Shahjahan Begum

Founder

Shahjahan Begum is the founder of Shakti Shalini [1], an Indian non-profit working on women & children, human rights and lgbtq+ & inclusion from New Delhi.

Shakti Shalini

Shakti Shalini was founded in 1987 by Satyarani Chadha and Shahjahan Apa, two mothers who lost their daughters to dowry-related violence and turned their grief into one of Delhi's first support systems for survivors. It runs a 24x7 helpline, a crisis intervention and counselling centre, the Pehchan shelter home — which also shelters LGBTQ+ persons fleeing family violence — a child protection unit, skills training through Kushalta Vikas Kendra, and grassroots feminist mobilisation in five marginalised Delhi communities.

Shakti Shalini reports the following, on its own site:

15,000+ women supported over 36 years
2,000+ residents of marginalised communities engaged in grassroots feminist mobilisation
500+ individuals engaged in skills training and art-for-activism workshops