What Being An Authentic Development Professional Means To Me

In one of Chennai’s oldest urban settlements, over 3,000 families navigate daily challenges marked by poverty, addiction, and instability. Many children return from school to difficult home environments with limited support. Amidst this, one young woman chose to respond— not with sympathy, but with sustained action. Although Vedika was overjoyed, she was left overwhelmed by the amount of work she was putting in. Fundraising, curriculum, operations, team building, trauma counselling—she was doing everything alone. There was no advisory board. No formal governance structure. Just urgency, heart, and a mounting emotional toll on her.