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“For the rest of my days – because I should have died and he should have lived – I have to help people that are suffering and I don’t even know if this makes sense to somebody listening.”
Over the past 5 years running #impact we have come across the most courageous people. The changemakers, the visionaries, the misfits challenging the rules of the game, proofing the naysayers wrong, speaking up, and challenging the status quo for the change they want to see in the world.
This episode is no different. But this episode is one that has been 7 years in the making.
When #impact host Regina first arrived in Hong Kong in 2004 she saw a woman speak at an event. Her story moved her greatly and when she bumped into this woman 7 years later, she knew she would have to bring her on the podcast.
Improving the lives of ethnic minorities
by reducing suffering and providing opportunities
(The Zubin Foundations’ Vision)
Today you hear a story of pain and courage. You hear how Shalini Mahtani founded the Zubin Foundation, named after her firstborn child Zubin, who died in 2009. He was 3 and the love of her life.
This episode is a celebration of love.
It is about the enormous privilege and pain of having children and how this relates to the work Shalini does. Shalini’s reflections on equality and social justice will make you pause. You might just look at your own path and privileges differently.
The Zubin Foundation – Improving lives of Ethnic Minorities
The Zubin Foundation is a think tank and charity that works to improve the lives of Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities by reducing suffering and providing opportunities.
Like so many organisations, The Zubin Foundation had to pivot during covid, and you hear about the changes they made in this episode too.
Listen to our story about how 3 local charities pivoted during Covid.
As you listen to this episode you find out how Shalini broke out of the life path that her conservative Indian Hong Kong family had envisioned for her, putting marriage front and center and how a trip to India when Shalini was 13 changed everything.
“She gave me words that haven’t been part of my vocabulary. These were things that weren’t just happening to me and they were actually wrong.”
A teacher made a massive impact on how she looked at the world and it was then that Shalini felt that she wanted to do something about the social injustice that she had seen in her own life and for others.
With the Zubin Foundation she is working towards numerous Sustainable Development Goals.
“We help because we can”
A motto Shalini Mahtani lives by.
SDG 3 focuses on Health and Well Being, SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities.
These goals inspire the work of the Zubin Foundation and the systemic change they are working towards, also through the advisory roles Shalini holds, for example sitting on the HKSAR government’s Children Commission and as the convenor for the Children with Specific Needs Working Group.
“There are people who are lost in their worlds and they have no one to talk to and sadly many of the times that’s women in very vulnerable situations”
So they established a multi-lingual call hotline named after Shalini’s late mother Mira. A woman that challenged the status quo in her own ways, which Shalini only later understood.
Their call helpline Mira puts SDG 5 Gender Equality in focus, providing women and girls a safe platform where they can find someone to listen to them. This has led to The Zubin Foundation providing additional support and shelter for vulnerable women experiencing abuse.
It wasn’t an easy decision to set up the helpline because they were worried about backlash from within the community, Shalini shares in our conversation but after her mother Mira’s death, Shalini decided to go forward.
Last year almost 900 calls were received.
But Shalini shares that this is an impact she never meant to make, an impact that only came about because of her son’s death.
“He would be 15 going on 16.”
As Shalini shares how she lives with the pain of losing her firstborn child and how it fuels her purpose-driven work with the Zubin Foundation today you will also find yourself in deep silence. A silent moment to honour the loved ones you have lost in your life, channeling the grief, living with it, through it, despite it.
We asked Shalini beforehand, why she was so passionate about making a social impact with her work she answered:
“Because I understand the needs of the community as I too am a minority. In my case, I have a voice and a platform. So, I want to use my voice to reduce suffering and provide opportunities. I fundamentally believe that all humans are born equal and we have a responsibility, for those of us with privilege, to use our voice to improve the lives of others.”
You will want to listen to Shalini’s powerful voice, just reading these lines simply does not give it credit.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts or any of your favorite Podcast players.
In this episode you will learn:
- 3:33 – The enormous privilege and pain of having children as it relates to women in leadership
- 8:09 – Carving out her own path of education and breaking out of family expectations
- 10:00 – Her first visit to India, being confronted with extreme poverty
- 13:13 – Experiencing racism first-hand, growing up as a brown child in the Hong Kong community
- 17:50 – Their helpline Mira supporting vulnerable girls and women
- 28:48 – How Shalini looks at and copes with pain
- 44:13 – How to connect with Shalini at The Zubin Foundation (https://www.zubinfoundation.org)
Featured Voice:
Shalini Mahtani, Founder & CEO of The Zubin Foundation
Follow them on Facebook and connect with Shalin Mahtani on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
- Our #impact episode featuring 3 local charities impacted by Covid – Changing the How not the Why
- Dear Hong Kong a photo book, where Shalini is featured as one of the inspiring people of Hong Kong and their contribution to the city.
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