People & Testimonials

Aseema Family

  • A strong bond between child and teacher

    a strong bond between child and teacher
  • Children in the community at Igatpuri

  • Training team

  • Varsha Trivedi, Volunteer Head of Art department

The Aseema family includes our children and their parents, dedicated staff and teachers, committed volunteers, our trustees and advisors and our generous donors whose support makes the work we do possible. Each member of the Aseema family is an integral part of the organization, at the heart of which lies our children.

Our work is entirely about the children with the focus being quality, rather than numbers and statistics. The children are our ‘raison-d’etre’ or our reason for being and all that we do stems from that belief.

  • Children in the community at Igatpuri

  • Glimpse of life in the Mumbai communities

  • Social Worker interacting with families during home visits

  • Tribal mother at Igatpuri

Children & Communities

The children at Aseema, like all children, are intelligent, eager and full of curiosity. They are also extremely vulnerable and at risk because of the environment they live in. Their homes – mostly unauthorised structures made of tin or plastic sheets – face the threat of being demolished quite frequently. Their slum communities grapple with illness, violence and abuse. The insecurity created by such an environment affects children the most. In the midst of all this, however, you will often see bright young faces laughing with abandon. This image symbolises so much of what our children are –hopeful, happy and full of promise.

Our students say:

I like Aseema. I come to school to play, sing and dance.

My teacher is so nice. When I grow up, I want to become a teacher.

Aseema is a good place.

My dream is that everyone should be friendly with everyone.

I feel Aseema means a place where there is love and education and different activities for all children equally.

When I pass and get good marks, my marks make me happy. But to pass, we have to work hard in life.

In the school, when I got hurt, the teacher gave me medicine. I felt very special.

I come to Aseema to learn new things. My dream is that I will become a good girl, eat many chocolates, help poor people, make lots of money and become a good business girl.

Aseema is like my family and I love my family.

When I grow up I want to become a policeman to take care of criminals.

My most special moment in Aseema was when we got the Children’s Box. I could write my suggestion and it goes to the teacher.

I am happy to be a student of Aseema. My life is very beautiful.

For me, Aseema is a school full of love and care. I have learnt that if I study, I can become whatever I want.

Aseema teaches us to face all the problems we have in life.

When I think of Aseema, I think of the rising sun and bringing brightness in children’s lives.

The teachers here are so hardworking. Aseema believes that a person can be successful if he has the determination and if he is determined then the sky is the limit. I feel safe in Aseema.

My teacher is like a friend and a mother. She talks to us like a friend and understands our feelings. She cares for us like a mother. She tells us what is good and bad. When I leave the school, I want to teach others that Aseema was a good school. It was a family to me.

Aseema means that every student has the right to be educated. I have learnt that if I study, I can make my future bright, be proud of myself and make my dreams come true.

I have only three words which I learnt from my teacher – Never Give Up.

Our parents say:

My dream for my son is that he should be independent and do something good in his life.

We changed 3 schools before we came here. My son is happy now. He likes his teachers.

Over here, the smallest of small things are taken care of. The teachers are very supportive and talk very positively. Looking at them, my daughter wants to become a teacher.

I have seen a school like this for the first time. The teachers really love the children here.

According to me, Aseema is fulfilling our dreams.

donors

Over the years, our donors have quietly and consistently supported the work we do. They comprise of large corporate houses, trusts, individual philanthropists, and even some children. They come to us expecting high quality and results, and stay on by becoming members of our family and patrons of our work.

  • Donors Preeti and Ashok Kundalia

  • Dilbur with donor Carol Donoughue

  • Dilbur with donors Meenaz & Moe Kassam

Here is what some of our donors have to say:

“Aseema Charitable Trust is one of the oldest philanthropic interventions of BNP Paribas in India, and we started with support to the Pali Chimbai school. Today our support extends to the schools in Kherwadi, Pereirawadi and Igatpuri.

Our ties with Aseema go beyond that of grants, and our colleagues routinely volunteer at Aseema schools, thus making our engagement with this remarkable institution holistic and meaningful. The work done by Aseema with children from marginalized backgrounds is exemplary and the success stories that have emerged over the last 25 years are definitely the step change to effecting long term transformation in India.”

“Credit Agricole CIB has been working with Aseema since 2014.  Over the years and through various funding and staff engagement interactions, we have come to respect the immense, good work the NGO is doing with sincerity.

Aseema’s schools offer a ray of hope for children from impoverished backgrounds, enabling them to get a good well-rounded education that gives them a shot at making better lives in the future.  We have found the Aseema school children enthusiastic, obedient, well-spoken, clean and neat in appearance, a reflection of the commitment of this NGO.

Aseema also inculcates in their children respect for the environment and biodiversity, through water conservation projects at their Igatpuri school campus.

Proud to work with Aseema!”.

“Aseema’s programmes are focussed on ensuring children from resource-poor families get high-quality, holistic education, helping them with a better chance in breaking out of their poverty cycle to lead a better life. Aseema’s strength is their strong pedagogy coupled with a deep understanding of the communities that they work in.  Over the last 5 years the H T Parekh Foundation has supported the development of Aseema’s first owned school, the Aseema Bal Shaikshanik Kendra at Igatpuri.  We believe this school is a model education institute, that offers largely tribal children from the surrounding villages, a stimulating learning environment for their future growth & development.  We are happy to have been part of this journey.”

Being Human – The Salman Khan Foundation is a registered charitable trust that was founded in India in 2007. The foundation focuses on education and healthcare for the underprivileged.

We have been associated with Aseema since June 2011. We support the secondary sections of two of their schools in Mumbai – the Kherwadi Municipal School and the Santacruz Municipal School. While our initial association was only with the Santacruz school, Aseema’s approach towards education convinced us to support their Kherwadi school as well.

Dilbur Parakh’s perseverance along with the commitment shown by the teachers is reflected in the confidence portrayed by each of their students.

We’re extremely proud of our association with Aseema and wish them every success.”

“Every child has a right to quality education and extra-curricular activities. It is a privilege to partner with Aseema especially with the admirable work they have done for under-privileged children in Mumbai.

We at Moët Hennessy India believe that apart from education, sport is an integral part of the overall growth and holistic development of a child. With a focus on physical fitness rather than pure competition, we are proud to partner the Sports Education program at Aseema for a brighter and fitter India. We hope to encourage children to compete with themselves and wish Aseema and the children every success.”

“I have been supporting Aseema for 20 years. Over these years I have seen Aseema work towards finding ways to enable the poorest of poor children in Mumbai and Igatpuri to attend school. Dilbur’s sincerity and determination is inspiring. She recognised the needs of the Mumbai street children in a country where there is wealth and yet also much poverty. Not a penny I give to Aseema is wasted. The schools are thriving and they provide the children with numerous opportunities to get to the top pf the ladder. Aseema will have my lifelong support. A small charity that already has made a huge change in the lives of so many.”

“The Vidya Trust has funded Aseema for over 15 years soon after it was first established and we are proud to continue this support. After meeting Dilbur Parakh and her stalwart trustees, we began by funding an education social worker which has now grown into a unit to monitor and improve children’s attendance. We have also worked with Aseema on its unique and distinctive approach to art, one of the creative pillars of its success. Equally Aseema has not wavered from its mission to provide quality education for children emanating from street communities which is in line with Vidya’s own aim to support children from disadvantaged communities, thereby implementing the UNICEF goal that every child has a right to education.”

  • Support Staff Day celebrations

  • Teachers’ Day celebrations

Staff and volunteers

The staff at Aseema comprises of about 295 people, including teachers, social workers, counsellors, helpers and administrators. While many of them hold degrees in education, social work and other fields, all of them have a commitment to the work and believe in the limitless potential of our children. They are supported by an able team of volunteers comprising of professionals, former teachers, home makers and students.

Voices of our staff and volunteers:

The smiling faces of the children, the warm atmosphere in the staff room and the love we get draws me back to Aseema each day.

It makes me so happy to see the joy on the children’s faces when they discover what they are capable of creating.

I’ve watched Aseema grow since 1998 and I am proud of what it has achieved. The children have been our focus and the child has always ‘come first’. Just walking into the premises to do my job makes me happy.

Aseema has given meaning and dimension to my life and is the answer to what I was seeking so long.

Aseema is an organization where respect is the key, and where a genuine attempt is made to improve the quality of life of all who are related to it. It’s contagious!

Aseema gave me the opportunity to see how a motivated group, steeped in self belief and good intention, can overcome obstacles to reach to the less privileged and make a difference to lives.

Trustees & Advisors

Aseema’s work is led by a team of four trustees with the guidance of a board of eminent advisors. They bring with them qualifications and experience from varied fields of work and share a common belief in the cause Aseema strives towards.

  • Our trustees on the occasion of ABSK inauguration at Igatpuri

  • Indra Munshi and Preeti Kundalia lighting the lamp at an Aseema Art exhibition

  • Our Trustees and Advisors at our new office

Our Trustees

Dilbur Parakh

Chairperson and Trustee

Neela Kapadia

Trustee

Preeti Kundalia

Trustee

Sharvari Dhobale

Trustee

Board of Advisors

Anjali Patil

Ashu Suyash

Asoke Basak

Behram Sabawala

Bhaswati Mukherjee

Farida Lambay

Fredun DeVitre

Indra Munshi

Meenaz Kassam

Rafiq Dada

Saeed Mirza

Snehal Paranjape

Dr. Ruby Lahir

Leadership Team

Ajay Shah

Rekha Desai

Geeta Subhedar

Delnaz Master

Bushranaz Shaikh

Rushika Anare

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