She witnessed injustice in her childhood but couldn’t do anything about it. The victim was her friend, and the memory of her inability to save her never left her. However, this experience gave her a direction in life. Years later, when she completed her degree in engineering, she had no second thoughts about what she would do next.

Thus, saheli trust was born in 2013 in dehradun when shruti kaushik began helping economically-marginalised women. Her core belief, that only financial independence can liberate a woman from the shackles of abuse and violence, has guided her choices from the beginning. What started with economically vulnerable women around her making envelopes, and shruti selling them, has now blossomed into several programmes that saheli trust runs today. From the saheli outreach programme, shecab, saheli self-help groups to education@your doorstep, saheli trust reaches out to several women or girls who have survived domestic violence and abuse of any kind, helping them access education and financial security. Saheli trust also operates saheli residence, a place where rescued women and children are rehabilitated. While children receive quality education, women undergo training in skills, enabling them to become self-reliant.

To undo one wrong that she couldn’t stop as a child, shruti has been ‘hero’ing her way to make this world a better place for women and children.