About us
“Girls have to sacrifice their dreams for the happiness of their families. But, Iwant to change it.”
–Mireka, young woman of Shadhika
When she leads, change follows
It is our mission to inspire a culture shift in India by ensuring every young woman is empowered to realize her full potential.
About Shadhika
A history of local action
Juthica Stangl, a native of Kolkata, India, founded Shadhika in 1992 to create a shelter for women who had been wrongly imprisoned due to insufficient dowry or failure to produce a male child. Over the following twenty years, Shadhika provided support to a number of non-governmental organizations focused on poverty, education, and injustice, throughout India. In 2013, in reaction to the 'Nirbhaya' Delhi Gang Rape Case, Shadhika sharpened its focus to combat gender inequality in India by investing in young women's empowerment, and economic self-sufficiency. By providing funding and support to women-led non-profits in India, Shadhika is building a framework for equal access to economic and educational opportunities that will drive a culture shift toward gender equity across the country.
Our vision for global change
We envision growing our impact to reach 10,000 young women annually by 2030 and supporting a national network of change agents working in every state in India. With more than 20% of all adolescent girls in the world living in India, we know this local approach can create a groundswell of global change.
Our Values
We stand for advancing gender equality in India by ensuring every young woman is empowered to realize her full potential. To that end, we value transparency, community, equality, opportunity, and respect in every facet of our operations.
Quarterly videos
