The Hands of Hope Foundation (THOHF)
The Hands of Hope Foundation (THOHF) is one of the first NGOs to exclusively use the creative medium in addressing Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) through its innovative creative campaigns. Apart from raising awareness, conducting creative workshops on child sexual abuse, and developing creative resources to train children and adults, one of our biggest victories till date is that our campaigns have been instrumental in bringing the Govt’s attention to Male Child Sexual Abuse and amending compensation laws to ensure proper justice for male victims as well.
Mission
Our mission is to help children recognise, prevent, and be protected from any form of sexual violence through proper education & awareness, and to build a safe, happy, environment for the present and future generations of our society.
Vision
- To recognize and prevent all forms of violence/abuse on children and women, through research, education and awareness programs.
- To harness every adult’s partnership & strength in creating a safe environment for our children.
- To provide a well-rounded support system of mental and physical well-being to all survivors of abuse by engaging legal systems, health care providers, counsellors and mental health.
Ms. Insia Dariwala
Founder/President
Insia Dariwala is an award-winning international filmmaker/ child rights activist, a TEDx speaker, and a Creative Campaign Strategist who effectively uses her over two decades of creative expertise to highlight social evils , mainly Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), and Female Genital Cutting (FGC,) through the medium of visual arts and cinema. She has pioneered many unique campaigns , which have been instrumental in highlighting male child sexual abuse, amending the child rights laws (POCSO), and creating awareness on CSA throughout India. She has also worked extensively on female genital cutting and her creative work on child rights issues have been applauded world over. Among the many awards received, she is also recipient of the prestigious ‘Women have Wings’ courage award, U.S.A, the Shoorveer Award, and the ‘We the Women’ , H.E.R award, by U.N Women. Insia is also featured as one of the 100 most inspiring women of India, in a book called ‘The Phenomenal She’, and has been featured by BBC World on their series,’ My Indian Life’, with Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin. Besides her creative endeavours, Insia is also known for her ability to connect with large audiences, and her talks are featured at many conferences in India, and internationally.
Ms. Neelam Vijay Panchal
Trustee
With an experience of around 30 years in the Apparel Industry, and currently a CEO/Partner at SAM Apparels, Ms. Neelam brings with her an astute knowledge of weaving communities together and has been very active in the Philanthropy circuit of Delhi, especially when it comes to protecting the rights of children. Apart from ensuring that there is no child labour in the garment industry that she works with, she has passionately supported many organisations that work with children’s education. Ms. Neelam is extremely vigilant about child abuse in her surroundings and is constantly monitoring the wellbeing of street kids in her neighbourhood. She was also instrumental in curating the film script of ‘The Candy Man’, and bringing it to fruition through her efforts in finding a Producer for the film.
Mr. Pranav Joshi
Member / Executive Committee
An MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute and heading a financial services firm, Pranav believes that a pan-India, forcemultiplier`movement’ is required to eradicate the scourge of Child Sexual Abuse and is determined to do all he can in that direction. Involved with the cause from late 2017, he formally joined The Hands of Hope Foundation in April 2020 as a member of the Executive Committee. His area of responsibility includes organization development, structure & governance, business development and facilitating tie-ups and collaborations that are aligned with THOHF’s mission and goals. An enthusiastic distance runner, his interests include astronomy, bird-watching, trekking, travelling and history and being a permanent foodie.
Dr.Chandni Shiyal
Head Admin and Operations
Dr.Chandni Shiyal feels very strongly against the social injustices prevalent in our society and is not one to remain a silent bystander. She is passionate for causes related to children and women’s rights. In 2019 she completed her PhD from the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai. She is an author of a book titled `Female Circumcision/ Female Genital Mutilation: A Human Rights Violation – A case Study of Ethiopia’.She is working at Sahiyo, a NGO whose mission is to empower Asian communities to end the practice Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Chandni joined The Hands of Hope Foundation (THOHF) in August 2020 and she looks after the operational, HR and general administration aspects for the NGO.
