Mother Teresa said “if you can’t help 100 people, then just help one.” Everytime I hear that quote, it gives me goosebumps. Given the roller coast life of a startup, when I need a recharge, my inspiration is Tanya Pinto, who founded a charity this year called Baal Dan to help children in need. Last year, Tanya took a three month sabattical from The Richards Group, the largest independent advertising agency in the U.S., to work for Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Calcutta, India. (How many of us actually do something like that?) The experience changed her life and she came back determined to do even more. She discovered that there are over 18 million street children in India. I can’t remember the last time I saw a child living on the street in the U.S., but in India, the number of homeless children is equivalent to the population of Texas.
Inspired by Mother Teresa’s philosophy, Tanya created Baal Dan. . . if you can’t help 18 million children, then just help one. . . Simple, manageable, actionable advice. Start small and work your way up. (Great advice for startups too!).
Given the exchange rate, $50 can can go a long way, so your money can make a meaningful impact. Last year, a friend gave her $50 and she was amazed to learn that it bought 300 pairs of underwear, 100 notebooks, 100 pencils and 2 bags of candy for the kids there. Another thing that makes Baal Dan different from most other charities is her transparency. She involves donors in how the money is used and she will be blogging, podcasting, and vlogging about the impact she makes. Tanya is leaving on Nov. 22 for Calcutta to help these children. I hope that some of you will help make a difference to even one child’s life by donating to Baal Dan too before she goes.
Tanya has also created a group on Jambo for Baal Dan to connect those that are passionate about helping children in need, so join this group to get notified when others that are making a difference are nearby.