We had the good fortune of connecting with Shri Akshayaa (Shria) Lakshmikumar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shri Akshayaa (Shria), we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was starting my nonprofit, I knew I wanted to work on bridging critical gaps in healthcare in rural communities, particularly within women’s health and cervical cancer. I noticed that a lot of existing organizations focused their efforts on social media campaigns, awareness fundraisers/drives, etc. However, there was still a lack of efforts being made towards real hands-on work in communities. That’s why I decided to start HERAglobal to address this gap and provide free screening for women in rural communities alongside cervical cancer awareness campaigns in hospitals abroad, rather than focusing just on awareness campaigns.
  

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Heraglobal is an international 501(c)(3) organization that supports women in rural communities through access to medical care and advocacy surrounding women’s health issues. So far we have partnered with Amity for Humanity in Uganda, impacting 1500+ women, and we continue to expand our partnerships with upcoming collaborations in Lesotho and Eswatini.

Our pilot initiative was launched in 2024 after initial work throughout 2023, where we held a medical camp in late January 2024 that spread awareness around cervical cancer and provided free cervical cancer screening, HPV vaccination, malaria vaccination, and more to over 500 women and girls in the Buikwe district of Uganda. Our second camp took place in March 2024 in honor of Women’s History Month, where we supported 800+ women and girls directly through free medical services (breast/cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination).

Additionally, HERAglobal partnered with 10+ hospitals across Uganda to launch cervical cancer awareness campaigns in hospitals, empowering women to talk to their physicians about early screening. This campaign was further executed in rural communities during medical camps by facilitating medical consultations for women and hosting awareness sessions with physicians.

Recently, HERAglobal was awarded 1st place at the Texas A&M Lion’s Innovation Showcase, and we also received financial support from Moody’s Analytics through employer match programs.

I’m so grateful to have the resources to create this impact and I’m confident that HERAglobal will continue to expand and impact as many women as we can!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I couldn’t have done this without our partners in Uganda, the Amity for Humanity Initiative. I collaborated extensively with their director, Ms. Shallote Nayebare, and I couldn’t have done this without her help and support from their volunteers and local gynecologists!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heraglobal/?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shrialk

Image Credits
Images: Ms. Shallote Nayebare

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