My Choices Foundation

We are dragonslayers – UNiTE!​

We are Dragonslayers - UNiTE!

Today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November) marks the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Gender-Based violence campaign and concludes on International Human Rights Day (December 10). This year’s theme, UNiTE! Activism To End Violence Against Women and Girls! resonates so deeply with the core of My Choices Foundation.

Brazen violence against women and girls is a sign of the deepening loss of our collective humanity – it is one of the most invisible, but highly prevalent forms of human rights violation across the globe.

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains the most widespread and pervasive human rights violation worldwide affecting more than an estimated 1 in 3 women, a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the last decade. The most recent global estimates showed that, on average, a woman or girl is killed by someone in her own family every 11 minutes.

Approximately 736 million women, experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner across their lifetime. Closer to home, 45% of women across Asia and the Pacific experienced domestic violence at least once in their lifetime.

Another staggering fact about innocent children is that around 223 million child brides live in India and 102 million were married before turning 15 - 40% of all child brides globally reside in India. COVID-19 further exposed the deep inequalities with the worst consequences, women and girls across the world faced a pandemic within a pandemic. Every 12 minutes a young girl, as old as 12 years gets trafficked into sexual slavery, getting raped up to 20 - 30 times per day.

Today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November) marks the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Gender-Based violence campaign and concludes on International Human Rights Day (December 10). This year’s theme, UNiTE! Activism To End Violence Against Women and Girls! resonates so deeply with the core of My Choices Foundation.

At the heart of our work are the smiles of the little children, the assured confidence of young girls and incredibly strong women who are making their choices to live lives free of abuse, violence and exploitation.

We, at My Choices Foundation, call ourselves ‘Dragon Slayers’ - a metaphor for our people who go out there every day, slaying dragons in the field.

During a decade of a truly fearless and unstoppable journey, we have travelled thousands of miles and met millions of women and girls. When we see real pain up close, it shatters us into pieces and at the same time gives us tremendous strength. The pain and the sorrow that women and girls face because of the violence and abuse become a force that drives us and continues to remind us to move forward with sheer determination and immense passion every single day.

We have made huge strides to educate and empower girls, women, men and boys about the varied aspects of gender-based violence, but it is still a long way to go.

We, My Choices Foundation, join the UNiTE campaign and continue to shout against all forms of gender-based violence, and we call upon supporters, activists, governments and partners to increase awareness, galvanize efforts, share knowledge and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year, but every month and every day.

Nothing can be an excuse for violence against women and girls. We must stand for every woman and girl; for the right to a life free from violence, the right to access to services and the right to be heard and believed. Truly, we can create a free and safer world for girls and women to live and thrive.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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4th Asian Anti-Trafficking Forum Opens With A Renewed Ambition To Combat Human Trafficking

4th Asian Anti-Trafficking Forum opens with a renewed ambition to combat human trafficking

We discussed on cross-sectoral collaborations and harnessing the power of data to address the current challenges of human trafficking, encourage a coordinated action and scale up solutions for maximizing results on the ground encouraging an even more coordinated action and scaling up of solutions.

The three-day event was kicked off on the eve of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons with the launching of our Impact Report: A decade of fearless glow with our strategic partners from Quantium, International Justice Mission, Kin Nepal, Justice Ventures, Aide et Action International and Implementing Partners from across the country.

We discussed on cross-sectoral collaborations and harnessing the power of data to address the current challenges of human trafficking, encourage a coordinated action and scale up solutions for maximizing results on the ground encouraging an even more coordinated action and scaling up of solutions.

Convening under the theme, Strengthening Partnerships and Accelerating Technology to combat human trafficking, the 4th Asian Anti-Trafficking Forum of My Choices Foundation will bring together grassroots level organisations, government officials, women’s rights activists, counsellors, policymakers to share knowledge, combine strengths and amplify collective efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking.

In her keynote address, Elca Grobler, Founder of My Choices Foundation stated, “Trafficking is a swirling vortex; the vortex wields a soft pull which manifests into a strong force and innocent families and children get sucked into it. It is dangerous and we all know it” and she emphasized “the time for going slow, being complacent and staying quiet is no longer an option and our work is a proof to that. The silence on abuse against women and children has been broken with our strong partnerships and our joint force is building a stronger and everlasting safety net for all our girls.”

Entering the 11th year, My Choices Foundation has always been known for its bold and pioneering approach to fighting human trafficking, particularly women and child trafficking for the purpose of labour and sexual exploitation. Elca Grobler and our strategic partners released a comprehensive ten-year impact report ‘A decade of fearless glow’. “We never lost sight of our mission. Our 10-year impact report is more than a summary of the action. It is solid proof that when a group of committed and passionate people come together, we can make a difference. We believed that 10 years ago and we will continue to believe that for many decades to come”, Elca commented.

My Choices Foundation is at the forefront of change and progress, moving the fight forward against trafficking in the spirit of unity and collaboration.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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India’s Missing Children: Together We Can Bring Them Back To Safety

India’s Missing Children: Together We Can Bring Them Back To Safety

Thousands of children go missing each year. According to the annual National Crime Record Bureau’s (NCRB) “Crime in India” 2020 report, a total of 59,262 children were reported missing last year out of which 45,687 were girls. Several factors for a child going missing includes abuse at home, children who dropped out of school, child […]

Thousands of children go missing each year. According to the annual National Crime Record Bureau’s (NCRB) “Crime in India” 2020 report, a total of 59,262 children were reported missing last year out of which 45,687 were girls.

Several factors for a child going missing includes abuse at home, children who dropped out of school, child labour, abandoned and trafficked children, etc.. Responding to the alarming rise of missing children, especially over the past decade or so, the Government of India has adopted a multipronged approach by setting up anti-trafficking nodal cells, strengthening the capacity building of the officials and judical administration to prevent and combat child trafficking and expediting the tracing of missing children.

Girls continue to be vulnerable and continue to face serious threats of trafficking. It is frightening that these missing girls end up victims of forced labour, violence and sexual slavery.

OUR ACTIONS TO BRING BACK INDIA’S MISSING CHILDREN

My Choices Foundation fights for all children across India. We work with children, communities, villages, and grassroots organisations in the most remote parts of the country to combat child trafficking, child marriage, child labour and commercial exploitation of children through awareness programmes in schools, colleges, universities, families and communities, equipping our implementing partners to keep the momentum going and prevent children from being trafficked and forging partnerships with the government, police officials and child protection organisations. .

Through SuperSmart Shakti Network and Asli Champions Boys’ Safety Network, we empower adolescent girls and boys with knowledge and resources and connect them with peer networks to make choices that keep them safe and secure their futures.

Safe Village Program is our initiative that aims at reaching at-risk villages around India, teaching families how to keep their daughters safe. More than 6,500 safe village programmes were conducted till date. The Safe Village Program emphasis on encouraging positive behavioral change through the use of comic books and awareness programmes.. The comic book is an effort to initiate discussions on trafficking amongst children. It tells the story of an inspiring young girls and boys are Guardians who fights human trafficking challenges in their communities with positivity. It carries an empowering message that every child is a vehicle of hope and has the ability to act towards stopping child trafficking.

Our school and college programmes aim to end current abuse and prevent future exploitation of children and young people. We have created a tailor-made framework to raise awareness about various issues relating to gender-based violence. Our approach to promote gender equality includes easy-to-understand methods that focus on helping children and students break free from gender-based stereotypes. We have successfully educated and created awareness amongst 82,592 young minds to bring change in the society.

Adopting mass media, we created e-learning modules, community radio programmes and digital campaigns to penetrate into every segment of society and raise awareness, shape opinions and mobilize the public about issues that matter the most.

In moving from awareness to action, Operation Red Alert’s anti-trafficking helpline number 1800 419 8588 has responded to more than 60,000 calls where victims and community members have reported suspicious activity or suspected trafficking. The helpline has a strong referral and response mechanism. It is backed by partners such as NGOs, government bodies, law enforcement and safe houses.

Through our CHILDLINE helpdesk in Nampally Railway Station and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in Hyderabad, we have rescued more than 800 children and have safely reunited them with their families.

YOU CAN GET TO PLAY A ROLE IN HELPING INDIA’S MISSING CHILDREN

There are choices that all of us can make to improve the living conditions for children and facilitate an end to the abuse and exploitation of children. As an individual, you can:

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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Each NetBall Goal is a heavy blow at the heart and the head of the traffickers

Each NetBall Goal is a heavy blow at the heart and the head of the traffickers

We, My Choices Foundation turned 10 this year and we have come a long way in harnessing the power of sports to increase awareness about child trafficking and prevent abuse and exploitation of children. It was mid-afternoon. We were awestruck by the energy and enthusiasm displayed by young girl Netball players in the remotest parts […]

We, My Choices Foundation turned 10 this year and we have come a long way in harnessing the power of sports to increase awareness about child trafficking and prevent abuse and exploitation of children.

It was mid-afternoon. We were awestruck by the energy and enthusiasm displayed by young girl Netball players in the remotest parts of West Bengal. These young girls are the daughters of tea plantation workers (tea pickers, weed removers, cleaners and factory workers) who hardly make enough money to put food on the table. With mounting financial pressures of the COVID-19 and school closures, most of the young girls joined their parents in tea plantation work to add to their family income. They have tiring routines; working at tea gardens, caring for their younger siblings and doing other household chores. But that didn’t deter them when our Guardian Girls invited them to join the playing field.

As beautiful friendships blossom in the playing field, Guardian Girls pass on the inspiring messages of the Safe Village Program and encourage the girls to get back to school. Nodal Teacher and Gram Mitra meet these girls along with their parents to educate them about the factors of child trafficking and help them understand the importance of education for young girls.

In partnership with the local Implementing Partner, we organised our first Netball tournament in West Bengal in 2019 and used this meetup to create awareness about child trafficking and its consequences. Today, we have eight teams with more than 80 girls across four villages who are empowered to be Guardian Girls and use their voices to ensure girls stay in school and experience the innocence of childhood and enjoy the power of youth through NetBall.

As part of our reinforcing efforts, we organised the NetBall tournament last week with four teams from high-trafficking prone villages. Guardian Girls renewed their commitment while new young girls joined in for the pledge.

15-year-old Arunima* is a true example of a brave Guardian girl. She renewed her commitment, “I will not keep myself safe but also my friends” and she expressed her heartfelt thanks for rescuing her friend from the clutches of child labour. “I am extremely happy that you took my call to your helpline seriously. My friend struggled a lot at work and she had barely time to eat and sleep. You helped her. Now, she is back home and at school. Thank God, I memorised the helpline number from the comic book.”

We are equally grateful to Arunima because it was her phone call that changed her friend’s life. That’s the power and bravery of our Guardian Girl.

Young girls’ lives are at high stake. We cannot let this happen. Our Guardian Girls realise this and are out on the field. We aren’t giving up either. We will continue to use NetBall to educate young girls on how to recognise the signs of trafficking, what to do when they see them and how to keep their villages and communities safe.

*Name changed to protect the identity of a young girl.

My Choices Foundation

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With powerful messages and burning passion, let’s step up now to fight traffickers and build safe villages

With powerful messages and burning passion, let’s step up now to fight traffickers and build safe villages

“There was a blind trust before and sending young girls and boys with a promise of better employment or good life to the cities. After attending Safe Village Program, many of the villagers became cautious about new people who visit our villagers and provide lucrative job offers. I am happy that our community began to […]

“There was a blind trust before and sending young girls and boys with a promise of better employment or good life to the cities. After attending Safe Village Program, many of the villagers became cautious about new people who visit our villagers and provide lucrative job offers. I am happy that our community began to think and move in the right direction”, said Nodal Teacher from the village, in the South 24 Parganas of West Bengal.

Our team drove for three hours on unpaved roads with windows open and great slabs of hot air pouring in to reach our destination; it was a long journey but the conversation at the destination was a passionate boost– and we are yearning to reach more communities and families, even it means pushing the accelerator for long and stepping up to stop traffickers and protect young girls to live in a safe and thriving environment.

Take a pause in 2022 and travel with us to 2020 – two years ago, we learnt about the loving friendship of young girls – Rani* (15 years) and Ruhi* (17 years). They loved each other, played their hearts out across the village, shared loads of laughter and supported each other during difficult times. Other girls in the village envied their friendship but drew inspiration to find a loyal friend.

Their happiness took a hit and their lives were unquestionably changed. Bursts of laughter turned into tears of sorrow. Happiness paused and sadness seeped into their lives. All this happened because of the traffickers who posed themselves as well-educated young men and promised to offer better lives for Rani and Ruhi.

Rani’s parents married her to an unknown young man with a good job in a faraway city. They were moved by his kind nature as he paid some money to clear off their loans and promised a better life for Rani. Little did they know that he was a trafficker. When Rani reached Hyderabad from West Bengal, she was looking for a home to start a life instead she was sold into a brothel for a lumpsum amount and her husband never turned back. The days and nights that followed were traumatic for Rani – she was raped by multiple men in a single day and her 15-year old fragile body couldn’t take it. When Rani lost contact, her parents filed a complaint with the police and after many months, she was rescued and brought back to the village.

The story of Ruhi wasn’t much different. She was lured by a trafficker who pretended to be in love with her. Though Ruhi wanted to study, her parents’ financial struggles forced her to marry him and what awaited her was a brothel in Bihar.

Neither Ruhi nor Rani is the same-old cheerful young girls who were bursting out into laughter and enjoying every moment of their lives. Love was never there and good life was nowhere to be found.

That was when their village showed up on our vulnerability mapping tool as one of the highest traffick-prone villages. We joined forces with BBSS (our Implementing Partner in the region) and hit the road to conduct the Safe Village Program. We did and at the end of two days, we were able to see that differences in their mindsets were taking up – a lot of questions from young girls and boys popped during the programme and many by-hearted the number of our helpline.

Let’s get back to the present, 2022 – We have had the opportunity to interact with the villagers and noticed that the Safe Village Program messages have been deeply ingrained in their minds and hearts. “I know that I should respect girls” and “I am studying to become a teacher” – there is no better feeling than hearing these words from a young Smart Boy and a brave Guardian Girl.

After meeting with the villagers, we sat along with a Gram Mitra, Nodal Teacher, Rakshak and the Community Leaders to understand the current needs of the village. A lot has changed and most of it is all good – from improved knowledge to changed perceptions about trafficking, but some things did call for immediate and intense intervention. There is still bride trafficking (young girls are forced to marry with the promise of a better life and from parents’ view, it is less than one mouth to feed at home).

Our stakeholders – Gram Mitra, Rakshak and Nodal Teacher – and Implementing Partner stressed the importance of stepping up our efforts and having another Safe Village Program in the village. Passion plays a huge role in the choosing of our stakeholders and Hedia is no different; our stakeholders’ are ready to do it – but expressed their desire to equip themselves to become more active, participatory and empowering to continue to spread the messages of the Safe Village Program, educate the villagers about traffickers and tighten the security inside the village. This is where our Stakeholders’ Training programme come in.

What we would like to leave with you during our visit is: Traffickers are finding new ways to enter the village and they could strike at any time. And, these innocent people placed their trust in us that we will step up our efforts to fight these traffickers. Let’s together ‘Step Up’ now.

*Name changed to protect the identity of young girls

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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Inside the red-light district: Stories that choke our heart and our Safe Village Program is more than needed now!

Inside the red-light district: Stories that choke our heart and our Safe Village Program is more than needed now!

Walking through the red-light district, we see narrow alleys and clusters of shacks where women stood at the doors and it is hard not to notice the harsh reality of oozing sadness in their eyes and how women and children are trapped in a cruel cycle of exploitation. Young girls, as young as 12, sold […]

Walking through the red-light district, we see narrow alleys and clusters of shacks where women stood at the doors and it is hard not to notice the harsh reality of oozing sadness in their eyes and how women and children are trapped in a cruel cycle of exploitation. Young girls, as young as 12, sold by traffickers, trapped for years and raped many times a day. Their dreams of getting rescued fade away day by day and they resign to their fate; they become prey for hungry beasts as their faces become faceless amongst hundreds of women and children living in the red-light district in West Bengal.

We visited the red-light district in West Bengal, home to more than 300 sex workers from different parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Our heart was choked with sorrow when they recounted their past – from the promise of a good life to a happy marriage by traffickers to hungry stomachs to feed at home; they are ruthlessly exploited by sex traffickers, pimps and so-called ‘Ma’ and ‘Aunty’ every single day and night, making them impossible to escape the slavery.

The next step of our work will be to find out which villages they are from, so we can plan for our Safe Village Programs in those villages and if needed, get deeper with our interventions. ‘Blitz’ is a term that struck our minds, which means attacking from all fronts – an intensive attack (concerted and sustained efforts) with our powerful and passionate messages to empower families and communities which will threaten the entry of traffickers into their villages.

Our visit to the red-light district has helped us gather a deep understanding of the varied aspects of reality related to human and sex trafficking. The time is now to strengthen our Safe Village Program and we need your support. Let’s work together to give these innocent girls, the lives they deserve. Become a donor today – your support will help us prevent sex trafficking in Indian villages. Donate now.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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My Choices Foundation conducts a Gender Sensitisation workshop in partnership with Telangana State Police.

My Choices Foundation conducts a Gender Sensitisation workshop in partnership with Telangana State Police.

My Choices Foundation in partnership with Telangana State Police conducted a 1-day workshop on 25 March 2022 to sensitize Police officials about gender, patriarchy and human rights. Pearl Choragudi, Head of Interventions, Operation PeaceMaker of My Choices Foundation led the session where she discussed various topics with the officials – Understanding Gender Sex, Sexuality and […]

My Choices Foundation in partnership with Telangana State Police conducted a 1-day workshop on 25 March 2022 to sensitize Police officials about gender, patriarchy and human rights.

Pearl Choragudi, Head of Interventions, Operation PeaceMaker of My Choices Foundation led the session where she discussed various topics with the officials –

  • Understanding Gender 
  • Sex, Sexuality and Gender 
  • Stereotypes surrounding men and women 
  • Defying gender roles
  • Understanding Patriarchy 
  • Human rights
  • Identifying violence 
  • Talking against gender-based violence
  • These diverse topics were covered through presentations, interactive activities and examples of stories from the field which helped the participants to understand the deeply-rooted societal issue and gender-based violence in India and across the world.

    One of the engaging components of the workshop is the Gender walk, interactive activity to explain the importance of gender and power. In this activity, we presented the participants with various identities and asked them to follow instructions according to their identities. Even before the activity could start, everyone was standing in different locations, based on their understanding of how gender and power manifest in society. This activity helped everyone connect as they could see the reality of others – they understood how everyone starts from different social positions based on their sex, gender, social background, education, religion, caste and class.

    Some observations made by the participants during the Gender walk –

    “I understood the reality of how people are still suffering because of all these social issues.”

    “They had to suffer because they were not treated equally”.

    “I realised that men also suffer because of Patriarchy.”

    We believe in the power of partnerships to drive social change. By working closely with the police officials we aim to create a behavioural shift in understanding the issues of gender, patriarchy, gender roles and gender-based violence. This will help in bringing about an institutional shift in the response to domestic violence victims who approach the officials for support. Working closely with the Police officials is helping us further the agenda for women’s rights and safety.

    My Choices Foundation

    This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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    My Choices Foundation celebrates 10 years of fearless and passionate journey

    My Choices Foundation celebrates 10 years of fearless and passionate journey

    Today, we mark our 10-year anniversary of My Choices Foundation. The first 10 years has been a fearless and passionate journey with a committed team – we are proud of our progress and humbled to have come so far since our humble beginnings in 2012. Over the years, our programmes evolved, our knowledge expanded, our […]

    Today, we mark our 10-year anniversary of My Choices Foundation. The first 10 years has been a fearless and passionate journey with a committed team – we are proud of our progress and humbled to have come so far since our humble beginnings in 2012. Over the years, our programmes evolved, our knowledge expanded, our team grew and reached millions of people.

    It is by the courage of every woman that has gone before me and the courage to believe that we can create a safer India for its women and girls, that we have the joy of celebrating 10 years.

    From 2012 to 2021, My Choices Foundation has empowered millions of children, women, families and communities to make transformative choices to live lives free from abuse, violence and sexual exploitation in ten states – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and West Bengal – in more than 6,500 locations across the nation of India. It would not be possible without the support of our generous donors over the course of the last 10-years.

    I am deeply grateful for the support, encouragement and wisdom. As we look onto the next 10-years we will continue to:

    “Care more than other people think is wise

    Risk more than some think is safe

    Dream more than some think is practical

    Expect more than some think is possible”

    To achieve the impossible.

    We are equally grateful to Arunima because it was her phone call that changed her friend’s life. That’s the power and bravery of our Guardian Girl.

    Take a journey with me and enjoy the momentous moments that collectively brought us to where we are today.

    Elca Grobler

    Founder, My Choices Foundation

    My Choices Foundation

    This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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    GIS-E creates a Vulnerability Heat Map for My Choices Foundation’s work

    GIS-E creates a Vulnerability Heat Map for My Choices Foundation’s work

    Fundamental to our mission of prevention of sex trafficking in India is to identify and target the right locations and people. To this end, we partnered with Quantium, an Australian data analytics company to determine villages that are at-risk for sex trafficking in India. We developed the ‘Vulnerability Mapping Tool’, a big data solution that […]

    Fundamental to our mission of prevention of sex trafficking in India is to identify and target the right locations and people. To this end, we partnered with Quantium, an Australian data analytics company to determine villages that are at-risk for sex trafficking in India. We developed the ‘Vulnerability Mapping Tool’, a big data solution that analyses India’s census data, government education data and other factors such as poverty level, access to transportation, educational opportunities, population and distance to the highways and the nearest police station to identify the villages that are most at risk of human trafficking.

    Since 2016, guided by the ‘Vulnerability Mapping Tool’, My Choices Foundation has been conducting the Safe Village Program in highly vulnerable villages. Based on 18-month behavioural research, Safe Village Program is our flagship prevention programme that is aimed at:
    – Sensitising villagers about sex trafficking, its causes, and its risk factors.
    – Creating awareness about ways to prevent trafficking.
    – Sustaining the awareness by training grassroots volunteers

    The Vulnerability Mapping Tool has played a vital role in our ability to reach vulnerable and remote pockets of India with our message of prevention through the Safe Village Program. With assistance from this tool, we reached more than 6,000 villages across 10 states in India to spread awareness about sex trafficking and empowering communities to protect themselves from traffickers.

    Recently, GIS-E helped us depict our work by mapping the spatial overlap between our Safe Village Program locations and the village vulnerability dataset. Such visualisation of our work helps us understand our reach and impact. It also helps identify hotspots and blindspots to focus our efforts in regions that are most vulnerable to sex trafficking.

    We are grateful for the partnerships that we have formed over the years that has helped us in reaching the most vulnerable in India.

    My Choices Foundation

    This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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    Elca Grobler, featured by Tycoon Success as “The most admired women leaders in Business 2022”

    Elca Grobler, featured by Tycoon Success as “The most admired women leaders in Business 2022”

    We are proud and honoured! Our Founder Elca Grobler has been recognised as one of the most admired Women in Leaders business in 2022 for effortlessly redefining the choices for women and children in India by Tycoon Success, a renowned business magazine that aims to promote a culture cementing entrepreneurial activities and modern business ideas. […]

    We are proud and honoured! Our Founder Elca Grobler has been recognised as one of the most admired Women in Leaders business in 2022 for effortlessly redefining the choices for women and children in India by Tycoon Success, a renowned business magazine that aims to promote a culture cementing entrepreneurial activities and modern business ideas.

    It’s a magical year for My Choices Foundation. We are proud to look back on a decade of our impact on the lives of millions of women and girls. It would not have begun at all without Elca’s first steps into the narrow lanes of Hyderabad to listen and understand the stark reality of women and children in India. She had a calling and after 10 years, we are standing strong and focusing on the future. She steers us with pure passion, amazing guidance, and loads of courage, as we continue to reach millions of children and families across India, empowering them to make better choices to live a life free from abuse and violence.

    Click here to read how it all began and where we are heading!

    My Choices Foundation

    This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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