A Decade of Compassion, Built on Trust

From a single community kitchen to a movement across 320 villages — this is who we are and what drives us.

Who we are

Born from a simple belief: no one should go hungry

Hisha Foundation began in 2014 when a group of friends started cooking surplus meals for daily-wage workers near a Chennai railway station. What began as a weekend act of kindness grew into a registered non-profit serving millions of meals, educating thousands of children and bringing healthcare to remote villages.

Today we work hand-in-hand with communities, local governments and corporate partners — always with a single promise: dignity for every person we serve, and transparency for every supporter who makes it possible.

Volunteers gathered at a Hisha Foundation event

Vision and Mission

Our Vision

An India where no child sleeps hungry, every girl has the chance to learn, and every family can reach quality healthcare — regardless of where they were born.

Our Mission

To eliminate hunger and unlock opportunity by delivering nutrition, education and healthcare with dignity — and to do so with complete transparency and measurable impact.

Our journey

A Decade of Milestones

  1. The first meal

    A weekend kitchen serves 200 meals to daily-wage workers in Chennai.

  2. Registered as a non-profit

    Hisha Foundation gains 80G certification and launches its first learning centre.

  3. Healthcare goes mobile

    Mobile medical camps begin reaching villages with no nearby clinic.

  4. Responding to crisis

    Emergency relief supports over 50,000 families through the pandemic.

  5. 320 villages and counting

    We cross 4.8 million meals served and 48 active CSR partnerships.

The people

Leadership Team

Experienced leaders from development, healthcare, education and business — united by purpose.

Portrait of Dr. Anita Rao

Dr. Anita Rao

Founder & CEO

Public-health physician who started the first community kitchen.

Portrait of Karthik Menon

Karthik Menon

Chief Operating Officer

Scales field operations across districts and partner networks.

Portrait of Fatima Sheikh

Fatima Sheikh

Head of Programs

Designs education and women-empowerment initiatives.

Portrait of Vikram Desai

Vikram Desai

Director, Partnerships

Builds CSR collaborations and donor relationships.

Governance

Board of Trustees

Justice (Retd.) S. Krishnan

Chairperson

Dr. Neha Gupta

Public Health Advisor

Mr. Arjun Pillai

Finance & Audit

Ms. Reema Joseph

Legal & Compliance

Prof. D. Ramesh

Education Specialist

Ms. Sarah Thomas

Community Representative

Transparency & governance

Every rupee, fully accountable

We publish audited financials annually and maintain an 82% direct-to-programme ratio. Independent auditors review our books, and donors can request a detailed utilisation statement at any time.

  • ✓ 80G & 12A registered, FCRA compliant
  • ✓ Annual third-party financial audit
  • ✓ Quarterly impact reporting to partners
  • ✓ Open grievance and feedback channels
Direct programme delivery82%
Community outreach8%
Administration6%
Fundraising4%
Recognition

Awards & Recognition

🏆

Social Impact Award

CSR Excellence, 2024

⭐

Transparency Seal

GuideStar India, 2023

🤝

Best NGO Partner

State CSR Council, 2023

🍽

Nutrition Champion

Food Security Forum, 2022

Be Part of the Next Chapter

Your support writes the next milestone in our story. Donate, volunteer, or partner with us today.