Rachel Foundation Project 1 in Mauritius with M-Kids

Rachel’s first international project for M-kids organization in Mauritius. The little visionary of Vision Education Society gets going with her own Rachel Foundation. The beginning of many more to come….

Terrence decided to reward Rachel and Troy with a lovely Eid holiday for all their achievements this year and more so for their hard work and dedicated efforts in doing well in academics, extra-curricular activities and other interests. It was a pleasant surprise to us when Rachel mentioned how about helping the poor students of the place we are visiting. Upon googling I was lucky to come across this lovely Organisation called M-kids. And here we are packing 100 kg educational resources that will help them to provide learning support to pupils who attend their remedial classes at the Learning Centre.

More about the Organisation below…if you would like to help, please get in touch with the organization on this number +230 5886 8786. Check the website for further details—https://www.m-kids.org/

M-Kids is a registered national NGO dedicated to alleviating the suffering of vulnerable children and empowering them through multi-stakeholder programmes and activities, without discrimination, to create a bright future where every child can prosper.

In the pursuit of this mission, M-Kids intervenes in four key areas:

Child Poverty Eradication

Remedial Education & Life Skills Empowerment

Psycho-Social Support & Therapy

Youth for the Environment

M-Kids envisions a society where “no child is left behind” is a reality.
M-Kids aspires to a society where:

all children have equal access to the basic needs of modern living,

all children feel safe and supported at all times

and the most vulnerable children are afforded protection and opportunities through affirmative policies and actions.

Grit, determination: Inspiring story of Chrisan Fernandes

Chrisan Fernandes is one among the increasing number of women forging their business to success. Despite the bumps in the road, she has never given up, with sheer grit and determination leading to her success.. Her motivation to continue came from necessity in the beginning. “I’ve always had a little bit of ‘I can do it myself’ attitude, and I think that’s something that runs in the family.” Chrisan has a better-developed ability to gut it out—that is, to set a far-reaching goal and drive relentlessly toward it. For me Chrisan is living testimony that great things can happen when you dream big and follow through. She had a real fire inside her to perform her best. She lived it every single day and still does so. Read her her inspiring story of grit and determination below:

Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Chrisan Fernandes, a typical Mumbai raised Goan girl brought up with all the possible pampering(not forgetting all that GOAN FOOOOOD) by two very cool, fun and forward thinking parents and a loving, extremely optimistic and protective elder brother.

I now live with my sweet, caring and most adorable husband in Dubai

By the books, I am a HR Professional but by body, mind and soul, I am a passionate Home Chef who strongly believes that everyone should dare to dream and when you’ve made up your mind to achieve that dream, then nobody and nothing can stop it from turning into reality!

For me, my kitchen is my playground and cooking for people(and myself ofcourse 😊 😊) is my favourite game.

I’m yet to find something that excites me more than cooking and eating, apart from my Husband ofcourse 🙂 🙂

I love to find Joy in the simple things of life and love to learn from people about their life experiences, traditional recipes,cooking methods, ingredients, lifestyle, etc. because in my opinion, the book is one fact but learning from people gives you access to actuals. 

In my free time, I love to upgrade my skill and knowledge by attending online masterclasses of experienced chefs or watching food related videos or experimenting new recipes and ingredients or tweaking the traditional ones with some fun twists for my recipe blog. I love to listen to music, dance and sing although I know nothing much about technicalities, I do it for fun and to unwind and whenever I am in the kitchen, the music is always on. As a kid, I remember even studying, especially Maths with the Music on.

I’m a people’s person and being around fun people is what gets me most excited. Especially around the ones who are not easily freaked out by my LOUD LAUGHS 😊

When where why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all about your journey?

When I was in grade 2, my Mum started her home catering business. She supplied her products to colleges and stores near schools and offices. I remember waking up to the sound of boiling water, The aroma of noodles and veggies, the chopping sound of vegetables and discussions of my Mum’s cooks and workers early morning as our home was my Mum’s catering kitchen from where all the food used to be cooked and then distributed. I used to get so excited seeing my Mumas the BOSS lady and yet she and all her co-workers having fun at work. Suddenly all I wanted to ever be when I grew up is to be like Mummy BOSS doing her own thing and having fun at work, like what the heck right???😊

After my graduation, I took up a job and was part of a HRteam. I was happy for a short while. But after a point it felt like something was missing and I started to feel like that wasnot what I wanted to do. Apart from that, due to my PCOS(which was diagnosed during my schooling years) I started getting sick every now and then. I was always low on energy and grumpy and irritated. I had the first taste of corporate politics and favouritsm. Also, body shaming and self image issue is something I was always struggling with and I just somehow couldn’t get myself to deal with it. I would feel sad and stressed and all the stress was subconsciously affecting my menstrual cycles & hormones. when I went to the gynaecologist for my Period related issues(sometimes I wouldn’t get my Periods for months and at times I would get it for 40 days at a stretch) I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and that was it. So now, I had PCOS and HYPOTHYROIDISM (WOW). However, what kept me going was coming home after work to help my Mum in the kitchen with her food orders and making sweets during the festive seasons. Although doctors told me that my mood swings and anxiety issues were related to PCOS and Thyroid, I kept blaming myself because that’s what people began teasing me “all you do is Eat all day” when they learnt about my love for cooking (and ofcourse I’m a Foodie too, who Am I kidding??? 😊 😊

Suddenly my husband(my then boyfriend) comes up with a plan to do his MBA and I thought chalo I’ll also do my MBA(I had an advantage of being a little above average in studies so it would be fun to study further I thought and moreover I just wanted to quit my job) So, I quit my job and got into B-school and that was the first turning point in my life. I saw an opportunity in the college canteen(OhYesssss!!!) which had a very limited choice for quick bites. I requested for a meeting with the person in-charge of the canteen and pitched and the next minute they’ve asked me to get samples of the products that my Mum sells. And my Mumwas thrilled(little did she know I was doing it for myself more😊😊😊). I would get the box of snacks every day on my Activa to the college. The Professors started ordering snacks and Food with me for the college monthly birthday celebrations, inhouse events, etc.. The students loved the snacks too. All this got noticed by my Director and he invited me to his office and had a meeting with me and said that he wouldn’t allow me to sit for any campus interviews but give me an opportunity to cater for the upcoming Professor’s Conference of about 200 guests. I was stoked and said an instant YES not even realising how I’m going to pull this off. But my Mum n Dad got their Act together, we got our workers working in the best possible uniforms and we nailed it. My Director told my Parents that if they ever force me to take up a Corporate Job, I’ll be a failure and may never be happy. He said that I was born to be a Leader (And I was doing cartwheels in my head) I was thrilled beyond measure.

Next day, as I attended the lecture on Entrepreneurship, my professor made a random statement “Jiske andhar Business kakeeda hai, what are you waiting for, just go out there and start your own damn business ya. At the most what will happen?It won’t work na? So what? You have a MBA degree, take a job and think why your business failed and when you’re ready again, start again” that’s it. I came home and told my MumI’m going to start an eatery, I don’t wish to attend any of the campus interviews. I had walked out of the L & T interview too. My Mum initially convinced me to do this as a side business, but I didn’t want it any other way. My brother, being the darling that he always is, helped me with some initial capital and I took a loan for the remaining and within a month I started my own eatery along with my Mum “CHRIZZO’S EATERIE” in IC Colony, Borivali, Mumbai in 2012.

It was the only Goan eatery back then in our locality. I then tied up with 3 Cold storages and started supplying my products there. So I now had Chrizzo’s, 3 cold storages and the college canteen that were enjoying the food that we prepare! Yayyyyy! I was given the Budding Entrepreneur Award in college (and in my head I’m like just when I thought I’m doing crazy things like in Konkani they say “Pixeaponn”, here I was receiving my first ever Award….hahahha) Those were some of the Besssssst years of my Life. 

Then Floyd got a job in Dubai. This was a 360 degree flip in my life. We had decided that I would run the business here in Mumbai and go to meet him every 3-4 months. After 2, years we couldn’t take the distance anymore. I started preparing myself to actually break up with Floyd because none of us would be willing to “sacrifice” our Dream Job(Thank God I didn’t make that silly mistake back then…uff 😊) but one of us had to sacrifice. Obviously, Floyd was doing well with a fixed job and mine was more like a “You can’t be doing this all your life, you have to be with your husband. Going abroad is always a better option than getting the person back to India” I was on the verge of getting my second outlet started in another suburb in Mumbai when I had to make the hardest decision of my life to shut down and go to Dubai. Love always wins I guess 😊

Now obviously, I had to take up a job because in Dubai, it was difficult to survive on a single income and starting a Food Business in Dubai requires a Huge Capital and there is no concept of legally running Home catering business. So, I made the BIGGGEST mistake or learnt the Best lesson of my life, if I may say so, and joined a company as HR Assistant. By now I had grown wayyyyy bigger in size due to my severe PCOD and Thyroid issues due to Stress, missing home, no time to cook fresh food due to late working hours, outside food, quick food, junk food, processed food, etc. 

I became a victim of Body shaming and bullying on my wedding day and after that too about How a Bride should be Slim and that I couldn’t match with my “Handsome” Husband and so on(My “Handsome Husband” Never once looked at me with a disgust in his Eye. His Love for me only grows stronger by each passing day and for that I am so Thankful to the Almighty for the gift of him!) At my workplace, the body shaming and comments were getting worse with each passing day. It was something I couldn’t get to help myself out of. I was stuck in the rut. I dealt with it for 2 years in that company wishing I was dead at a 102 kg high. I hated myself to a levelI could not explain. I wanted to break all the mirrors in my house. I never even wanted to answer video calls. The only thing I could see in the mirror was my FAT self. I would get mad at my Husband for being so good looking and he has handled me with utmost Grace, Love and Patience. I used to get violent like literally, start crying for anything and everything and if I went out, I would put up this fake thing of “I am absolutely fine” Nobody could tell what I was going through. The Bold Me never wanted to share this with anyone with the fear of not being understood and being called weak. But then as I began speaking to my Best friend Valanka Fernandes about it and family back home they all told me to quit my job and take up another job. And at the back of my head I just knew that I had no confidence left to take up acorporate job. One day at work, the bullying went too far and I could take no more. I shared it with my Best Friend Val and Floyd and that was it, I just put in my resignation and I finally felt relieved from those shackles.

I gave many interviews after that, but unfortunately the strong, bold girl in me was dead like literally dead where the interviewer could see the lack of confidence and how I would get zoned out and blank during any interview. I was unable to crack even a single interview. However, I have my Mum’s genes in me of “don’t just sit around doing nothing.” You’ll find my Mum telling people this very often.

So many thoughts started rushing through my mind where Valhad been convincing me to start blogging since so many years but the Non tech savvy side of me never paid heed to what she kept saying. But she never stopped pushing and encouraging me. A colleague of mine, Shweta Kalkar (more like familynow) who knew what I went through in the office also started encouraging me to write and all she said was “Main hoon na, tu kar” that’s it! It took me a lot of courage to tell Floyd that this is what I want to do and not get back to working anymore. It took him sometime to accept it because we now would have to work out how to pay the home loan, expenses, etc. but I gave him assurance that we will do it together. I’m quite a low maintenance chic (yeah! He’s damn lucky like that hahahaha) The first step was no fancy eating, no fancy spendings, no international holidays, no fancy hotels, restaurants, etc. and no branded clothes, makeup, jewellery, nothing at all. We moved into a studio in a place where the rents were extremely low.We had no parking in the building and had to look serval hours for a parking slot, sometimes even eat late nights in the car and then walk quite a bit from the parking area till home.We were made fun of for being “misers” but only we knew what we were going through. We had no TV or fast speed internet for almost 2 years. But we did it all by ourselves, with our head held high without being ashamed and without any favours or help. These are the things that taught me the actual meaning of “TRUE LOVE” Floyd has walked this Journey so gracefully with me, holding my hand so tight and he never let go. He sacrificed so much to allow me to fulfil my Dream and Passion!

I then decided to seek help & wrote to a lady on FB, Cynthia Fernandes who is a social worker who helps people find jobs here in the UAE who has a very strong network of people,telling her all that I had gone through and that I would like to do something Food related. She guided me well(and is now a very close friend😊I call her Ma). Val and Shweta had always been after me to start writing and when Cynthia also said the same, I thought to myself THIS IS IT! 

I have seen how my Mum and I have had absolutely No Professional Training and Knowledge in Cooking and whatever we know and have learned till date has been the fruits of so many Men and Women sharing their recipes and knowledge with us. So, I think there could be so many like us, who do not have the means to learn Professional cooking, but I can share my knowledge, Tips, Tricks Techniques and Failures too so that people have a ready No Fail recipe to use. This was more like giving back what we have learned and earned all these years. And till date, even though my Mum is in Business, if anyone asks for a recipe, she will so willingly and Happily give the whole thing along with what not to do in order to get it perfect. I kept thinking how to go about it? I asked a few bloggers around but I didn’t get much help there. I didn’t have that kind of money where I could pay a professional company to get my blog started. I just knew that I had to do whatever I had to do on my own. Val got me to join this Global Goan Food group on FB called Traditional Goan Foodies(TGF) where I was just randomly sharing my recipes(no format nothing) and food pics(I didn’t even have a high end phone back then so pictures were blur and dull) and just being the crazy self that I am, writing a joke or something funny or something nostalgic, etc with every recipe I shared and the Love and Warmth I received for the simplicity and humour in my writing and recipes was unimaginable and I was overwhelmed. Thanks to David D’souza, the admin of TGF who used to correct me and guide me on the basic technicalities of clicking good and clear pictures. TGFbecame my getaway and Happy place. I started to gain a bit ofpopularity on TGF, answering food related questions and I felt some sense of confidence suddenly. A lady who worked with Gulf News, UAE wrote to me asking if I would like to write an article for Gulf News on How we as a family we celebrate Easter away from Home. For me, that was Massive, I mean come on, my article and picture would be on the Newspaper. I instantly said Yes not knowing how to go about it, but I somehow managed. Since the article required Floyd and Me to be in the frame along with our Easter Spread on the table, we couldn’t take a selfie. So we called the Security Guard of the building to click the picture for us and He asked “aap log famous log hai kya” hahahaha so cute 😊 and we showed him the article in the newspaper when it was out.. Such a Joy!! And when it was published, O.M.G!! My weight began to take a back seat and all I was doing was concentrating on my new found Virtual Friends and Interests! I was beginning to experience the “BOSS” that I always wished to be. And I was most comfortable because they couldn’t see me in person but what was selling was my preconceived notion that they had about me in their minds .. whatever rocks their boat, I’m cool with it hahaha

Then in 2017, to our misfortune, we suffered a miscarriage. Since my condition got really bad thereafter, my mum took me to India for further treatment. I was away from Floyd for 6 months. There I started sending Floyd detailed recipes of quick and easy food that he could cook after work. And all he used to tell me was “you better save all this, you never know you may one day write a book”. After 6 months, I came back to Dubai and continued researching on blogging. I transformed my pain into writing and cooking and invested all my time in trying out new recipes and creating some of my own. I realised that I was Born to cook and that is the only thing that has kept me sane. People started teasing me Cook, Bawarchi, Tiffin wali, sometimes people would look down upon me for taking up a “cooking” job too. I used to feel offended earlier, but I never let that diminish my Passion. Initially I would back answer, then I learnt how to allow my work to do most of the talking.

In 2018, I looked up Youtube and typed “how to start a food blog” and that is it. I edited around 20 recipes and started on 19th September 2018, my Birthday, I gifted myself one of the Best gifts I ever could, I started www.chrizzosgrubscene.comwhere I share recipes that have been taught to me by my Mum, neighbours, family members, friends, etc. and some that I have created too. When my friends ask me How I did it, I honestly have no answers. I just followed the tutorials step-by-step and in 3 days I had my own website! I got my ex-colleague to design my Logo where I wanted my Mum andMy picture in it somehow, anyhow and he did an absolutelyfab job and that is something that will remain for the rest of my life. I now have around 200 recipes on my blog and still so many more to go. I love to add Humour to my Food articles because I know how dull it can get sometimes in life and all you want is a Fun read or something that will cheer you up. Also, if you see my recipes, they take you down memory lane because with the Western style of cooking being introduced off late, Traditions have begun to fade away. Through my recipes and articles, I Love taking people on a Nostalgic trip where they can relate. I started with the intention that I’d feel accomplished if atleast one person follows my recipe in a week. And by God’s grace, I receive a message almost everyday from someone or the other around the Globe who sends me pics of what they’ve cooked from my blog and letting me know how happy their families are to eat such food and that they say a prayer for me for being so kind in sharing the tips and tricks of how to perfect the dish! What more canone ever ask for!!! And when someone who has never cooked all their lives, especially a bachelor, sends me an appreciation message after trying a recipe from my blog, that’s the cherry on the icing! I feel Accomplished!

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

The Secret of my Success is that I JUST CANNOT KEEP SECRETS ateast while sharing my recipes that is. I love to share All my Knowledge with my followers and anyone who asks for recipes. If you read my Recipes, I leave no room for doubt. All the fail proof techniques, tips and tricks, secret methods, ingredients and unexplained sciences of getting the dish right in the first try, I Tell it All and for that, I received an outpouring of Love and Blessings from all those who follow my recipe blog and social media pages.

Success is a very vast concept and could have different meanings and descriptions and every individual has the freedom to define Success differently but for me, Success is as Simple (or as complex at times) as having a Good Peaceful Night’s Sleep and not being disturbed or affected by Competitors, Assumptions, One side Stories, or even Success stories of others. A thing I learned from a Popular Restaurant Owner here in Dubai, is that when another person in the same line of business or anyone who you may think is competition or a threat does better that you, it clearly means that they arealso working harder than you. Instead of being agitated or upset, try learning new things or learn from them how and what it takes to reach that level instead of envying them. This one quality has stayed in my heart as I found it so beautiful and apt in today’s extremely fast and competitive world.

So to sum it up, Success for me is The ability to Be Content while having a Peaceful Night’s Rest without having to walk over other individuals.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?

They say Everything happens for a reason and so it is in my case. When I was being bullied because of my Overweight and when we lost our baby, little did I know back then that all that Pain would one day turn into Power. If these incidents would not have happened in my life, I don’t think I would have pushed myself to achieve so much.

Describe yourself as a person.

I believe in Live and Let Live. I motivate myself each day by reminding myself that my God gifted Talent is way Bigger than my Self Fed Tummy. I am very old school when it comes to relationships. I love keeping in touch with my loved ones as often as i can. For me, my family means Everything to Me. I strongly believe that hardwork, dedication, knowledge gained and sincerity in work and in life never goes to waste. Even though I live in Dubai, I truly believe in staying grounded to my roots and living a Happy and Simple life. I don’t like to ponder on the ‘Whys’ of Life but instead I try to focus on the ‘How Tos’ to see how can I make it better.

About the awards and accolades received by you….

One of my Greatest of all achievements was that of random people trying my recipes and writing reviews on my blog and social media, of which I made a separate folder along with screenshots and named it “My Trophy Mument”.

Also, I had the opportunity to Shoot a recipe for one of the Food shows on Colors TV. 

Apart from that, I took part and got shortlisted among the Top 6 contestants on a Reality cooking show on Zee TV in the UAE. 

I had the opportunity to assist the Fr. Leo Patalinghug, an award winning Chef from the USA when he was doing a show in Dubai.

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Two wonderful Women on two podcasts respectively to discuss all about my Life

In my Work set up, I’m not sure if there’s ever going to be any formal “Awards” per se, but all these for me are my Trophies and Awards 😊

How do you balance work and family?

As I work from home and write recipes from home, there areno striking challenges. Infact, the best part is that the recipes I work on and write about, become the lunch and dinners at home….good for us!!! The best part about my work is that I can work at my own ease and give sufficient time to my family whenever required.

What are your future plans?

My greatest dream and wish is to start a commercial cloud kitchen here in the UAE to provide A Homestyle Tiffin service especially for the working class. In UAE, most people are super busy with the extremely fast paced working life and even if a person loves to cook, they do not have the time and energy to even cook a simple meal at home. They land up eating junk or at restaurants which is not a very healthy option. 

I get so many DMs on my my Blogs and Social media pages asking if i can start a tiffin service. Also, the ones we have tried here are so commercial, it feels like one is eating at a restaurant. When a person eats Daily food, it must feel like HOME, like what your Mum or Grandmum makes and that I feel to some extent is something one misses immensely when they are away from Home. Hence, it is one of my greatest dream to provide Homestyle food to the Busy Bees.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers…

Something that I very firmly believe in is before thinking you CANNOT or before thinking it’s impossible, “Atleast Try”.Kal Ho Na Ho is NOT just a Movie, it’s reality too! Do Not be bothered about what people say or think! People WILL say, they WILL criticise, they WILL talk behind your back, they WILL misguide you, they WILL mock you but all you have to do is pick up all these WILLS and turn them into WILLPOWER to work harder and smarter with full dedication and honesty in order to let your work speak louder than your words! 

Something that I have always learnt from my Parents is never to be in competition with others and never try to walk over someone or try to be superior to prove a point. That downfall is worse and you may never be able to pick yourself up. Enjoy the fruits of your work and do not envy anyone because at the end of the day, you will get only what u deserve and what is written for you, nothing more nothing less. You do not have to be ashamed of your roots and your past because only when you remember the hard times, The fruits of Success will be sweeter than Honey(Sugar I thought, but not good for PCOD yaaaar 😊)

Also, my Parents always tell us the names of people who helped them in difficult times and all the people who used to share recipes and teach my Mum how to cook, stitch, get her clients, promote her business, etc. and this is something which I now carry and wish to treasure for the rest of my life that isto never forget those who help you in times of need.

Another thing I strongly believe in is Never forget to give credit where it’s due. If you take credit for something you haven’t done or worked hard for, your success will only be temporary. Also, if you run behind fast Money and shortcuts, even your success will be short-lived and will Run faster away from you. For me, Honesty is one of the Most Powerful tools to be Successful, even more when nobody is watching, Try any other way and you’ll see the difference.

Another teaching which I’ve learned from my entrepreneurfriend is “In a Garden, full of flowers, The Sunflower doesn’t feel jealous when a Rose blooms. They all bloom together”. 

Floyd always reminds me of these teachings:

1) Whatever you do, do it with Perfection and Excellence and Own it

2) Confidence is an excellent tool but over confidence will make you look like a fool

3) Always be willing to learn, even if it’s from a small child

4) Let your Work speak louder than your words(in my case I speak also loud, but I’m trying to get there hahaha)

My Brother has taught me to GIVE without expectation. When you give, be prepared to receive NOTHING in return, not even a THANK YOU, mila toh bonus, nahi mila toh nothing lost. I love and practice this with all my Heart! 

I love to share whatever I learn. I feel so Happy when someone benefits from what I have delivered. I’ve seen Mumdoing it all her life. When sharing knowledge, I strongly believe that you either give it your all or you give nothing at all.

A message to all that I would love to give is that All of us are blessed with a Talent. Look for it. When you find it, Nurture it and Do something about it, because at the end of it all, the weightage you’ve carried to your CV may not really matter as much as the Meaning you’ve added to your Life😊

Rachel Foundation

The Rachel Foundation was born out of the idea to utilize the creative talent of Rachel for social causes. It all happened when Rachel began designing bracelets, bookmarks, paintings and expressed a desire to make many more. As a creative child, Rachel always enjoyed making art and craft work at home. This year she participated in the bracelet making competition organised by Handicrafts UAE for school students. She won the first prize in the competition for showcasing the highest level of craft quality in the bracelet making competition in her age category. The participating students were provided with some material and using their creativity , they had to design the bracelets. Winning this competition made Rachel want to do more bracelets and she expressed her desire to do so. Our home was already stocked with her creative outputs. We decided to exhibit them for sale and to use the proceeds from the sale for a cause. Fortunately an opportunity arose in Goa with collaboration with international fashion designer Verma D’Mello. She came up with the brilliant idea of a foundation where one child will help another child/ children by making things that people will wear for a cause. Verma provided Rachel with the right platform to have her first set of bracelets to be displayed and sold in Goa and this will continue. The proceeds from the first sale will go towards the education of a underprivileged girl child.

In UAE, she will work along with Handicrafts UAE to design handmade bracelets that will be sold in stores in UAE and the proceeds from the sale will be utilized to buy diapers to be donated to new mothers by Hope UAE. She will also promote Goan handicrafts in UAE.

Through the Foundation, Rachel will continue her work of organizing donation drive of toys/books/clothes to be given to needy children around the world. We look forward to your support to make every small action of hers more impactful on the lives of other kids.

Imaam-Arshad Joomun—directing M-Kids towards youth empowerment

Meet Imaam-Arshad Joomun , Director of M-Kids, Mauritius. He along with his super efficient team is responsible for driving, leading and managing the Organisation that is busy transforming lives of children and young adults throughout the country with their varied empowerment projects.

M-Kids is a registered national NGO dedicated to alleviating the suffering of vulnerable children and empowering them through multi-stakeholder programmes and activities, without discrimination, to create a bright future where every child can prosper.

In the pursuit of this mission, M-Kids intervenes in four key areas:

* Child Poverty Eradication

*Remedial Education & Life Skills Empowerment

*Psycho-Social Support & Therapy

*Youth for the Environment

M-Kids envisions a society where “no child is left behind” is a reality.

M-Kids aspires to a society where:

~all children have equal access to the basic needs of modern living,

~all children feel safe and supported at all times and the most vulnerable children are afforded protection and opportunities through affirmative policies and actions.

Tell us something about yourself.
I was born and raised in Mauritius, a wonderful island in the heart of Indian Ocean. Since my childhood, I have harboured a deep desire to assist those who are less privileged than myself. Through M-Kids Association, it’s our mission that no child is left behind. My aspiration is for a future where every child can grow up in a secure and joyous environment, and have equal opportunities in life.

When where why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all about your journey.
My journey as the Founder and Director of M-Kids Association started at a very young age, when I started noticing the young people in my neighbourhood getting lured by drugs and other substances, bad influences, and loss of interest in their education. Therefore, I took the initiative to group some students who really needed help and started accompanying them and advising them.

With a group of youngsters, we started campaigning against drug use and raised awareness about its nefarious disastrous effects. Slowly, our grassroots movement turned into an organisation.

Today, we are one of the most well-recognised organisations in Mauritius, having worked with vulnerable children in Rodrigues as well, reaching over 10,000 beneficiaries in the last year alone.

As I reflect on the journey thus far, I am immensely proud of the impact we have made in the lives of countless young people. However, I remain steadfast in my commitment to continue expanding our reach, refining our strategies, and making a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve. The transformative power of our organisation lies not only in the services we provide but also in our ability to inspire hope, instil resilience, and nurture a generation of empowered individuals who can shape a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?
There is no secret to my success. It all comes down to resilience and keep going. Success for me is the happiness of the children, knowing that our efforts have had the tiniest of impact on their lives, that’s enough to make me happy.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?
Witnessing the effects of negative peer influences on young individuals and how it led them away from a positive life path left a profound impact on me. The fact that these young individuals were not only wasting their youth and mental capacities, but also transforming into criminals and posing a threat to the community, truly saddened me to the core. My life was forever altered by this event, which served as a catalyst to continue my unwavering fight against drug abuse, not only in the community but also in the country.

Describe yourself as a person.
That is the hardest thing to do. However, I would say that I possess a strong inclination towards meticulousness and a deep appreciation for order and precision. I tend to approach tasks and endeavours with a meticulous mindset, paying careful attention to detail and ensuring that everything is organised and structured.

As a perfectionist, I strive for excellence in everything I do. I am motivated to constantly seek improvement and optimal outcomes. I believe that attention to detail and a commitment to precision can make a significant difference in achieving desired results.
However, it’s worth noting that while I value precision and order, I also recognise the importance of flexibility and adaptability. I understand that not everything can be controlled or planned to perfection, and I am open to embracing new ideas and adjusting my approach when necessary.
Beyond these traits, I believe in fostering positive relationships and collaboration. I find great joy in working alongside others, leveraging diverse perspectives and skills to achieve collective goals. I am a good listener, attentive to the needs and ideas of those around me, and I strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone involved.
In summary, I would describe myself as a meticulous individual with a passion for order and a perfectionist mindset.

I am driven to achieve excellence in all that I do, while also recognising the importance of adaptability and collaboration.

What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Challenges come in different faces, sometimes it is time constraints, sometimes it is the reluctance of people to contribute, sometimes, it is about reaching the right people to kick off a project. Life is a series of challenges and every time one crops us, I have to find a way to overcome it. That’s where resilience comes in.

About the awards and accolades received by you….
The work that I’ve done has been recognised not just by local awarding bodies but also international ones. I am very humbled that the NGO that I have set up and the work that we are continuously doing have been recognised and awarded. This is a boost of confidence that the work we are doing is right. And it gives me the motivation to do more.

Below are some of the awards I’ve received:

*Winner of ‘Healthcare Leadership Award 2018 by the World CSR Congress, Mumbai- India

*Winner of ‘African NGO Leadership Award 2018 by the World CSR Congress, Mumbai-India

*Winner of ‘NGO Leadership and Global Leadership & Excellence Award 2019 by the World CSR Congress, Mumbai-India

*Winner of ‘Men of the Year 2019’, Men Superachiever (Charity, Voluntary & Humanitarian) by Train to Gain, Mauritius

*Winner of NGO Award 2020, (For improving our Social Indicators) by MAAAJ

*Winner of ‘Men of the Year 2020’, Most Impactful Man (Charity, Voluntary & Humanitarian) by Train to Gain, Mauritius

*Winner of ‘Social Impact Award for Child Rights 2020-2021’ by the Asia Awards, Malaysia

*Winner of ‘NGO of the Year 2020-2021’ by the Asia Awards, Malaysia

*Winner of ‘Men of the Year 2021’, Icon of the Year (Charity, Voluntary &

*Winner of ‘Best Director of the Year 2023’ (Charity & Children) by International

*Leaders Summit & Awards 2023, New Delhi-India

How do you balance work and family?
I have to admit that it is very hard. I spend a lot of my time at the NGO, which, luckily, is quite close to where I reside. However, I do try my best to balance work and family. I am very thankful that my family members and friends all help me in the work that the NGO does, therefore, I do not miss out too much on family events.

What are your future plans?
My future plans include building a better facility for the vulnerable children. I also plan to set up a Safe Haven for victims of abuse shortly. Unfortunately, while we do all the good that we can, there is so much negativity happening to children not just in Mauritius, but around the world.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers…
Consider spending your free time volunteering with children who are in need of a positive role model. If you find yourself with a little extra cash, consider putting Rs100 towards an NGO’s efforts. Don’t underestimate the power of Rs100; it can go a long way towards making a difference. Sometimes, all it takes to change a life is just a little bit of kindness and thoughtfulness.

Colin D’Cruz—great musicianship

Behind all the songs and music that we hear, there are some untold stories. Stories of those musicians who dedicated their lives to music. Stories of each of their career paths are identified by only them, just like their palm prints. Meet Colin D’Cruz, Goa’s very own Jazz artist, who has dedicated his life to promote Goa’s, yet often side-tracked talent. Jazz Goa of Colin D’Cruz is the only organisation in India to host UNESCO’s International Jazz Day every year. D’Cruz who along with his wife Diana, is the driving force behind the Jazz Goa app. More than 300 local artistes have been recorded free of cost and featured on the app, thus giving them a world stage till date.

Creativity is like a wave, and it just floats through the air,” he says. “Music is like the universal truth— like things you wanted to say, but didn’t know the words or didn’t know how to say it but it resonates.” According to Colin, the success of a musician lies in his daily practice. Successful musicians make practicing a vital thing like breathing and eating. Passion for music is not enough to achieve a career in music, practicing every day is what helps one to grow and improvise in music. By practicing daily, a musician rises above others.There is no stable income when you start to embark upon this path. Success is not so easy in an industry like music, and it requires a lot many things. There are many people claiming that music is their passion, but to transform passion into a career is a path of difficulty. To undertake this path of difficulty, the first requisite is to want it more than anything else in life. Complete dedication and hard work is the only way to be successful.

Tell us something about yourself.

I am a jazz musician and music producer, I began playing professionally on hotel residences over four decades ago. After playing all kinds of music with all kinds of bands across India and around the world, I have now come around full circle to a resident band contract at The Claridges, New Delhi.

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

It’s no secret, I simply am true to myself. I love what I do for a living and that to me is being successful.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?

I may have been just a two or three year old toddler but the memory of hearing the magic of music performed live at an event my parents took me to has stayed in my subconscious till date.

Describe yourself as a person.

Simple and straightforward, just like the music I enjoy playing

What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

I am the only one in my family who took to music. It can be very challenging in show business that’s often ruled by nepotism.

About the awards and accolades received by you….

 

I have received just one award after over four decades of performance, It was an award for my contribution to music given to me by Goans in Canada

How do you balance work and family?

Fortunately for me my family supports me whole heartedly so it’s been an easy ride,.

What are your future plans?

It’s time to give back to music. I plan on initiating a scholarship plan for deserving youngsters wanting to study music at the True School of Music in Goa.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers…

My organisation Jazz Goa launched the first western music app out of India. it is available as a free download at http://www.jazzgoa.com

Dr. Chacko Varghese Vadavana-transforming lives through Satyam Ministries

Dr. Chacko Varghese Vadavana is a Person of Substance and he works towards it every day. Through Satyam Ministry, he adds value to the world. Over the years, he has worked hard to create something, that in simple small ways, transforms the lives of the underprivileged people. He is a thinker, a doer and is very authentic, realistic and genuine. He is the real deal. It was my privilege to have an encounter with him, when was on a short visit to Dubai. His story left me asking myself–What kind of person do I want to be? And how do I want to continue to make a more effective difference to the people I meet or work with?Read to find out more….

1. Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Dr. Chacko Varghese Vadavana. I was born and raised in the wonderful state of Kerala also famously known as God’s own country. My life and training in the monastery to become a monk taught me many important lessons in life for which I am forever grateful. My upbringing, influence of my parents, and other leaders imbibed a passionate heart in me. From my childhood, helping people in need was my passion and I have always enjoyed serving people less fortunate than me. I have witnessed many instances where the poor were mistreated and I had compassion for them. Thus, my mission was to help the poor and the downtrodden in society.

After my salvation experience, I became the Founder & President of Sathyam Ministries India in 1988. My passion for the unprivileged and poverty-stricken in India has enabled me to engage mainly in charitable activities such as running orphanages, special schools for the differently-abled children, mission schools, vocational training centers for women, providing 100,000 wheelchairs, relief works, sending gospel teams to various parts of India to spread the love of Jesus, serve the poor and organize church leaders conference all over India. I have had written over 30 books in various languages, edited over 150 books, and is an excellent organizer and the founded various innovations to help the downtrodden and needy in India. I am also the chief editor of the Truth Alive magazine in English and Jeeva Vachanam in Malayalam. Currently, I reside in Kerala, India with my wonderful family.

2. When where why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all about your journey?

Towards the beginning, I started with the literature ministry. After reading a gospel tract it changed my life and I realized the power of the written word of God in changing people’s lives. Sathyam Ministry was started with a small offering amount of 153 rupees which I received from the monastery. It is with this amount that the first gospel tract was published. The ministry was officially inaugurated on the day of my wedding with Marykutty on May 5th, 1988. The official inauguration took place in the Mammem Mappilla Hall Kottayam, prior to our wedding ceremony. I was able to expand the ministry to the various States of India with the support of my family, friends and well-wishers.  

For the last thirty-five years, Sathyam Ministries remains a blessing to hundreds of people for whom we provide books for spiritual growth and edification. The publishing ministry has also produced various study Bibles and reference Bibles in great demand all over India and abroad. We have distributed more than 1 Lakh wheelchairs to disabled and handicapped people across the country. The Ministries run Vocational Training Centers at Kaviyoor, Vijayanagaram, Gandhidham, Vizag, and Mumbai. These vocational training centers bless more than 245 women in several villages, through tailoring and embroidery training. The satisfaction and joy of bringing comfort to these people are beyond measure.

It was always my heart’s burden to reach these uneducated and poor people in our country. Illiteracy is very rampant in our country and most of the poor children in the villages are forced into child labor. In order to save these future citizens of our nation, Sathyam Ministries started its mission schools in Gandhidham, Vijaynagara, Tripura, and Assam. In addition to the mission schools, we are also giving life and hope to hundreds of children in our orphanages. Our special school in Kaviyoor, Kerala gives special training and care to mentally challenged and disabled children. 

Graduates from Sathyam Theological Seminary share the love of Christ with the poor and needy through various relief and charity works. Conducted the Church Leaders Conferences in Kerala, Mumbai, Vijayanagaram, New Delhi, and Kolkota to equip the church leaders in these regions for a more effective ministry by teaching them innovative tools and strategies for reaching the unreached.

Ever since the beginning, we have gone through several financial pressures and constraints. It is the vision of reaching the unreached which has enabled me to remain steadfast in the ministry of extending God’s Kingdom.

3. What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

Dreams are the secret to my success. I dream and I work hard to fulfill it. There would be obstacles on the path, but if one really has the will to overcome that then success would be the end result. I dream bigger and I work towards making my dreams come true. People dream bigger but only a few of them equip themselves and do the extraordinary tasks, to live their dream. I believe that to make one’s dreams come true means to come out of their comfort zones and work for their success. The process would be tedious, but it’d be fruitful in the end.

4. Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?

It was during the initial years of the Ministry, when I got to visit a few villages in North India that changed the course of my life forever. That’s when I’ve realized that the needs of people living in those villages are unmet. Their basic needs are unmet. The life they had then was something none of us can imagine. That’s when I took it to heart that I’ll work for the upliftment of the underprivileged in society. I managed to find resources both manpower and monetary to work for the downtrodden. I started mission schools for the education of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in several places in North India. I’ve also started vocational training programs for women from underprivileged communities, so that they could earn a living. These initiatives are still a boon for hundreds of women and children.

There are many other incidents that have impacted me. One such incident is how we opened Justin’s Home- A home for the differently-abled. Here’s the story of Justin’s Home Children are a precious gift from God. From the moment of conception, till a child is born, every parent weaves out dreams and plans about their child. They hope for the best and wish to give him/her the very best they probably can. Our second son Justin was born mentally challenged. But we knew very well, at the bottom of our hearts that he is a perfect gift and that God counts him special and precious. Justin is not disabled, he is just differently-abled.

Parenting a differently-abled child is not easy; it throws challenges at every stage and demands special attention at all times. When Justin reached 4 yrs of age, we put him in a school where normal children studied. But we started receiving complaints about his inability to adjust and his attitude problems which forced us to remove him from the school. We were told about a school for special children far from our hometown. But due to the long-distance, we gave up that idea. At this time, Marykutty suggested the idea of starting a school for disabled children. I didn’t entertain the idea initially. We send Justin to another school near Marykutty’s workplace.

One day while Marykutty was taking classes for the tenth grade, she was interrupted by a helper boy from Justin’s school. Justin had wet his pants and soiled the classroom, but he was least bothered about what he had done. Frustrated, she pleaded to God to help her find a school for special children near her home or help her with the money needed to start a special school. After reading the book “Purpose Driven Life” by Pr. Rick Warren, she got the lead to start a Special School.

Finally, we were able to open Justin’s Home, a Learning Disability Center for mentally challenged children. Since the idea of Sathyam Research Institute and Disability Center was due to our son Justin, the project is named Justin’s Home.

5. Describe yourself as a person. 

I’d describe myself as a person with a Go-getter attitude. If I want something, I make sure that I get it. I don’t believe in excuses. Excuses are the downfall of the success anyone isdreaming of. So I avoid giving or hearing excuses. I believe that if one has a true intention to work towards the end result to be fruitful, there wouldn’t be any excuses. Excuses are the hurdles we need to jump, it might be painstaking but in the end you’ll have what you yearned for.

6. What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them? 

People management is the biggest challenge I face. It’s rather difficult to find sincere people with passion and commitment to their work. Loyalty is a unique quality we can’t buy using money. Employees with commitment and passion to the work they do are quite a rarity. 

I am still learning to overcome this challenge. 

Other challenges that I faced throughout my life are:

●​To get a good team that aligned with our organization’s vision and mission

●​To convince people of our vision

●​To get the proper resources to move forward and carry out our plans

7. About the awards and accolades received by you….

I have received a few Literary Awards as well as awards for charitable works.

8. How do you balance work and family?

It is a difficult task to give equal importance to both. There were times when I had to choose between my work and family but with God’s grace alone I was able to manage those situations. Trying to balance both work and family hasn’t been the easiest journey. However, I have to greatly appreciate my wife for the sacrifices she’s made and even in my absence raised our three children. When situations permit, I take my family with me and they are also involved in the work that we do.

9. What are your future plans?

This Ministry is my sweat and blood. I am aiming at the international development of the Ministry by strengthening what I have started. I want to give the message of my ministry “we care for the body and the soul” to maximum number of people worldwide. 

Other plans are to provide services to overcome physical barriers, begin courses in community rehabilitation and develop vocational rehabilitation programs

10. Anything else that you want to tell the readers…

Never give up ever in your life. Always work towards your vision, your aims you will find the resources you need during the process. There will be times when you feel like giving up but always keep in mind that you have the strength to keep on going forward. Push yourself as the end result will be something to rejoice. Every dream and passion is important. Never give up on your passion and dream. The road is never easy, but with perseverance, commitment, and hard work, you can weather the storms and achieve the unattainable.

You are given blessings. It is your duty to multiply those as well as to be a blessing to others through your deeds. In the end of the day what matters is how you were a blessing to your fellow beings.

Sorcha Coyle—Empowering Expat Teachers personally and professionally

You already know that Sorcha Coyle is a force to be reckoned with. She exemplifies the characteristics that define female leaders–impactful, inspiring and purpose driven. She is busy touching the lives of women that cross her path. With her work and achievements, she inspires other women to aspire to similar success in the education industry. No matter how many roadblocks are in her way, or how many challenges she gets to face every day, she is going to be the master at achieving what she sets hermind to. She feels that what we need is the right intent, passion for the vision, and consistency in reaching our goals.

Tell us something about yourself…..

My name is Sorcha Coyle and I taught in the Gulf (Qatar and Dubai) for over 10 years. After my 4 years in Qatar. I saved six figures, which I used to buy a home in Ireland and set up an investment portfolio. I also created the 13,300+ member Empowering Expat Teacher Facebook group here and my IG @sorchacoyle_eet here where I share international job hunting, CV, and money-saving tips each day. Last year, I left teaching to become an Expat Career and Money Strategist, a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, and a Highlands Ability Battery Certified Career Consultant, based in Dubai. I saved 6 figures as an expat teacher and I have also left teaching and now I show my clients how to do the same. I am a huge fan of Murder, She Wrote and I was very sad when Angela Lansbury (the actress who played Jessica Fletcher) passed away earlier this year, at the age of 96.


When, Where, Why and How did you begin your professional journey?
I trained as a teacher in the UK back in 2008-2009. When I completed my bachelor’s degree in Ireland, I did some research and found out that the UK were providing bursaries or grants to train teachers, so I moved across to the UK, completed my teacher training and graduated debt-free. I spent a year teaching in the UK and six months teaching in Ireland which made me realize that I wasn’t ready to move back home for good Then I decided to apply to an international school in Qatar and I became an expat teacher. I spent 4 very happy years there and then I spent one year in the UK at King’s College London, completing my MA. Afterwards, I moved to Dubai to work as a teacher. I spent five years working at an international school in Dubai and then in October 2021, I left full-time teaching to set up my own business as a nExpat Career and Money Strategist. I work with expats to help them find their ideal job abroad with a six-figure career and money strategy. I also help ex-pats change career while living abroad.

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

To me, success is freedom, flexibility and time. I love working for myself because I can work online I can work from anywhere in the world, so I can spend months at a time at home in Ireland with my family and friends there. I can travel while working. I can set up my own routine and my own schedule. To me, success is being in charge of your own life, being in charge of your own day, being in charge of your own happiness and fulfillment and not necessarily relying on other people or other things to provide that for you.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on your life or changed the course of your life?

Before I moved to Qatar back in 2011, Ireland was still going through a very severe economic recession where hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, lost their homes and lost their peace of mind and happiness. It made me realise the importance of having financial security and having money and I swore to myself that when I would buy my first home, I would buy a property in cash, so I would never be indebted to a bank or ever be at risk of losing my home if I could not make her payments on the mortgage. That really spurred me to see international teaching as a really lucrative and empowering decision so even though I enjoyed my time I’ve always travelled and I’ve always enjoyed expat life without being frugal, I always had a saving goal in the back of my mind to meet each week, each month, each year in order to achieve that financial security and freedom.


Describe myself as a person…

That’s a great question. I am very ambitious and aspirational. From a young age, I’ve always believed that I could achieve anything I wanted to, once I was prepared to put in the hard work, time, energy, patience and effort to achieve it. I am very loyal and I’m very ethical and honest. I believe humans are more important than anything else and I always try to be empathetic and put myself into other people’s shoes. I believe people are inherently good and that everyone deserves a second chance. As a coach, I would like to think that I’m quite self-aware and a very good listener.


What are the challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?

Another wonderful question that’s making me really reflect on my life! Mindset is a huge part of overcoming challenges, so what I do is allow myself to feel my feelings, first of all. It’s important to acknowledge them because there’s no point in pretending everything is fine or having false positivity. Then I would be kind to myself with soothing self-talk, forgive myself, do some sort of emotional freedom technique, and then I would look at creating some kind of strategy and solution to get myself out of this challenge. I suppose one of the biggest professional challenges I faced was probably leaving full-time teaching to start my own business.


Any Awards and accolades received by you?

I have helped hundreds of teachers find great teaching jobs abroad and I specialise in helping experienced expat teachers secure interviews at reputable competitive international schools. I’m proud to say that many of my clients have secured jobs that were financially lucrative and were able to negotiate better salaries or packages, earn and save six figures, pay off their mortgages, etc.


How do you balance work and family?

I actually don’t have a family yet, so that’s not a major issue. However, I have so much respect for those teachers and entrepreneurs, who manage to balance both because sometimes I barely have enough time in the day to look after myself and to complete all my tasks for my business. In the future, I will most likely rely on my family to help me with balancing everything.


What are your future plans

There are so many teachers in the UAE who wish to leave teaching and change into a career that is more fulfilling and offers them greater freedom and flexibility. Therefore, I aspire to be the number one Expat Career Change Expert with the most popular Expat Career Change Circle programme.I want it to be the number one career change program in the Gulf region.


I’m also interested in working with young people to help them craft a six-figure career and money strategy too, so that’s something I’m looking at developing at international schools in the Gulf region and also in Ireland.


Anything else that you want to tell the readers
Whenever I am feeling sad or overwhelmed, I think of a Hafez quote: “I wish I could show you, When you are lonely or in darkness, The Astonishing Light Of your own Being!”
It reminds me how amazing we are and that we will figure it out eventually.

How the Student Became the Master— Dr. Vandana Gandhi Founder and CEO of British Orchard Nursery

The Infinite Learning Curve

British Orchard Nursery Founder and CEO Dr. Vandana Gandhi stands tall amongst the businessmen and women of the Middle East for her valuable and dependable contribution to the Nation. A consummate student, her belief in approaching situations armed with information has lent itself well to her elegant rise in the regional business corridors.

Her chain of nurseries and preschools has been bestowed with the prestigious Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award for being not only a centre for learning, but also a centre for excellence, and is poised to deliver on that and more.

A Lifetime of Learning

Born in Abu Dhabi to a first-generation entrepreneur, Dr. Vandana Gandhi was raised in the cosmopolitan, cultured environment that the city is famous for. Her father, the late Mr Kumar Gandhi, was a successful and respected businessman who ran his shipping and logistics company and was well-established as an industrialist. Vandana’s life today is a testament to the fact that she inherited not only his logical bend of mind but also his grit, self-reliance and determination.

A rich and diverse educational background saw the independent entrepreneur graduating in Mathematics, Post Graduating in International Finance before diving straight into working life. Her qualifications and fiscal acumen meant that she placed very quickly into a position at one of the best financial institutions in the nation; Citibank. Once she got started there, her hard work and incisive intellect saw her rise to the position of Resident VP of Citibank, garnering numerous awards along the way.

Grounded in Success

A decisive feature that sets her apart from most is her vibrant belief in growing through learning for the duration of one’s entire life. A decided advantage under any circumstances, it enabled her to cultivate and support her professional decisions with information and verve.

Bearing this in mind, it is easy to imagine that her decision to start the British Orchard Nursery (BON) was based on intensive research and a powerful drive to accomplish her goals thoroughly and adroitly. That explains why today BON has blossomed into more than just a successful business under Dr. Vandana’s care. Its well-thought-out British curriculum and tech-savvy teaching methods encapsulate everything a child needs to stay knowledgeable, alert and well-learned.

A visual representation of UAE as a tree would find BON branches in almost every established community, skyrocketing children’s accessibility to quality learning within the whole nation. As the only ISO-certified nursery chain in the country, it delivers decades of condensed professional expertise from researchers in Early Childhood Care and Education in the UAE. World Class settings see highly trained staff impart knowledge and care to their wards.

Dr. Vandana puts her money where her mouth is in her approach to learning as a lifelong companion. She earned distinction for her Master’s in Education and a Doctorate in Education from the UK.

Milestones in Professional Growth

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that Dr. Vandana’s time in the financial industry saw her wreathed in honours and recognitions, like the Dubai Quality Award, Human Development Award, Global Women in Leadership Award at WIL, Economic Forum Award and CSR Arabia Award. She also bears the distinction of being the first Indian woman to receive the Emirates Woman Award for Business Excellence for innovation in preschool education. On an international scale, Dr. Vandana has earned the coveted Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award, and the GR8 Woman Award.

Over time, Dr. Vandana and her professional ward have been recognized for their excellence and skills too. BON has won the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, which is illustrious in the extreme.

Deena Saldanha—a woman of wonder

Meet Deena Saldanha, a determined and confident woman. She is a woman of substance, a woman of positive influence and a woman of meaning. She is powerful and assertive, yet kind at the same time. She is compassionate and vulnerable towards those she loves in her life, without feeling weak for doing so. She strives for goals even in the face of the adversity which she may encounter along the way.Deena possesses great character, is confident, smart, open, honest, and loyal. For these reasons and others, she never ceases to leave a good impression on people. She is proud to be a woman because her instincts are strong. The instinctual power that she has within her guides her and protects her.She is a woman who chose to follow her dreams, and worked hard to turn her dreams into a reality. She strongly believed in herself, and took those first few steps, which led her to success later on. She worked tirelessly to educate herself and tore down boundaries to create a better world.

1.Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Deena Saldanha, I am from India. I did my Masters In personnel Management from Pune University and am currently based in Dubai and placed as HR Manager for a reputed group of Companies. I am a proud mother of two boys, aged 8 and 4 years.

2. When, where, why and how did you begin your career?

Always, the field of Human Resource was my fascination, as among all the resources required for the successful running of the organization or any institute, the most crucial element is Human resource, so managing them and ensuring the effective utilization of this resource for me, I term it as an art and challenge.

I started my career with Fidelity Investments in Gurgaon – Haryana the border of Delhi as an HR executive and worked there for 3 years and then planned to start a new phase of my family life, got married and moved to Dubai and started my career as an HR Executive – and then as time passed by, I got promoted to HR officer and now currently Human Resource Manager – handling the Human resource and Admin division of the Company 

 

3. What is the secret of your success?

There is no special recipe for success.  It is very simple. If you every day look at the mirror and feel that you have evolved in any way small or big that is success, the day you have not made progress it might be very simple things also then that you have barriered success. Each person perceives success differently.  For me it is when I have done the task assigned without feeling a single bit of guilty of not giving by 100 %.  Most importantly if you have impacted positively in any way any individual that you are associated with, then that is success, your inspiration has made them face life that is Success.

 

4.How do you balance work and family?

In an era, where in we have reached the moon, still the maternal societal impact is still prevailing. One way a woman can prove herself or achieve her dreams is through a progressive man in her life. I am blessed to have that from a very early age. My father who always gave me wings to fly and not setting me any limits. My Dad’s support taught me the importance of confidence, motivation, and hard work. My dad has empowered me by letting me fly as high as I wanted. He taught me that I can do everything I want as long as I believe in myself and I constantly strive to better myself.

 

After I got married it was my husband. Because of him I have achieved what I am today. We’ve often hear this saying: “Behind every successful man is a good woman.” The expression also holds true for successful women. I have been able to succeed because of my supportive husband. He takes equal share to take care of my kids, house and with an open approach. I have house help who does other bits of the work, so a pathway is made for aspiring young women. I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without him. He keeps me sane, balanced, and gives me strength to deal with the pressure. He is just my rock. I count on him in so many ways every single day.I would not be the woman I am if I did not go home to this special man—my husband. It just gives me such a foundation. He pushes me to embrace new work opportunities He always expresses enthusiasm about an opportunity, reassures me  and discusses the benefits of taking on a new role or challenge. 

What are some of the challenges that you faced and how did you overcome them?

Off course everybody has to face challenges so did I, I am not an exception, but without challenges there is no fun to witness the movie called life. Firstly, in work it was a new experience to all the labor laws, as what you study and what you practice that too in a different country is totally different, it was a challenge initially, but you get some people who make the path smooth and helpful, got some good mentors, I took initiative learning it and I strongly hope to go strong too and impacting people in a small or a big way. Today, I choose to live life to the fullest, every day. That means enjoying my work, enjoying the people around me, trying to create the best environment at work and at home, and contribute to society.

What are your future Plans 

Hmm, I plan to start something of my own and travel the world which i always wanted to, raise my kids and give time to their wellbeing in all ways possible. Plan trips with my friends that is what i Have in mind for now.

 

Carmo Santos–the man for whom Success comes in CANS and not CAN NOTS

Carmo Santos’s life is a true success story which has the power to inspire all of us.  As such, I will be focusing on Carmo’s life and the many success lessons it has to teach.  The great thing about Carmo’s success story is that it provides us with hope for what is possible. It also provides us with a road map of what achieving success looks like. So, use his experiences to prepare yourself for what you must do to achieve your dreams.  Let them prepare you for the challenging road ahead. And may they give you hope that the vision you glorify in your mind will come to pass. Carmo’s success can be boiled down to a few key aspects.  The first key success aspect was his desire.  Carmo desired a better life for himself and his loved ones, and believed he was deserving of that life.   The second aspect was his belief.  Not only did Carmo think himself worthy of his desires, but he believed he was destined for it. My purpose in sharing his story is that it may encourage you to keep striving towards your dreams, and keep you believing that achieving the “impossible” is actually possible. What can you learn from Carmo Santos? A lot, it turns out. Carmo is a perfect example of how to achieve success in both your personal and professional life. But his journey has not been easy. He has worked hard for everything he has achieved, and he continues to work hard to this day. Read more to find out….

MR. Carmo Santos, a Kuwait based entrepreneur, belonged to a middle-class family
dreaming big, his spirits rose and he made it happen . Today he is a successful
entrepreneur. Simple living and high thinking is Carmo’s characteristic motto. He was not
content to sit quietly. He was always incredibly ambitious and worked actively to achieve his
goals. He used his entrepreneurial skills to enrich not only himself and Company but the
humanity at large. Besides work he also laid hands on variety of social works thereby
catering to the needy in Kuwait and also promoting the potentials of the youth(Santos
Football club ) as well as well as preserving the tradition ,culture and language of Goa his
birth place through various cultural and other entertainment programs and competitions
whereby the like-minded people grabbed the opportunity to be with their fellow country men. .In other words he is dynamic and a versatile personality.

Tell us something about yourself

Born on 27th September, 1957 at Merces Ilhas Goa, a beautiful state of India, I Mr. Carmo
Santos, the son of the soil decided to follow my vision of becoming a sea- man though this
was a brief stint. I am also the President and Patron of Santos United Football Club. The
objectives of this club was to provide a platform for young aspiring Goan footballers,
encourage and support them to showcase their talents and keep them healthy and fit.

When, where, why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all
about your journey?

My ambition resonated within me so set my foot out of my state after completing my basic education in Goa ,to pursue my secondary education in Mumbai. Later I grabbed and accepted the opportunity which knocked at my door and sailed off shore for some time .Health was a major constraint to the pursuit of my career and had no option but decline but I left no stone unturned. It is rightly said ‘FAILURE IS A STEPPING STONE TO SUCCESS’. I landed at the Kuwait port on 22/02/1979, voyaging by ship from Goa.. ‘LADY LUCK’ laid her safe hands upon me and I could foresee my vision ahead .I succeeded in getting a job in Kuwait as a shipping clerk with Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al-Bahar shipping company .

My abilities and dedication was recognised and I Was promoted to the post of a Shipping Supervisor followed by a Port Agent. I contributed notably to the growth of the business. Being an epitome of duty and disciple I accepted the offer of a Manager and business partner. My graph in business accelerated and finally I am now the General Manager cum Partner of the company. Presently I am serving in Kuwait as a General Manager for Mahatta Trading Co.W.L.L. and a consultant for another 24 companies and authorized signatory for the same group. Some people dream success, while others wake up and work for it. Simultaneously continue helping the church and helping our Goans in distress with the collaboration with Indian Embassy and Church Authorities. I am grateful to the Almighty for the achievements credited to me .

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

Business according to me is like the Jack -in-the box. You never know when you are going to
get a box on your chin. Good communication and patience is the key to my success. It takes
a long time to climb a mountain and every step along the way is important. I succeed with
no tertiary education and no ancestral backing .I set my goal and focussed on it with
determination, never turning back. I achieved the essential qualities like ambition, patience, focus, plain decency, good relations and sacrifice, sometimes sacrificing short term enjoyment for long term gain. The secret of my success is letting go all the things that are holding me back like negativity , procrastination and the fear of failure and instead embracing healthy productive habits like working towards my goal with dedication. Learning from failures moving ahead with a serving mindset in everything I do. Success to me means achieve a goal I have set for myself .It means to produce high quality work before the deadlines. Success to me is knowing that my contributions positively impacted my company. It is a journey that is full of obstacles ,These obstacles come in the form of learnings which actually I turn into
springboards during my run to the finish line. Finally success is when our dreams change into reality .

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the
course of your life?

Helping all nationalities including Kuwaitis and Indians with food, medicines, transport and
accommodations during 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. My immense love for fellow- man
[humanity] was showcased during the IRAQ- KUWAIT war waged by SADAM HUSSAIN. I as a
humble and simple Goan businessman performed a heroic role sheltering, feeding families
and funding their trips out of Kuwait. Kuwait was liberated on 26th February 1990. I was like
a Good Samaritan not only for Goans and Indians but also for people of other nations .I was
later nicknamed ‘AIR LIFT MAN.’ In Goa in the year 2008 at the conference on Indian
expatriate in the Gulf countries, the NRI affairs Directorate of Goa presented a leadership
award to me for community service as well as for the recognition of these social activities
towards the Indian community. The scene during the war brought a drastic change in my
nature towards humanity and life and thereby extended and changed direction of my
boundaries of life. I later built a good relation with the Indian Embassy which helped me to reach out to the affected people ,sort out their problems and do the needful .

Describe yourself as a person.

I am zealous, enthusiastic self-motivated ,hardworking as well as family oriented and God
fearing. I am always keen to up-skills by learning new things .I am a quick learner and also
adaptable to work in any environment besides I believe in multi-tasking. I am open and
honest. I thrive on challenges and constantly set goals for myself. I love meeting new people
and learning about their lives and their backgrounds as I feel this skill is helpful when kicking off projects with new clients .I am self-sacrificing.

What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Every good work comes with some challenges whether it is your first day at job or the idea
of setting up your own business. But a true warrior faces every challenge ,learns from it and
starts working with dogged determination .The same applies to a true entrepreneur.

1.Projecting confidence: This was a first challenge as sometimes I got demotivated when
things turned differently. Life was never a bed of roses. I had to burn the midnight oil at
times due to my busy schedule. Slowly I started believing in myself, my vision and skills. I set
small targets and try to achieve them. This helped me to gain confidence and go a long way.

2.Time management: A big challenge especially to divide it between family and
business. Time management is crucial .It was essential to invest each minute to ensure that
everything is completed on time .My wife and daughters espoused, thereby I could make a
work- family-life balance . I became organised and diligent in my work . Prioritise the task and
spent sufficient time on each task.

3.Creating a client base: It requires a lot of effort and constant dedication in creating a
client base, client satisfaction is important. I learnt that networking ,marketing and providing
satisfactory services helps to overcome this challenge One should invest money and time to
establish a vast network.

4.Challenge of paperwork: Depending on the goods in the Consignments And the routes to be covered, a slew of paperwork was required. Certifications of compliance, proforma, invoices, despatch notes, clearances, permits have to move along with consignments. Not just the goods but the papers have to be right for the designated goods!. Wrong could cause many problems in transportation, misplaced consignments, delayed shipments and legal issues, Ensuring the right paperwork is important as record -keeping is one major challenge for the Freight management industry. All this needs to be done in minimal time.

5.Marketing : I gathered that effective marketing is one of the most important factor for the growth of business. Besides all these other challenges are The challenge of scheduling trips, tracking the consignments, fleet management wrapping up etc. All these are stressful yet made my mind strong. I burnt extra hours and extra time toiled even during weekly off days. I followed the policy “ Be updated and keep your business updated.” In all your ways acknowledge God and He will direct your ways.

Advice to my friends

*Think Big Go Big
*Embrace the hard
*Study the successful
*Don’t fear failure

About the awards and accolades received by you…..

Organised Konkani Drama’s ( Tiatros ) Summer Queen Ball, cultural and traditional
activities so Konkani speaking communities feel at home.

Nachoiea Kumpasar also I was the co-producer and only NRI-actor. I have acted in 3 Konkani Movies as follows First one was Black by young lad T-Bush Rebello from Verna Goa/Kuwait and 100% shot in Kuwait 🇰🇼. Second one was Nachoea Kumpasar by Bardroy Baretto from Canacona Goa / Mumbai and was shot in Goa and Mumbai and the Third one was Home Sweet Home-2 was shot in Kuwait and Goa by Swapnil Shetkar from Ponda Goa

Konkani Film Festival :Unending love for mother tongue, lured me to organized 1st Konkani
Film Festival in Kuwait on 25th & 26th February, 2017 by screening 6 Konkani Films Big Ben,
Nirmon, Home Sweet Home-II, Enemy, Noxibacho Khell and Nachom-ia Kumpasar.

Goan Food & Mando Festival : Organised 1st Goan Food & Mando Festival in 2007 with
Kepechim Kirnam and was supported by Art & Culture, Government of India.

Global Goan Convention: Organized Global Goan Convention in the year 2010 for two days
and was a grand success supported by NRI-Government of Goa, India. Shri.K.C.Srivastava
Chief Secretary of Goa Government did honor me on this occasion.

Gulf Voice of Goa :
1st Gulf Voice of Goa finals in Kuwait on 22nd February, 2019 to search talents and
encourage Konkani singers from all the 6 Gulf States.

Covid-19 Pandemics 2020-2022 : As a President of Goan Cultural Centre-Kuwait,
supported a number of social causes, monetary aid, COVID-19 burials, Vande Bharat
Mission Flights to Goa from Kuwait and also arranged chartered flights. Since I had a MOH
contract for 3 years, I got to have a 24 hours curfew pass and avail my services to the
distressed people.

Awards:

1.Global Goans -Community Leadership Award by the Government of Goa in2007 for
leadership qualities and assistance of the underprivileged goans.

2..Honoured by Bishop Camillo Ballin.
Without God by my side my achievements would be invaluable to HIM belongs all the glory.