As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what equal citizenship truly means.
This year, I saw it in small but powerful moments – a child walking into a classroom for the first time after FFEC supported the family in securing an identity document and opening a bank account, both prerequisites for school enrollment; a child reading aloud with confidence for the first time, an adolescent learning to express her emotions, a mother proudly sharing how she now plans her child’s meals, and families finally holding identity documents that allow them to access to education, healthcare, and dignity.
At FFEC, we worked alongside more than 7,000 families across Trilokpuri and Chilla Village in Delhi, India. What this year reinforced for me is that exclusion is never just about one thing. Education cannot improve without health. Access to services is impossible without legal identity. And awareness alone is not enough without sustained handholding and trust. Sustainable behavior change is only possible through consistent engagement, handholding and trust and system-level coordination.
In 2025, this translated into measurable outcomes: 300+ children enrolled into schools, 1500 improved their learning abilities through after-school classes, 100 adolescents equipped with critical life skills, 200+ mothers strengthening early childhood nutrition practices, and 800+ families accessing government schemes through identity and social protection enrollments.
Across our programs, we witnessed quiet but meaningful shifts: children believing in their ability to learn, adolescents finding their voices, women making informed choices for their families, and households moving from invisibility to recognition within public systems. This work is slow and often complex, but it is deeply necessary.
This year we achieved another milestone – we now have a youth volunteer program in the US for high school and college students and we plan on developing a mentorship plan for them in the coming year.
I am incredibly grateful to our young and dynamic team, primarily from the slums of Trilokpuri, partners, volunteers and supporters who continue to believe in patient, sustainable transformation. Your trust and donations allow us to focus on long-term change rather than quick fixes.
As we step into the new year, the need remains urgent; and so does the opportunity to create lasting impact. If you believe in building dignity, access, and equality for all, I invite you to walk alongside us by supporting our work by donating, partnering with us, or simply helping amplify this mission.
Thank you for being part of this journey!
With gratitude,
Yasmeen Fatimah
Founder and CEO
Foundation for Equal Citizenship