women’s health issues.
Support us
We can’t thank you enough for all your support. Your generosity makes it possible for thousands of women and girls to make a choice to live a life free from abuse, violence, and sexual exploitation.
