Building Hope, One Life at a Time
An inspiring story of Reena Charles (Khyaal Club Member)
“For as long as I can remember, I have believed that the world is my workstation or office. Not just the one with four walls, a blackboard and rows of children looking up at me, but also the streets, the faces, the lives I meet every single day, because that is the way I choose to look at life.
My name is Reena Charles, and I am 54. I am a teacher, author, social worker, and the woman behind eight projects that feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the broken and strive to go far beyond that in diverse fields. But before any of that, I was simply someone who kept a gullak. A gullak is a piggy bank. I have kept one all through my life. If the rickshaw cost ₹50, I walked 20 minutes and saved ₹30. My family did the same and, rupee by rupee, coin by coin, we filled it up. And when the day came to register the Ek Ehsaas Foundation, we had ₹50,000 saved, every paisa of it earned quietly, lived carefully, given gladly. The foundation is like my child and I mean it.
I spent over three decades in the education sector, as a teacher of Social Science, English and Value Education, as a Principal in a prestigious school in Rajnagar,UP and later as a CEO in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. But I was never just teaching from a textbook. Value education, to me, was never a course subject. It was human values, divine values, the fundamental duties of being a citizen and always practising them yourself. My husband and I believed in this so deeply that when opportunities came to move abroad, we turned them down. How could we leave? There was a moment, though, when everything shifted.
I was travelling by car to Rajnagar, still a school Principal then, when I spotted children eating from dustbins on the roadside. I did not look away. I motivated neighbours and students to collect money. We purchased 250 McDonald's burgers and distributed them. We gave out crackers, socks, mittens, caps. And something inside me changed. I realised that the world was my workplace now, not just the one with four walls.
The Ek Ehsaas Foundation (EEF) was registered in 2017. Its tagline is something I live by every day: "Ehsaas nahi toh kuch bhi nahi" that is "without realisation, there is nothing." In 2019, I resigned from my position as the CEO to give EEF everything I had. All of me. No half measures. And then Covid-19 came.
When schools closed and the world went still, I had no help. My friends stepped in. I sold my old WagonR and stayed with the residents of Philomena's Paradise - our home for destitute senior citizens along the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, from the day curfew began until lockdown lifted. And none of my residents contracted Covid. Not one.
Philomena's Paradise began on a stormy day. I passed a man on the street, a man who had once repaired my umbrella, huddled under a yellow tarpaulin, homeless, with nowhere to go. I asked if he would come to our ashram. He said "yes", and brought along his sister. That was the beginning. Today, we shelter up to 20 residents, all living with dignity and love. Our oldest resident is 78.
There is also Samtripti, our campaign against hunger, because no one should sleep on an empty stomach. Since 2019, our volunteers, who call themselves the Ehsaas Tribe, have been preparing and distributing hygienically cooked food across communities in need across Delhi. Namkeen chawal, meethe chawal, khichdi, halwa, all carried out on an e-cart. In winter, we arrive with hot masala chai and samosas.
Through Vidhya, we bring basic education to children and adults in areas the formal system has quietly left behind. And through Poshaak, we collect and distribute clothing, blankets, socks and woollens. Most recently, we distributed clothing for the inmates of Tihar Jail and Nuh Jail, because I believe that dignity belongs to everyone, without exception.
And then there is Marhamm which is our counselling and healing service in Delhi for those struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, abuse, broken families, and poor self-esteem. It works especially with children and young people. Helping them make peace with their scars. Helping them want to live again.
EEF’s latest projects are Dharti Maa, for the conservation of our environment, and Sakhee, for the empowerment of women.
The Ek Ehsaas Motivational Academy is the financial engine that makes all of this possible. Every rupee earned from our sessions goes straight back into these seven projects. For me, work and giving have always been the same thing. I live by the acronym H.O.P.E., which stands for Help One Person Everyday. Small deeds of kindness lead to bigger things, and charity begins at home.
I am also an International Director of the I Am Peacekeeper Movement, an initiative of the Wockhardt Foundation, that is active in 72 countries. With this, I can proudly say the world is my office, my workstation. Along with my work, I have also written and published a book, Parvarish: The Powerful Parenting Tips.
Over the years, I have received numerous recognitions for my work: the Delhi Minorities Commission Community Service Award, the Shakti Achievement Award, the Rajiv Gandhi National Excellence Award, the National Women Excellence Award, and the Khyaal 50 Above 50 Humanitarian - Philanthropist of the Year Award. And I am grateful that the world is paying attention.
After winning the Khyaal 50 Above 50 Talent Hunt, I wrote this: "Success is like an iceberg. People only see the achievement - the part above the water. They don't see the obstacles and the journey underneath."
My message to everyone reading this is simple: you do not need a big plan. You do not need a lot of money. You need a gullak, a little discipline, and the willingness to look at the world around you and not look away. The rest will follow. Maanav Sewa is Maadhav Sewa.” - Reena Charles (Khyaal Club Member)