Feminist Pen Foundation
Many organizations around the world dedicate their efforts to protecting human rights and ending human rights abuses. Public support and condemnation of abuses are important to their success, as human rights organizations are most effective when their calls for reform are backed by strong public advocacy.
“The evolution of the human rights movement clearly illustrates humanity’s ongoing struggle toward creating a better world.” – Robert Alan.
Non-Profit organizations or Non-Governmental Organizations in every part of the globe, working every hour of the day to document the prejudices heaped upon women, children and the underclass, standing beneath the bottom step of society. Through their active campaigning, they remind Governments to keep their promise to give practical shape to goals set by various national and international conventions on human rights.
NGOs are an obligatory corollary to the independent machinery of the government; they are means of authorization for those who are less powerful and less advantaged and their authorized institutions are not always sufficient to guarantee the protection of human rights. Such organisations are generally characterized by having something other than financial profit as the purpose of their existence. However, this leaves a huge crowd of reasons for existence and a wide variety of enterprises and activities. Today, Business Touch Magazine will be casing one such NGO Feminist Pen Foundation.
About Feminist Pen Foundation
Feminist Pen Foundation is a 3X award-winning international non-profit organization that aims to bring global gender equality advocacy to some of the world’s most oppressed populations. Feminist Pen is on a mission to educate people on the issues that are hindrances to human equality together with gender bias, racial discrimination, socio-economic structures and legal systems. Its mission is to empower people with information and action steps to make a change in their communities and collectively, in our world.
“The 21st Century will be an era of NGOs.” — Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General
They are a registered government-recognized non-profit organization registered as a section 8 NGO in India and a 501 (c) (3) organization in the United States with operations in over 3 other countries.
“Gender equality is not a women’s rights issue but a human rights issue”.
Feminist Pen Foundation was founded in the year 2020 as a blogging website and gradually grew to an award-winning international non-profit organization in 2 years with an established presence in 4 countries – India, the USA, Netherlands and Dubai. Today, they have personnel working from over 6 countries, 3 continents, and 7 different time zones and the organization has numerous subsidiary organizations that function autonomously from Feminist Pen Foundation such as the Center for Innovation in Emerging Technology (CIET) in Chicago that works on developing technological applications to benefit the common good.
● Today, over 9% of the world’s population (689,000,000 people) live in extreme poverty earning less than $2/day.
● 1 in every 3 women has/will experience gender-based violence (GBV) at least once in their life.
● As of July 2022, less than 16% of the world has legalized same-sex marriage and 11 countries in the world impose the death penalty if found consensual same-sex activity.
There is so much more in this world that is blatantly wrong, unfair, non-communal, destroying and discriminating so the Feminist Pen Foundation set out to solve not one but every problem that hampers global human equality.
Introduction to Founder & Chairman Vasanthan Ramakrishnan
ENGINEER | ENTREPRENEUR | FOUNDER | FEMINIST
With an Undergraduate degree in Engineering from one of India’s top engineering institutions and a Master’s degree from a Big 10 university in the US, Vasanthan Ramakrishnan’s background in the professional industry was very limited when he began his entrepreneurship journey. However, Feminist Pen Foundation has always been his lifelong dream.
“I always saw helping people and making a difference in their lives as my prophecy. I started Feminist Pen Foundation when I was 25 so I did not have a ton of prior experience to rely on. What I lacked in experience I made up with spirit and an undying passion to make a difference in the world.” – Says, Vasanthan Ramakrishnan
Vasanthan’s journey towards impact creation began in his late teens when he started volunteering in activities in college for non-profit organizations like Red Cross India, and Habitat for Humanity. It was the time when he soon started realizing the barefaced inequality that plagued him in the form of racism, religion, colourism, ageism, sexism, and casteism. With a relentless curiosity to learn more and after graduation once he moved to the United States, he started volunteering at the local homeless shelters, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and Feeding America. He was surprised to find out that poverty, hunger, and inequality were global humanitarian crises that existed everywhere.
“I had always strongly gone by my favourite quote from Mahatma Gandhi – “Be the difference you want to see in the world around you”. And while volunteering made a difference locally, I couldn’t see myself making a significant difference with volunteer work so I decided to be the change I wanted to see.”
Greatest Achievements of Vasanthan Ramakrishnan
1. International Achievers Award – NRI category from Indian Achiever’s Forum
2. “Business Icon of India – 100 Icons” – Blossom Media
3. “Cover Feature” On Achiever’s World Magazine, June 2021 edition
4. “Young Icon of the Year 2021” – Global Choice Award 2021 edition
5. “High Flyers Appreciation Award – 2021” from High Flyers 50
6. “Iconic Brand of the Year 2021” award in September 2021
7. “Super Brand of the Year 2022” in light of the 75 organizations honoured during India’s 75th year after independence.
8. Permanent feature in the prestigious media outlet YourStory media in June 2022
9. Nominated for the Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award
10. Nominated for the prestigious 30 under 30 by Entrepreneur magazine
11. Prestigious award juries from Fortune 100 companies like IBM, Google, Amazon, Exxon, EY, etc.
Vision and Mission of Feminist Pen Foundation
Feminist Pen’s Foundation’s mission is to bring human rights advocacy to some of the world’s most oppressed populations. Feminist Pen strongly believes in reform through education and the organization’s core value is to educate and nurture the ideas of feminism as it relates to the larger concept of human equality, as opposed to the more common gynocentric understanding of the term.
Feminist Pen Foundation’s vision of achieving “One world with zero barriers” is the USP of almost every human right but what separates it from the crowd is the policy and execution that lead to the achievement of its vision. Feminist Pen was meant to and is operating cross-border as opposed to 80% of non-profits operating locally within the district or city they were incepted.
Significant Projects of Feminist Pen Foundation
1. The Infinity Project
The Infinity Project was started to create an infinite spectrum of social change for an inclusive future. Each season, the project identifies seven world pressing challenges from the 17 SDGs goals such as inequality, climate change, gender equality, and challenges from the marginalised communities which are represented through an infinite series of events and programs.
2. Project Help India Breathe
No country was unaffected by the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first wave struck us hard and the second wave was deadly enough to result in a total of 34 million cases and half a million deaths. Families have lost their loved ones, their sole earning member, and for some underprivileged people living in slums/streets, affording a single meal a day is a daily struggle. Feminist Pen Foundation prepared for the worst, and hope for the best. For the ones who lost their lives, the ones still fighting for basic amenities, this fundraiser campaign will fight for them.
3. Project Equality
When we talk about equality, we just think it’s an elimination of judgement but it’s the power of strength, empowerment, and unity. Feminist Pen Foundation stands for equality regardless of race, gender, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. All lives matter, it’s time for a change and we are working for the change. Project Equality brings to you people from diverse backgrounds who are working to bring this change and create a ripple effect.
Future Plan of Feminist Pen Foundation
Feminist Pen Foundation is undergoing hyper-growth and is expected to launch at least 5 different ingenuities that will operate autonomously from the parent organization and will have teams from at least 15 diverse countries all over the world. Feminist Pen at this rate will have the potential to reach over 10,000,000+ audiences from at least 25 countries every year and will have secured partnerships with various governments and will have accomplished the prestigious feat of becoming one of the less than 10 organizations headquartered in the state to have consultative status with the United Nations.
Key Team Members Behind Feminist Pen Foundation
Vasanthan is a lifelong advocate of human rights and inclusion which led him to create this platform where fellow activists and leaders put their voices out.
1. Ms Sanjana Bernadette Williams – “Senior Director of Operations”
2. Mr AbineshLingeswaran – Internal Affairs
3. Mr Deepan Prathaban – Director of Finance
4. Ms Lestine – “Director of Technology”
5. Mr Lalit Ajmani – “Head of Legal & Research”
