Giving back can take different forms — it doesn’t always have to be about making money available to solve a problem. Ask Shalu Jeswani.

MENTORING: How a US-based techie is remotely handholding underprivileged Delhi girls

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(Our Bureau, July 15; 4:55 pm)

Giving back can take different forms — it doesn’t always have to be about making money available to solve a problem. Ask 47-year-old techie Shaloo Jeswani. The Sushant University alumna is using technology and social media for mentoring and counseling underprivileged Delhi girls. Yes, she does help these girls financially when needed but more importantly, she is creating a network to assist them with the right knowledge, support, and a means to bond. It all began with her forming an equation with the daughters of the domestic staff at her parents’ home in Delhi. Speaking to The Better India, the business intelligence professional who has worked at the University of California and Cisco Systems, said:

“What I started off with is just connecting with them on a call and speaking to them once a week. These conversations were just a way for me to stay in touch and find out how the girls were doing in school — whether they needed help or if they wanted to share something that happened with them.”

Heartstrings with pursestrings

Thus, the Global Indian started helping the girls with the social and academic gaps they were facing – from filling out college forms to connecting them with the right people to get more information on courses. Today, she is in touch with five such families — from adolescent teenagers to single women in their 30s — and has helped at least 5 girls continue with their schooling.

Jeswani, who has been living in the US for two decades, says people should open up their heartstrings too along with their purse strings.

“Imagine if each of us would bond with five such families, this could be an endless chain of support. A chain of ek ka paanch (1 to 5), that touches many families. We could make this world a better place,” she says.

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