Leadership & board

The people who lead the Foundation

AMMA Foundation is founded, governed and run by people from the community it works with.

Founder

Smt. Shobha Satyappa Gasti

Founder · Secretary · Project Director

AMMA Foundation was founded in 2015 in Raibag, Belagavi district, Karnataka, by Smt. Shobha Satyappa Gasti along with six other founding members.

Shobha Gasti was dedicated to the Devadasi system at the age of 13. Her own experience shaped the Foundation's commitment to ending the dedication of girls, preventing child marriage, and keeping children in school.

In 2021 the Government of India conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar on her, and she received the award from the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Founding members