Rashmi Tiwari
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Dr. Rashmi Tiwari is the Founder and Director of the Aahan Tribal Foundation of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, working to dismantle the machinery of trafficking. She is Fellow of Vital Voices (USA), Fellow of SIMP and a Certified Leadership Coach from NeuroLeadership Institute. She was one of the emerging businesswomen from India under the Fortune/US State Department Leadership Mentorship Program. She was mentored by Anne Mulcahy of the Xerox Corporation.


Early life

Tiwari was born in 1972 in an affluent family, but later raised by single mother with no house and no source of income. She grew up in a house in
Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...
which was just 3.5 x 5.5 m. Tiwari had to face discrimination and social stigmas. She was a posthumous child and after evicting her house in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. She spent a year in Kanpur with one of her aunt and then moved to Varanasi where she completed her education and earned Ph.D degree in
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
from
Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...
which was awarded in the year 1998-99.


Career

Tiwari was the Associate Director and then Director of American Chambers of Commerce In India (AMCHAM)] from 2000 to 2008 and until quite recently she was spearheading the operations of associations of CEOs in CEO Clubs, India as the Executive Director. She regularly speaks on issues of
women empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
and mentoring of women at various national and international platforms. Interaction with Janie Wanless, Head of Corporate Banking for Bank of America gave her courage to follow her dream and she launched Aahan Tribal Development Foundation.


Life as founder and director of Aahan Foundation

Tiwari's Foundation - Aahan Tribal Development Foundation has been working in the Jharkhand region of India and address a string of interconnected social problems related to girls & women. These problems are: Gender Inequality, Violence Against Women (Girl Child Trafficking, Child Marriage etc.), Poverty, Lack of awareness and facilities for Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Illiteracy.


Challenges in running Aahan Foundation

She has been covered in the local and international media including the
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
for her work in the social sector with tribal girls and for mentoring & development of women leaders. However, working in the Naxalite regions and human traffickers was very difficult of Rashmi. She many a times had to face the Naxalites, traffickers and at times face the threats from local leaders or opposition from the Panchayat. ]Members of Local-Government


Awards and recognition

* "The Good Crusader" award by Times Group for her work on anti-trafficking * "BIG Hero" award by Radio Channel 92.7 BIG FM * "Tejaswini" award by DD News * Featured in the program "Shunya Se Shikar Tak" on Lok Sabha TV * Vital Voices Fellow * Global Ambassadors, Vital Voices * Fortune emerging women business leaders from India – 2007 * Awarded "World of Difference 100 Award" by the International Alliance For Women (TIAW) organisation of USA * Bank of America Global Ambassador's Program * Vital Voices International Girls’ Empowerment Panelists * "Empowering The Tribal Girls of India" by Sheroes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiwari, Rashmi Living people Activists from Varanasi Indian women's rights activists Indian women activists Women educators from Uttar Pradesh Educators from Uttar Pradesh 20th-century Indian educators 20th-century women educators 1972 births 20th-century Indian women