For more than 10 years, I have had the privilege of supporting Shivia, an award-winning charity working alongside rural communities across India to help families build sustainable livelihoods.

Shivia’s guiding principle, “Livelihoods with Dignity,” is at the heart of everything it does. Rather than providing short-term solutions, Shivia works with families to give them the skills, knowledge, training and practical support they need to create sustainable incomes and build a more secure future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Having supported Shivia for so many years, I have always believed in the importance of its approach. However, at the beginning of 2026, I had the opportunity to travel to India and see the work for myself. Meeting the families, seeing the communities and spending time with Shivia’s local team brought a completely different perspective to the impact I had previously only understood from afar.

What struck me most was the incredible sense of community. There was a generosity and resilience that was both humbling and inspiring. People who have very little themselves were still willing to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with others.

It also made clear to me why Shivia’s long-term approach matters so much. The impact does not stop with the person who receives the initial support. Knowledge is shared with neighbours, skills are passed between families and ideas are carried from one household to another. Small changes begin to create much larger ripples, reaching people and generations far beyond those directly involved with the programme.

For me, this is the real power of Shivia. It is not simply about providing someone with the means to earn an income; it is about giving people the confidence, knowledge and opportunity to shape their own future.

Seeing this first-hand was deeply moving and incredibly grounding. After more than a decade of supporting Shivia, being there in person gave me a renewed appreciation of what that support can achieve. It reminded me that some of the most meaningful change happens quietly — through education, opportunity and empowerment — and that its effects can continue long after the initial support has been given.

Sometimes the greatest impact is not what we give, but what we enable others to build for themselves.

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