At United World Foundation, it is our unshakeable belief that all lives have equal value. We exist to empower underprivileged individuals around the world by ensuring that they can have access to equal opportunities to reach their full potential regardless of their circumstances.
Founded by Hetal Virani and Chirag Virani in February 2017, United World Foundation aims to reduce inequity by aligning long term strategies and vision to shared Global Goals of sustainable development. Through knowledge, innovation and transformative actions, we focus on building tools that accelerate the pace of social progress. At United World Foundation, our goal is to build poverty-free, healthy, gender-balanced, equitable, eco-conscious and inclusive humanity. We aim to build replicable and scalable models through strategic partnerships to address society's most pressing problems.
In order to develop locally-relevant solutions, we engage directly with the communities we serve and make them equal partners in addressing their unique challenges. Each year we focus on a few specific issues that align with our strategic vision and mission. By focusing on a limited number of issues at a time we aim to effectively address the challenges that prevent people from making the most of their lives. For instance, our Sustainable Agriculture Program focuses on empowering farmers by sharing innovative farming practices and distributing eco-friendly agriculture inputs that can maximize their crop yield and overall income. Similarly, through our Menstrual Health Program, we distribute sanitary napkins to underprivileged young girls and women in rural communities in order to reduce school dropout rates, increase number of workdays and prevent diseases.
With unflinching optimism, resilience, and grit, we seek to solve world's most complex problems. We cannot succeed alone, but if all members of civil society get proactively involved, we can drive change, reduce inequity and make the impossible possible. By collaborating with corporations, non-profits, academic institutions and government sector, we aim to combine our complementary knowledge, skills and resources to effectively address the world's most challenging problems.
Humanity cannot reach its full potential without a fundamental transformation in the lives of people living in underserved communities.
Let's unlock the possibility inside every individual and build a better future for everyone.
To reduce inequity by empowering underprivileged individuals through knowledge, innovation and transformative actions so that everyone can have equal opportunities to reach their full potential.
To build poverty-free, healthy, gender-balanced, equitable, eco-conscious and inclusive humanity by collaborating with individuals, communities, corporations, non-profits, academic institutions and governments and implementing innovative, replicable and scalable models of sustainable development.
Co-Founder
(C.A., C.S., C.W.A., L.L.B., and B. Com.)
Hetal Virani co-founded United World Foundation with her husband, Chirag Virani, in February 2017. Along with Chirag, she shapes the foundation's strategies, reviews results, and sets the overall direction of the organization.
Hetal has brought her rich experience and expertise in the field of finance and law to effectively lead the foundation's key operations. For each initiative we undertake, Hetal carefully evaluates challenges and opportunities before approving the projects where we can make maximum possible impact with our current skillsets, knowledge and available resources. She dedicates a significant portion of her time building strategic partnerships and meaningful relationships with individuals, communities, non-profits, private philanthropists, academic institutes, corporations and government sectors to reduce inequity in India and around the world.
Guided by the belief that empowering young girls and women can lead to a sustainable change in families, communities and societies, Hetal has developed Menstrual Hygiene Program to break the social stigma surrounding menstruation and promote gender equality. By distributing sanitary napkins to underprivileged young girls and women in rural communities, the program ensures that they can have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential at both school and work.
Hetal earned her C.A. from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and C.W.A. from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. She holds a C.S. from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India as well as a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Commerce from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, India.
Co-Founder
(M.B.A, B. Eng. Mechanical)
Chirag Virani co-founded United World Foundation with his wife, Hetal Virani, in February 2017 with a clearly defined vision, strategic goals and implementation plans for the next fifty years.
Along with Hetal, he guides the vision and strategic direction of the foundation. Chirag's key area of focus is to identify unique challenges that are not effectively addressed by the market or the government and to develop strategies that accelerate the pace of social progress. Chirag has a diverse academic background and professional experience from multiple North American, European, and African and Asian countries. He works together with Hetal to address complex and multi-dimensional challenges by building replicable and scalable models of sustainable development.
As a third generation farmer, Chirag firmly believes that everyone deserves healthy food that is produced without using synthetic chemical fertilizers and harmful pesticides. He has developed Sustainable Agriculture Program that focuses on improving livelihood of small farmers in rural communities and promoting organic farming. The program aims to empower farmers by sharing eco-friendly and innovative farming practices and distributing eco-friendly agriculture inputs that can maximize their crop yield and over all income.
Chirag earned his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, a Master in Business Administration from Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada and a post graduate diploma in Business Administration from University of California - Berkeley.
To effectively address the world's most complex and multi-dimensional challenges, we first identify and understand the root causes of the problems we intend to solve. After carefully evaluating the challenges and the opportunities, we formulate a strategy that allows us to have a maximum possible impact with our current skillsets, knowledge and available resources. In order to develop locally-relevant solutions, we engage directly in the communities we serve and make them equal partners in addressing their unique challenges. After implementing a program, we continuously collect and evaluate both qualitative and quantitative data so that we can keep optimizing our strategy during the project lifecycle.
Each year we focus on a few specific issues that align with our strategic vision and mission. We identify challenges and opportunities that are not effectively addressed by the market or the government. Once we evaluate the root causes of the problems we intend to solve, we formulate a strategy that allows us to have a maximum possible impact with our current skillsets, knowledge and available resources. Our strategic approach focuses on innovative solutions that are sustainable, scalable and replicable. Before implementing proposed solutions, we clearly define measureable outcomes, targets, millstones, methods for tracking progress and indicators of success.
In order to develop and implement locally-relevant solutions, we engage directly with the communities we serve and make them equal partners in addressing their unique challenges. We believe that understanding people's needs from their perspective is an effective way to make a sustainable impact. After clearly defining the scope of a project and formulating a timeline for achieving specific milestones, we collaborate with strategic partners to successfully execute our proposed solutions. By collaborating with corporations, non-profits, academic institutions and governments, we aim to combine our complementary knowledge, skills and resources to address the key problems effectively.
After implementing a new program, we continuously collect and monitor both qualitative and quantitative data to perform systematic evaluations. Throughout the project lifecycle, we evaluate our strategy based on key questions such as what actions or events worked best to maximize the impact, why some of the millstones were not achieved and what were the unforeseen circumstances that impeded successful implementation of our program. By conducting objective assessments, we try our best to depersonalize the decision making process and make course corrections as needed.
Over the years, we have implemented many projects where we succeeded beyond our imagination. On the other hand, we also came across a few projects where we failed at delivering forecasted impact despite our best efforts.
However, with each failure, we reflect on lessons learned, refine our strategic approach and continue to learn and grow.
"Armed with an understanding of how many challenges humanity has overcome so far, you're inspired to do whatever you can to help solve today's problems and prevent tomorrow's."
United World Foundation had very humble beginnings.
Our journey started with a small idea of improving the well-being of young children at an orphanage in Kenya. In 2011, our co-founder, Chirag Virani, started his journey of working with different NGOs in Kenya, Tanzania, Vietnam, South Africa, India and Costa Rica. At the age of 23, he launched his first fundraiser which planted the seeds for United World Foundation. After 6 years of research and evaluation of challenges and opportunities that could be addressed effectively with gathered skillsets, knowledge and resources, Chiag co-founded United World Foundation with his wife, Hetal in February 2017.
United World Foundation was established as a non-profit company in February 2017 with a goal of reducing inequity through knowledge, innovation and transformative actions. After identifying challenges and opportunities that were not effectively addressed by the market or the government, we developed our short term and long term strategic goals.
To bring economic empowerment to farmers in rural communities, we developed Sustainable Agriculture Program that helps farmers increase agricultural productivity and their overall income.
Our Journey ahead
Guided by the belief that empowering young girls and women can lead to a sustainable change in families, communities and societies, we launched Menstrual Health Program to reduce school dropout rates, increase number of workdays and prevent diseases.
We aim to empower underprivileged individuals by aligning our long term strategies to shard Global Goals of sustainable development.