Seeing What’s Possible: Building a Better Future Abroad

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Smita Abbi. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Growing up in India, Smita Abbi saw a lot of poverty. But despite witnessing the struggle all around her, Smita never became desensitized to other people’s suffering. A career in science brought Smita to the United States, where she earned her PhD in oncology at Cornell University.

But despite her achievements, Smita still wanted to make a bigger impact when it came to helping others.

She soon discovered Kutumb, an organization in Varanasi, India, that works with children who were abandoned at the railway station, and provides them a safe haven, education, nutrition and non-formal education. In a mission to enable Kutumb and other organizations help even more children, Smita took over as president of Vision Builders in 2014. She registered the organization as a 501(c)(3), and solidified their mission to help children and women in the most impoverished communities of the world.

Since then, the Vision Builders organization has expanded their support to the communities in the surrounding areas. They provide education and vocational classes, free medicine and medical checkups to the villagers with a special focus on women. In just the last year, the work of Vision Builders has helped Kutumb enroll 71 children in a preschool program and provided 150 children with the financial support to go to school.

Vision Builders also supports NIPUN, a Delhi-based organization that has enrolled hundreds of children in daily nutrition and education programs. Smita’s work with Visions Builders here in the United States enables organizations like Kutumb and NIPUN to create a better future for youth and women across the globe. Their mission is far from complete, however. Smita is passionate about expanding Vision Builders’ grasp, and is eager to expand the organization’s reach into Africa. But wherever she goes, Smita’s dedication to helping others shines through.

What inspires you to volunteer?

What drives me is I always want to help people who are suffering. When I was young in India, there were two ways to do it. Either I could do it through science and help people with diseases or I could do social work. I came here to get my PhD in oncology at Cornell and now I’m in pharmaceuticals. But somewhere in the middle, I realized I wasn’t making as much of an impact as I could. Every time I went back to India, the same thing bothered me. I felt like I wasn’t making as much of an impact as I could if I directly worked with people living in poverty.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Vision Builders.

The people on the ground in India are really doing the work. I keep in touch with them and talk to them every other weekend. I’m basically the sounding board and support system, not just financially, but also morally. They sometimes get disillusioned, so I’m there to basically brainstorm with them about how to solve issues. Sometimes I’m just listening to them and providing encouragement. When it comes time to fundraise, I put in much more time each week. We’ve done some big fundraisers, which were pretty much like a part-time job to pull off.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

In 2012 I heard about a couple in Varanasi, India who were working with children who were abandoned at the railway station and giving them a home. I had never been to the city, but I decided to just fly there to meet this couple. I’d been scouting around to see which nonprofit in India I could support and this came from a trusted source. So I flew to Varanasi and I met this couple. Just meeting them completely blew my mind. Dr. Ashish was a doctor and married to a social worker, Puja. They were basically trying to get the kids out of the cycle of drugs and fentanyl at the train station. When I visited them, this couple had taken 15 kids into their home. That’s where I realized I wanted to help these people. Their hearts were in the right place.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

My ultimate goal is to help the most impoverished people in the world. I would love to go beyond India to Africa. One of our models is that we personally go and visit these places, and we personally get involved and get to know the people. I do want to find a place in Africa, and maybe I’ll have to commit the time to go visit, but it’s not that easy. We want that personal connection.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

I think the most rewarding part is when I think about what would happen to these kids if they didn’t have Kutumb. It’s literally saving lives and giving kids a brighter future. Personally, I find it most rewarding just to see these kids– we got them off the road. They’re no longer living in the train station. They’re actually getting educated. I want these kids to have everything that I give to my kids. I have always insisted that they should have music classes, dance classes and sports, and all of these kids get that.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Not to get deterred or discouraged by the enormity of the issue. Even if you can help one person and save one life, it matters. The need is huge. And sometimes when I go to start, I think, “Why even start?” But even if it’s a drop in the ocean, it’s a precious drop and it’s an indispensable one.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

I think they should because they have the ability to impact somebody’s life in a positive way. You know, we don’t realize how much more fortunate we are compared with some of these other people in the world. We can make this world a little bit more fair and equitable. I think all of us have to give and contribute. Each one of us can make an impact in a positive way, and we should because we can.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Seeing what’s possible and making it happen. Thinking of the Kutumb story, which is just that these two people could have such a huge impact on the lives of hundreds or thousands of youth and women. Just one person can have a huge impact in the world. Like I said, do not get deterred by the enormity of the problem. Because even if you can help one person, it really matters.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Smita? Find local volunteer opportunities.