MADHU TUGNAIT, VISHAKAPATNAM

CATEGORY: SOCIAL SERVICE

She named her project ICHA (desire) even before it came into existence. The face of ICHA kept on changing and growing in her mind during those years, from an old-aged home to a destitute women’s home to finally a home for abandoned children with physical and mental disabilities. Today her dream is a reality. Her pull towards giving back to society began when she slowly started weaning off commercial assignments to devote a few days every week to volunteer with Bhagavatula Charitable Trust. B.C.T is a non-profit organization working towards the transformation of rural India. She worked extensively with destitute women, teaching them weaving, embroidery and tailoring, a craft she was well versed with.

In 2010, ICHA was registered as a trust. Madhu’s mission was to provide a lifelong home/shelter for abandoned children. Given the exorbitant price of land, Madhu finally sold all her gold ornaments and bought a lovely plot of land. She sacrificed a lot to make her dream come to reality. In the meanwhile, in April 2012 ICHA started operations in Madhu’s own home with 3 children, whom she took in after she found them abandoned. Madhu cooked, cleaned and looked after the three children with varying degrees of mental and physical challenges. Now, ICHA is managed mainly by Madhu Tugnait with a team of caretakers, a physiotherapist, kitchen staff and teachers. The ICHA employment philosophy is based on providing employment to adults from lower income groups from Vizag and its surrounding districts. With the exception of accounting, administration and communications, they have focused on building a team based on each individual’s capability and passion to serve the cause of abandoned children. Madhamma, in telugu translates as Mother Madhu, which she is to everyone who is associated with ICHA.