DEVIKA MOKHTARZADEH
Devika Mokhtarzadeh, The Savitri Waney Charitable Trust

Devika Mokhtarzadeh started the Savitri Waney Charitable Trust in 2001 when she realised that her family were disjointedly giving funds to humanitarian projects throughout India and other lesser-developed countries without closely monitoring the activities of the projects. By consolidating all of their donations and registering the Trust in her grandmother's name with the UK Charity Commission, Devika was able to take a more active role in helping the charities that she supported.

Devika has tirelessly worked as a trustee, advisor, fundraiser and co-manager of the Trust and visits the projects throughout India once every two years. The majority of funding is used to support the charity Mission for Vision that delivers eye-care treatments from seven hospitals throughout India. In 2005 over 87,000 free surgeries were performed at these hospitals on top of the outreach programmes that are organised to target rural populations.

Other organisations that the Trust supports include the Committed Communities Development Trust, which works towards promoting healthcare in the slums of Mumbai, Savitri Rural Development Project, aimed at sustainable development in the rural tribal areas of Naisk Region of Maharastra State and Magic Bus, which works with students from deprived backgrounds to develop their life skills.

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