Agatha Sushila Dias, Awaken Goddess, Social Reformer and Founder Director of Amcha Ghar
who’s has saved and educated more than 500 underprivileged girls from the perils of falling off the tracks through her NGO ‘Amcha Ghar’ and impacted the lives of more than 1.30 million beneficiaries. Amcha Ghar Non-profit that works towards creating an impact at scale through its flagship programs in Uttan, Thane, and Maharashtra since 1996. She believes in a model of aggregation and strategic partnership wherein, work with key stakeholders including our beneficiaries, community and donors to create impact at a scale in the lives of the bottom of the pyramid. Amcha Ghar has been a catalyst in creating social impact & contributed toward sustainable development goals (SDG-2, SDG-4, SDG-5, SDG-6, SDG-8 and SDG-17) through its flagship programs.
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Her story is one of grit and determination. Born in 1967 in a small village called Madar, Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan, to an Army veteran father and a housewife mother, Agatha was brought up in a poor household with five siblings.
When she was 16, she left her hometown and migrated to Mumbai to join the German Missionary. Arriving in Mumbai, she learned English and began her mission by serving needy people in the slums of Andheri, which later expanded to the slums and villages of Madhya Pradesh, Bangalore, etc. In 1991, she took admitted to Nirmala Niketan college of Social Work,
then she realised that she didn’t have to go down the religious path to serve society.
During her final years of college, she met her to-be husband Anthony Dias and married him in 1994. The marriage did not dim Agatha’s determination to create a safe home for girls who are abandoned and at risk. And thus, with her husband’s support in 1996, she co-founded ‘Amcha Ghar’ (Our home) in the village of Uttan, Bhayander (W), Mumbai, India.
Under Agatha’s leadership, Amcha Ghar celebrated its silver jubilee on April 14, 2021.
Agatha’s selfless devotion to service is commendable when you consider that as a woman, she chose to be voluntarily childless and accept the children that come to Amcha Ghar as her own. Children willingly call her ‘Mom’, and she lives on the premises to give them a sense of belonging in a family.
Agatha has dedicated a lifetime to saving young girls. She’s also won awards and recognitions for the same. But her daughters are her biggest achievement, says Agatha, adding, “For me, achievements and awards in the form of paper and material can never be better than being called ‘MOM’ by thousands of children. My daughters are my strength and my life force. When I lost my husband, they were the ones who left everything to stand by me.”
An exemplary women’s leader herself, Agatha has inspired hundreds of other women on the path to a fulfilling life. She is their champion and their voice and remains so even after they leave her roots in search of their wings.
A strong advocate of women in the workforce, Agatha leaves us with some important tips on how to support women across different organizations. She feels the emergence of female leaders can become a centrifugal force for good in the world. Considering the global trends, we need the talents, skills and competencies of both men and women to achieve optimal growth and productivity in nations and organizations.
Below are the Awards & Recognition of Ms Agatha Sushila Dias
§ Peace Ambassador of IWPG – 2018
§ Publicity Ambassador of HWPL – 2019
§ Featured as one of the Top10 Women Entrepreneurs in India by Forbes Magazine – 2020
§ Won Indian Achievers Awards 2020
§ Featured as Women Leaders to look up to in 2021 by Passion Vista
§ World Book of Records London honoured Amcha Ghar for its 25 years of service towards the society – 2021
§ Honoured with Champions of Change Awards by the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari
§ Honoured as the Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021 by Great Companies
§ India is Us awarded as a people’s choice award.
§ Mrs India VPR titled as the most Inspiring women
