Stories
Change in the villages
Only stories recorded in the Foundation's own documents are published here.
Founder's story
From dedication to leadership
Smt. Shobha Satyappa Gasti
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.
Recorded change
What the work has changed
467
School dropouts re-enrolled in education
271
Children admitted to residential schools
5
Schools upgraded up to 10th standard
378
Child marriages prevented
211
Girls protected from Devadasi dedication
83
Child labourers rescued
73
Adolescent girls' collectives formed
1,932
Girls reached through the collectives