Neha Gupta is the founder of Empower Orphans. It’s an organization that has gained international attention to the significant impact that it is making around the world. (Photo courtesy of Empower Oprhans)

“One ordinary person can positively impact the lives of so many others by starting a ripple effect.”
 

It’s this belief and these words that have led the life of Empower Orphans founder and CEO Neha Gupta. Currently, a Penn State student, Neha is using her nonprofit to improve the lives of youth across the world.
 

“I grew up learning that social activism is so important.” Gupta said.
 

And the tremendous impact that her organization has had on the world makes that clear. Its mission is to elevate the well being of orphaned and underprivileged children and empower them to succeed. It also aims to motive individuals, like you, to translate your empathy into action, by providing orphaned children the opportunity to help themselves and, be treated with the equality they deserve.
 

Neha started Empower Orphans when she was nine-years-old. (Image courtesy of Empower Orphans)

Empower Orphans focuses on both education and healthcare. On the education front, the organization has: established libraries, computer labs, a science lab, has sponsored the education of 200 children, and more. On the healthcare side, it has conducted health camps, sponsored surgeries for polio victims, made available clean water to many, and more.
 

At nine-years-old, Neha decided to start her organization after an orphanage visit in India. Since its creation, she has been able to touch the lives of thousands of children and has garnered numerous awards and international attention for her efforts.
 

For example, in 2014, she was honored with the International Children’s Peace Prize Award. During the speech, she greatly encouraged young people to begin to use their lives to change the world for good.
 

She said, “Youth around the world -no matter what your passion might be- this is our time to stand up and let our voices be heard. It is our time to be the igniters of change.”
 

Neha was also recently honored by powered by Microsoft in which she and her organization were showcased here. We here at RIZZARR were in much admiration for how Neha has continued to tap into the power of the ripple effect throughout her life. We wanted to showcase her to you and the rest of our audience around the world. Enjoy our interview with her below.
 
 
 

I founded Empower Orphans when I was nine-years-old. The organization was born as a result of annual visits to my grandparents in India. During these trips, I continued my grandparents’ tradition of volunteering at a local orphanage along with my parents. It was there that my outlook on life initially altered and matured. As I listened to the stories of the children and heard them wept, I was able to feel their pain in my heart. Placing myself in their shoes, I identified with them. I pictured myself living in rural India, being abandoned by the two people I loved most and sleeping on a cold floor. These children of my same age and ethnicity seemed so similar to me, and yet, we were living different lives. It broke my heart to see how, apart from its physical manifestations, poverty had also taken away the very essence of life, stripping my orphaned friends of all hope. These children would forever struggle with hunger, shiver from the cold, and suffer from diseases associated with malnutrition and poor sanitation. It was shocking to hear that they would likely never escape the clutches of poverty because they lacked access to fundamental education and basic healthcare. I felt great compassion for them and felt as though it was my responsibility to take action and help them lead better lives. And thus, Empower Orphans was born.
 

Here’s Neha at her very first fundraising event. (Photo courtesy of Neha Gupta)

When I started Empower Orphans, my goal was to change the lives of 200 orphaned children that I met at an orphanage in India. All I wanted to do was to put a smile on these children’s faces. Since the children lacked access to basic education, I thought of creating a library at the orphanage. Upon returning to the US, I conducted a garage sale and sold all my toys. With the money raised from the garage sale and public donations, I was able to start the library as well as provide clothes, sandals, blankets and books to the children. I am proud to say that to date Empower Orphans has raised in excess of $1 million and has aided over 25,000 children. Over the years, we have conducted many projects to improve the education and healthcare of vulnerable children both in India and the United States.
 
 

I am often asked why I do what I do. The answer is quite simple. It is what we, as citizens of this world have to do – it is the right thing to do. Plus, the experience, joy and satisfaction one gets in helping others are unparalleled. To give someone the gift of hope, put a smile of the face of child, to see relief in the eyes of a parent – there is much to be said about the fulfillment one receives is enabling these simple human emotions.
 
 

At the age of nine, I started off as a shy girl with no exposure to public speaking. All I had was my passion for my cause and an intense desire to change the lives of underprivileged children. Initially, adults did not take me seriously and many people would aggressively accost me and tell me that there were hungry children in the U.S. and there was no need to care for children half way around the world. Though I was shocked by these words, they opened my eyes to the plight of children in the Philadelphia region. Since then I have collected and donated more than 250 van loads of home goods to abused women and their children, more than 5000 toys to hospitalized children, 3000 books to create a library, computers/tablets to set up a computer center and diapers to 5000 children. All right here in the Philadelphia region!
 
 

Frankly, there have been hundreds of tiny milestones that have touched my heart. A child having a book to read, a book bag to put the books in, sandals to walk to school and the ability to attend school are just some of these tiny milestones that are making a huge impact in children’s lives. Overtime, my efforts have started to create a ripple effect. Imagine throwing a pebble into a pond: the first ripple is small but then you watch in awe as one ripple starts another and another, each gradually becoming larger and larger. Just so is the impact of one person with an idea or mission that speaks to the heart. Over the years, hundreds of individuals have joined me in supporting Empower Orphans. The impact of these individuals has impacted the global community from sponsoring polio surgeries in India to donating goats to a family in Africa to providing clothes and shoes to children in Nicaragua. I would like to share two very different stories with you.
 

The first story is that of a young woman who took the tools she was given through Empower Orphans and used them to transform her life and create her own ripple effect. A few years ago, Meena, an eighteen year old young woman in India enrolled in a class at our sewing center. Her father had just lost his job, and the family had no other source of income. Meena’s position was very vulnerable. Realizing that she could be forced into a marriage she did not want or find herself in a worse situation, this young woman braved the wrath of her father and enrolled in our sewing center. With the sewing machine she was given and with the skills she acquired, she started her own tailoring business. She now exclusively supports her entire family. As a way of paying her good fortune forward, this young woman has come back to the Empower Orphans fold—not as a beneficiary, but as a volunteer. She now mentors other young women on how to gain economic empowerment and seize their destinies.
 

Another example is that of Rushil, a nine-year-old boy who had to complete a school project about heroes. I was brought to tears when I learned that, instead of selecting Superman or Batman as the subject of his assignment, he chose me. Beyond sharing the good work of Empower Orphans, this boy took his efforts a step further. He convinced his classmates to raise money to buy three goats for a family in need in Africa. My young friend’s action not only impacted his school friends in a lasting way, but also a family on another continent. Notice how one ordinary person can positively impact the lives of so many others by starting a ripple effect.
 
 

Neha: “Every youth has the power to enact change – to be able to find a cause that touches their heart, to make a difference in someone’s life and to convert empathy into action.”

“Convert your empathy into action.” This is a phrase that I coined years ago and has been the guiding philosophy of my organization Empower Orphans. With the problems that exist in the world, it is no longer acceptable to do nothing or to just sympathize. Every youth has the power to enact change – to be able to find a cause that touches their heart, to make a difference in someone’s life and to convert empathy into action. To be effective, our actions have to be collaborative, treat others with respect and make a measurable impact over the long-term.
 
 

You don’t have to be Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King or a Nelson Mandela to make a difference in someone’s life. Each one of us can and must be igniters of change. There are a multitude of issues that plague our world – poverty, hunger, gender inequality, HIV/AIDS, or environmental sustainability. I encourage you to find a cause that touches your heart, turn your empathy into action, and become an igniter of change. BELIEVE that you can make a difference. KNOW that you can make a difference. Not only will you make an impact in someone else’s life, but believe me, you will also enrich your own.
 
 

To find out how you can take part in helping Empower Orphans spread its mission, click here.
 

Need A Massage? Learn How To Give One To Yourself And Your Loved Ones

7 months ago by Aaron 4 min read No comments

Receiving a massage, whether it’s given by someone else or self-administered, can help loosen your muscles and establish a better connection not only with your body but also with the people you love.