Changemakers - Parool Shah
5 March 2012 at 9:10 am
Parool Shah, from the Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, is profiled in Changemakers – a regular column which examines inspiring people and their careers in the Not for Profit sector.
The Life’s Little Treasures Foundation (LLTF) is a national Australian charity which is dedicated to providing information, support, friendship and assistance to families of children born prematurely or sick. The Foundation’s services are available in the hospital (neonatal and special care units) and in the community when families come home.
What are you currently working on in the organisation?
This is an exciting time for us at the Foundation as we have developed two apps which are a world’s first for families of premature and sick babies. The first one is the Premature Baby Journal – this is a global app that is easy to use, no matter where you are in the world. The aim of this app is to enable families to keep track of their baby’s milestones and the many activities they need to do on a daily basis (both in the hospital and once they have returned home) as well as act as a journal to record babies milestones and precious moments.
The second one is our NICU Words app which is a comprehensive glossary designed to provide clear explanations of all the medical terminology (from medical terms to machinery and medical roles) used in Neonatal Intensive and Special Care units.
What drew you to the Not for Profit sector?
I fell into the Not for Profit sector quite by chance as a result of a personal journey that I went through when my son Luke was born at 27 weeks. It was something I wasn’t prepared for and took me on a traumatic roller coaster ride that words cannot describe. The two things that I really wanted was emotional support from others who understood and information that would help me (and Luke) – both practically and financially.
The lack of resources for families going through this life changing experience inspired me and four other mums to close this bridge and start Life’s Little Treasures with the aim of helping make this journey a little easier for those following in our footsteps. It is amazing how providing hope and compassion can make so much difference to those undergoing a difficult time in their lives.
What do you like best about working in your current organisation?
The inspirational and passionate people who work with me and the amazing families that I meet -many facing and overcoming challenges that most people cannot even comprehend.
School taught me…
To embrace and respect people, regardless of their class, cultural or religious backgrounds. We are all equals in this world.
If you could have dinner with 2 people from history, who would they be?
Mahatma Gandhi and Jane Austen
My greatest challenge is…
Balancing work and family life.
An inspirational lady who I am blessed to know
March 25, 2012Personally I support a more Libertarian and minatilismic state. I will use politics to bring that about but that is still far away.As of now, we are establishing our foothold and building our groundwork in Delhi. We will be contesting our second election this time from Alaknanda in Delhi for MCD. If you want to know more, you can get in touch with me at aditya AT adityakumarnayak DOT comBut nextGen India isn’t principally a political tool. We support political change but don’t believe thats the ends and means of all issues. We propagate a much wider change and believe that the youth today will have to step up and make it happen. We also believe in the power of social media and online activism. And hence, we started this platform to provide a voice to the youth and convert all slackavist youth into doers.