Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias, Founder at Amcha Ghar

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias: Life was going on smoothly. I was doing my final year of BSW at Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in the year 1995. It was communicated to me by my seniors to have a detail report about the case of sexual abuse that occurred in my zone in my absence. While I was investing the whole case, a question was raised somewhere deep down corner of my heart, “Sushila you work for 8 hours a day and you go back home to a save environment but what happens to these girls at night, who do not have father figure in their families?”

While interrogating the case I spoke to her mother, to my surprise I came to know, that she was aware about the whole situation but did not utter a voice, thinking that otherwise who will support her family. It was pathetic even to listen and very disheartening to believe.

It was heart breaking news, how a mother can take things for granted. It came to me as a kick that shook my life.

I was young and full of zeal, to serve the society. I took a challenge to do something for these girls. So, I left my job and made an investigation how to go to save these innocent angels from the street & the evil men.

Then I told Mr. Dias (my husband) that why don’t we start a home for girls. He accepted the proposal. He went around with me to many existing NGO’s. I also talked to my sponsor who helped me for my final year hostel fee which was increased. Even Dagmar (My Education Sponsorer) accepted and liked my idea to begin a safe home for street girls. When I shared with my parents it was another shock for parents that now whatever you are earning will be spent for this new coming up project. Very soon I made decision not to have my own children that was another shock. My mother use to tell how many shocks will you gives us.

I planned not to have a child of mine to avoid partiality and comparison. Maa didn’t understand my new decisions which were very abnormal. Anyway, I was unstoppable when I decided no one could stop me. Today I feel thank God I made correct decision that time.

In the year 1996 we gave birth to our brainchild- an organization named as Amcha Ghar (The words “Amcha Ghar” in the Indian Marathi language means “Our Home”.) in a place known as Uttan in Bhayandar (west). It took lot of courage to establish HOME with the support of Mr. Dias. I had a desire & dedication but there was no fund. Mr. Dias supported my cause and invited likeminded people. With help of Mr. Dias we started home called Amcha Ghar on 14th April 1996.

Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by Amcha Ghar

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias: Amcha Ghar, a Non-profit that works towards creating an impact at scale through its flagship programs in Uttan, Thane, and Maharashtra since 1996. We believe in model of aggregation and strategic partnership wherein, we work with key stakeholders including our beneficiaries, community and donors to create impact at a scale in the lives of the bottom of the pyramid (BoP).

Amcha Ghar has been a catalyst in creating social impact & contributed towards sustainable development goals (SDG-2, SDG-4, SDG-5, SDG-6, SDG-8 and SDG-17) through its flagship programs. In the last five-year Amcha Ghar has transformed lives of 1,319,469 beneficiaries.(as of 31st March 2021)

Amcha Ghar envisages a Nation where it accelerates inclusive growth for all by engaging key stakeholders to ensure all Individual and families achieve their full potential through education, economic stability and healthy lives.

Our projects include the follows:

1. Access to Quality Education

2. Destitute Home

3. Nutritional Aid

4. Improved healthcare, WaSH and Sanitation

5. Sustainable Livelihood

Great Companies: What makes Amcha Ghar from hundreds of other similar service providers?

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias:

-We have crossed the milestone of 25 years of service to humanity

-We are most credible and legally complied organization

-We have impacted over 13,24,469 direct lives

-We own multiple awards towards for kind of work we do for childcare and education

Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face?

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias: Challenges are part and parcel of life at every stage. I have different type of challenges. Initially biggest challenge was of existence and survival. Challenges of no document of children to admit in school. Challenges to bring them in my own homes, who don’t even know how to use the toilet. Challenges to balance your own emotions when you are left out, people didn’t understand what you are doing. This is first generation, where education is not there in their DNA, how challenging to discipline them with their handwriting, grasping, even to sit at one place. Girls at their adolesant especially girls of red-light area, its sometime difficult to explain and manage them. They have all desires but no study. They are super talented but no value for time and money, what is invested on them. But of course, 20% children really excel in their life.

Bringing these children from street to corporate, yes, it is challenging, it’s just like a mother when she brings up a child in this world. Life of her challenges starts at the very moment she comes to know that she is pregnant. She is always worried about the proper care of growing child every moment she feels her child in the pregnancy stage. She gets worried if child doesn’t move in womb. Yes, same challenges start from the very moment with the thought of having an orphanage for girls, it remains till the founder is alive. Yes, girls go to school, difficulties in their subject, when they are looked down by their teachers or classmates, then their poverty consciousness. Very interesting a child in a home can have her own tantrum of age but not at the orphanage, at the orphanage all children should be smiling if one child is not smiling, she is having period pain, the other observer would say children are not happy. Just forgetting about their own children`s mood at home. Even we as adult sometime are happy and sometime lost, but at orphanage people expect all should be perfect.

Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Amcha Ghar?

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias: Apart from various Pan India projects, I believe that children of this age if freed from poverty consciousness, if worked out with their poor belief and turned into super codes or positive belief that they can change all old saying to new ones.

Saying that you can make and create your destiny in faster and easy way. I am on my new mission to train them in this vision. I believe 100 % these children will do something extraordinary.

Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Agatha Sushila Anthony Dias: We all have come with some purpose on this planet and will go back once our purpose of life is over. All come on planet to neutralize their karma, if we understand this fact, we will live happily with whatever circumstances given and people given to live with. Heaven will be created on this mother earth. The philosophy of cause and effect should be the principle of life, as you sow, so shall you reap. Also, very importantly practice gratitude for each and everything both small & big.

Website : www.amchaghar.org