Salaam Bombay Foundation

Maharashtra

Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) was founded in 2002 with the philosophy and belief that the only way to invest in the nation's future is to invest in its children and in their health and education. Children also need to be guarded from risks to their health, especially tobacco which has a high prevalence in children and youth.

SBF is focused on engaging Mumbai's most vulnerable "at risk" children through in-school programmes (leadership and advocacy) and after-school academies (skill building) that help build their confidence, self-esteem and commit them to stay in school while staying tobacco-free.

Salaam Bombay's vocational development academies help children to contribute to fluctuating family incomes and encourage their families to continue their education while planning for a stable future. Their programmes started from 230 schools in Mumbai and grew to over 15,000 schools in Maharashtra alone training over 60,000 teachers. They have now sown seeds in 5 states across India.

Padmini Sekhsaria has a B.A in Economics from Sophia College, Mumbai and MSc. in Financial Economics from the University of London, U.K. She is an alumnus of the London School of Economics and London Business School. Padmini Sekhsaria has been active in health programs, particularly cancer and tobacco control for over two decades. She is the vision behind Salaam Bombay Foundation that she founded in 2002, working with more than 2.9 million children across Maharashtra alone making it the largest preventive program in tobacco control in India.