Twins Honor Their Indian Heritage While Helping New Mothers

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honorees Vidha and Vibha Ganji. Read their story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Vibha and Vidha Ganji have doubled down on helping others. The 16-year-old San Diego twins weren’t exactly sure where to start when it came to making a difference. As high school students, the duo was originally looking to fulfill their volunteer hours for school. But with each volunteer role they took on, Vibha and Vidha developed a love of helping others and building bonds with those they met throughout their various adventures.  

Ultimately, Vidha and Vibha realized they could utilize their own strengths, as well as that of the community around them, to create their own nonprofit organization. After several trips to India, they noticed how dire the need was for medical infrastructure in certain areas of the country. Starting off with just one additional member besides themselves, they founded their local chapter of Future Youth Leaders for Humanity with the goal of promoting their Indian cultural heritage by organizing fun activities like events, workshops and summer camps.  

Through FYLH’s San Diego chapter, they provide financial support to Sanjivani Hospital, a multi-specialty facility that provides free care to pregnant individuals in Andhra Pradesh, India. The funds they’ve raised with their diverse events that draw hundreds of attendees have covered the cost of more than 100 surgeries. Whether they’re brainstorming event ideas, holding team meetings or managing the organization’s finances, the duo spends up to 25 hours per week dedicated to their cause.  

What inspires you to volunteer? 

Vidha: We started volunteering at HandsOn San Diego because we wanted volunteer hours for school. But after spending time at several local nonprofits, we realized the fact that we could be doing an actual useful thing for our community while being there is something that appealed to us. We just saw how powerful nonprofits could be. And we were like, “Oh, what if we start our own?” 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Future Youth Leaders for Humanity, San Diego Chapter. 

Vibha: For our chapter, I’m currently the president, and Vidha is the vice president, but we both founded it. We have around 20 people in the organization. Our activities nowadays are about finding new venues to hold our events at, or logistics-related items. We do workshops tied to the specific festivals we have in India throughout the year, like Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali. It’s specifically events that focus on Indian culture-related activities.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

Vibha: We noticed there was a disconnect. There weren’t as many opportunities for us to connect back to our culture, considering that we moved here at such a young age, other than going directly back to India. And we wondered if there were other people going through a similar situation.  

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

Vidha: We were thinking about expanding individual chapters to local schools. We’re clustered across a lot of communities within San Diego, so having more direct outreach would be nice. Hopefully we can have ambassadors at individual schools in our area and more California regions. 

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

Vidha: Monthly we have phone and video calls with the hospital back in India with the patients there after their deliveries. That really helps to see the tangible output our organization’s working on. 

Vibha:  We also get weekly pictures of all the women whose babies were delivered at the hospital. We get to post them out our group chat, which is really nice to see. 

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

Vidha: In the beginning, it was like, “Oh, there’s probably someone out there who focuses on what we want to focus on.” We just kind of delayed starting a nonprofit, because we assumed there was somebody out there helping out. But when you take up the initiative and you do it yourself, even if there’s someone else doing it out there, you will have a tangible impact on the people around you. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

Vibha: Start at the local level, seeing what opportunities are directly available around you. Maybe at your school or going online and seeing what your community offers. 

Vidha:  Also I’d say, focus on causes that you care about. Don’t volunteer just because you see a certain organization and they want your hours. In the end, you’ll grow attached to the specific cause you’re working for, while still getting the other benefits you want. I think focusing on what you really want to help with is the most important aspect. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

Vidha: FYLH-SD is just about 20 people. You can really do a lot just with a small group of people as long as you’re all dedicated and willing to put in the time. It’s worth it in the end. 

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