About Us

Mission Statement

  1. Women Empowerment: The foundation aims to eradicate social taboos and inhumane practices targeting women, including child marriage, dowry systems, and deliberate neglect in basic healthcare. These practices perpetuate vulnerability cycles and impede the realization of fundamental human rights for women in developing nations.
  2. Gender-Neutral Society: Ladli Foundation is committed to fostering a society that transcends gender biases and promotes equality, ensuring access to essential services like healthcare, education, and employment for vulnerable women in marginalized communities.
  3. One Earth- One Health -Ladli Foundation integrates a commitment to environmental stewardship into its mission, advocating for practices that promote sustainability and protect the Earth, recognizing the interconnectedness between environmental health and human well-being.

About Us

Ladli Foundation USA, a women-led non-profit organization, serves as the United States chapter of Ladli Foundation Trust, India, an emerging international NGO experienced in directly impacting over 2 million beneficiaries through its innovative social initiatives, earning it a special consultative status in the Economic and Social Council since 2020. Founded in 2012 by a slum boy, who began his life as a child laborer, driven by the concern of protecting his sister from evil practices after their parents abandoned them in a crime-ridden slum during his childhood.

Committed to the advancement of the One Earth-One Health approach, Ladli Foundation USA leads transformative and sustainable social projects. Its focus areas include providing equitable access to healthcare, education, life skills, and mental well-being, particularly targeting vulnerable women and youth. It also aims to raise global awareness by promoting ancient Indian traditional practices for sustainable living worldwide, under the patronage of H.H. Swami Avdheshannad Giri, an International Spiritual Leader, Vedanta Scholar, and the Chief of India's oldest ascetic tradition.

Inception - Ladli Foundation

Driven by concerns of health, education & equality for vulnerable women as an integral and critical dimension of human rights, Ladli Foundation became a reality in 2012 as a grassroots social catalyst. It was founded by Devendra Kumar, a young self-made grassroots social worker, emerged from the depths of a crime-ridden slum where his parents abandoned him and his infant sister at the tender age of two. Growing up in poverty, at the age of 8 he commenced his journey as child labourer by selling balloons for his survival. However, his path was fraught with danger as he often fell victim to assaults by gangs of delinquents and drug addicts. These hardships drove him to seek safety, leading him to volunteer in Community Policing Initiatives with the Delhi Police in search of a secure shelter.

In 2010, his struggle to save his sister from child marriage and dowry by surviving amidst vulnerability motivated him to work for the most vulnerable population, for which he established the “Ladli Foundation.” Further, volunteering became a passion for him, and he took early financial retirement at the age of 35 to devote himself as a full-time volunteer to live his passion. This is how the power of volunteering has created a notable social reformer who has impacted the lives of millions, which he never envisioned.

Recent Highlights

With a remarkable impact on over 2.5 million direct beneficiaries, Ladli Foundation has been recognized for its outstanding contributions. Notably, the foundation's recent achievements include enabling digital education access for more than 157,000 marginalized students, yielding a remarkable impact valued at INR 600 Crore (approximately 75 million USD), all achieved independently without any external financial aid or grants. Furthermore, the Organization has implemented innovative solutions that successfully addressed malnutrition among 2.70 lakhs marginalized students in the schools of Delhi, contributing to combating malnutrition among 800,000 marginalized students and paving the way for sustainable positive change.

Currently, the organisation is tackling the most pressing social issues concerning health and education for the vulnerable populations residing in slums, striving for sustainable development in India with its active force of over 1.16 lakh youth interns & volunteers through an innovative Social Internship Program.

The mandate – International chapter

Ladli Foundation USA—the international wing—is to serve as a gateway for soliciting international partnerships in the development field. The mandate of the Ladli Foundation USA, as envisioned at present, is as follows:

  • Building a strong community of women: The foundation aims to support and empower women who have survived violence and other atrocities, helping them reform their lives and establish their identities. It provides them with opportunities for growth and development.
  • Creating awareness about Indian traditional practices: Ladli Foundation USA endeavours to raise global awareness about the significance of Indian traditional practices for spiritual peace, mental well-being, and sustainable living. It highlights scientifically proven traditional home-based practices for self-care and overall wellness.
  • Showcasing successful community-focused interventions: The foundation organizes workshops, sessions, and conferences sponsored by local entities to showcase innovative interventions implemented in India. These interventions serve as examples for potential replication in similar socio-economic environments worldwide.
  • Advocacy and dialogue with international organizations: Ladli Foundation USA engages in advocacy efforts with international bilateral and multilateral agencies and United Nations entities. It facilitates dialogue on critical issues. such as patriarchy, inequality, and gender-based violence in developing countries, playing a catalytic role in combating these challenges.
  • Promoting women's reproductive and sexual health: The foundation focuses on promoting women's reproductive and sexual health and ensuring their dignified well-being, particularly in developing societies. It specializes in African, Asian, and Islamic continents, seeking to bring about a qualitative change in societal mindsets.
  • Partnerships with colleges, universities, and youth leadership development: Ladli Foundation USA seeks partnerships with international colleges and universities, serving as a gateway to India for students and youths interested in social internships and community volunteering for youth leadership development.
  • Collaboration with multinational companies for CSR: The foundation liaises with multinational companies, providing technical assistance to strengthen their corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. It facilitates low-cost, high-return social interventions in India, aligning with companies and philanthropic goals.
  • Engaging small and medium-level organizations and individuals: Ladli Foundation USA encourages collaboration and supports potential small and medium-level organizations, individuals, and philanthropists interested in social development initiatives.
  • Encouraging community-based interventions by the Indian diaspora: The foundation motivates foreign Indian nationals and the Indian diaspora to initiate community-based social development interventions in their ancestral villages, fostering positive change in those communities.

Ladli Foundation USA is committed to creating meaningful impact in the world through collaboration, advocacy, and promoting social development initiatives. at both local and international levels.

Work Dimensions & Strategies

Ladli Foundation has designed its mission-driven strategies to tackle a spectrum of social challenges, with a primary focus on promoting Gender Equality and safeguarding women's human rights. Rooted in a holistic approach, these strategies are the result of extensive research, innovation, and collaboration with stakeholders spanning diverse segments of society. By fostering dialogue and implementing customized programs and initiatives, Ladli Foundation endeavors to enact enduring, positive transformations and uplift communities within its operational areas.

  • Transparency and credibility are paramount for the sustainability of any organization. At Ladli Foundation, we prioritize these values by advocating for a "By The Local for The Local" crowdfunding model. This approach enhances effective community outreach and localization of our initiatives. It also aids in attracting individual donors and volunteers for our programs in the United States, which focus on supporting women affected by gender-based violence and youth battling drug addiction. Through this model, we provide qualified resources for meditation and counseling sessions, free of cost, to those in need.
  • Our objective is to involve the Indian diaspora in meaningful social development initiatives through "My Village is My Pilgrimage," a program designed to nurture emotional connections with ancestral roots. By leveraging their expertise and resources, we facilitate positive transformations in education and healthcare, particularly for the most vulnerable women living in slums in their native or ancestral villages in India.
  • Our aim is to secure grants from local, international, and family foundations, as well as development agencies, to fund our initiatives and projects in both the United States and India. By collaborating with multinational corporations and companies, we also seek to develop and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and employee volunteering engagements. Ladli Foundation USA works closely with businesses to design impactful social programs aligned with their values and goals. This approach allows us to leverage corporate resources and expertise to create meaningful change, generate resources, skills, and fundraising for our initiatives, ultimately making a positive impact on communities in need across both countries.
  • “Voltour” is our groundbreaking social innovation tailored for international youth, offering action research-based community volunteering alongside immersive tourism experiences in India. This unique program provides participants with a certificate upon completion and serves as a cultural exchange initiative, fostering cross-cultural understanding. Through hands-on slum volunteering, participants gain field-based knowledge, management, planning, and leadership skills while supporting vulnerable populations and cultivating empathy. By engaging with grassroots realities, they develop sustainable solutions for community development, all while accessing career-enhancing opportunities and broadening their global perspective.