Prepare for Impact
When I applied for SAP’s Global Sabbatical Program one year ago, I wanted to participate to learn, grow and challenge myself further than I ever had before.
Now that my 4-week assignment in Hyderabad, India, is officially completed, I can say that I returned home with many great memories, new friendships, and experiences that have taught me lessons that are impossible to learn in a classroom.
I had the privilege of working with CHORD, an organization with an incredibly meaningful mission, focusing on eliminating child labor by educating and empowering children, women, and communities in some of the poorest areas of Hyderabad.
I understand that not every person will search for or be able to participate in this type of opportunity. I also realize how fortunate and grateful I am for my family, friends, colleagues, team, and SAP, who all supported and encouraged me and gave me this opportunity to spend more than a month away from home, working with CHORD.
I know it will take more time to process and digest all my experiences and to figure out how to apply and make the most out of the lessons I learned, but I am already certain that the impact on me personally of this assignment will last for a lifetime.
Working with an NGO over an extended period of time made me question and re-evaluate my priorities. It made me wonder what would happen if all of us would measure and define the success of our actions and work, based on whether we achieve a positive, sustainable and lasting impact on people and our environment instead of focusing solely on metrics, such as hours billed, inquiries processed, issues solved, goods manufactured, sales generated or costs reduced.
CHORD shows us how this can be done. By providing free education and empowerment of children and women in several of the poorest areas of Hyderabad, CHORD is successfully reducing child labor (as many families cannot otherwise afford to send their children to school), improving livelihoods and enabling children and parents to create a better future for themselves and generations to come.
Take the example of Simhadhvi, a 12 year old boy currently attending 5th class at one of CHORD’s schools we visited. His father suffered from a severe disease, resulting in the family’s move to Hyderabad, to give him better medical care. After his father died, the family was left with significant debt due to the medical bills. The boy had to drop out of school and spent several years as a mechanic in a scooter shop to earn a living. He made about 22 USD per month, just enough to pay for his food and support himself.
When CHORD representatives found Simhadhvi, they convinced his mother how important school would be for the boy’s future. The bridge schools run by CHORD provide children with education, study materials, uniforms, and meals, all for free. The children no longer need to work to support themselves and the families don’t have additional expenses due to the child going to school.
Simhadhvi entered one of CHORD’s schools when he was nine. Though his family recently had to move further away from school due to the ongoing urbanization, Simhadhvi doesn’t skip classes and commutes about 30–40 minutes each way to school every day. He likes learning so much that he mentioned it to us as one of his hobbies and dreams about becoming a policeman one day. Simhadhvi wants to make this world a better place by “catching the bad guys”. School education is the first important step towards making that dream a reality.
While there are public schools in Hyderabad, they are no real alternative for many of the neediest, as they result in additional costs for the families (uniforms, school supplies, food), are often further away from where the poorest people live and don’t tailor to the individual needs of the students.
In closing, I have a request for you. We partnered with CHORD to create a crowdfunding campaign that will run through April 22nd. We would like to raise enough funds for CHORD to give another 100 children living Hyderabad’s slums the opportunity to go to school and learn.
If we can find more people that are willing to donate $50 USD or more, together we can make a huge impact. We can save children from child labor and empower them to create a better future for themselves, their families and even their communities. I have seen the impact of CHORD’s work on the children, families and communities and know that any funds donated will be put to good use and make a difference.
Please take a few minutes to read about the campaign and watch the video — I hope you will consider making a donation no matter how small (by using the “Donate now” button on the top right of that website):
There are many ways each one of us can make an impact. I want “impact” to become my measuring stick and benchmark. As a first step, I plan to start asking myself more frequently, what positive difference did I make in somebody’s life today / this week?
What are you using as your benchmark and what are your thoughts on having an impact-focused mindset?
Thank you for your support!
Additional helpful information:
- CHORD:
- SAP Social Sabbatical:
- Previous blog posts about my Social Sabbatical experience:
