10th April,2024, Mumbai: In 2007, Somy made the decision to use her US-based NGO No More Tears to assist victims of domestic abuse and violence.
What made Somy Ali to start an NGO ?
“I had just finished my education and obtained as many degrees as I humanly could and was still feeling a void,” she adds, recounting her path. My initial thinking when I decided to alter the world was that there were still a lot of problems with the world as a whole, even in 2007. At first, I was confused with subjects like human trafficking, domestic violence, LGBTQ concerns, racism, climate change, caste systems, and abuse of minors. I realized that as an NGO, I had to focus on a single objective because I couldn’t do it all. I was lamenting to my mother while pacing back and forth in my living room, saying, “No more of this,” and “No more of that,” but I was unable to pinpoint exactly what I wanted to change completely and right away. My mother then said, “No More Tears,” and that’s when it really clicked with me! Not to be ironic!
Somi Ali discusses her intital struggling days of NGO
Regarding the next stages, she remarks that everything just sort of fell into place. “I determined that the mission needed to be one in which the victim is unable to escape their situation and requires the cooperation of both law enforcement and an NGO.” Oddly enough, the day after I filed the IRS papers to become a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, a woman came to my door. The Bangladeshi woman inquired if I knew Hindi, to which I replied in the affirmative and motioned for her to enter my home. As I observed the numerous bruises on her arms and forehead, she confided in me that her husband had physically mistreated her for a decade, and her father-in-law had sexually assaulted her.
The fact that this was happening four houses down from my own shocked and astounded me. At that moment, according to my younger brother, “your mission has literally knocked on your door.” And I had already filed a police report, obtained a protective order, spoken with a divorce attorney, and used my personal savings to find this woman and her kid an apartment before No More Tears even had an exemption approved as an NGO.
That was in December 2006, and we were officially organized and approved by the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) in July 2007 as an active non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of rescuing and empowering victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse,” the speaker continues. I had no idea how drastically my priorities and life would change after that July 7th, 2007, reading that approval.
Somy Ali shares her experience of running NGO for 17 Years
An NGO needs its leader to be completely dedicated to it, and Somy is one of those people. Since I have been running NMT for 17 years, it has come naturally to me. I know exactly what to do and when to do it in case a life-threatening emergency arises at any time. It all comes down to experiences and the lessons one learns from repeatedly falling and getting back up. I say this both literally and figuratively because I have been pursued by husbands and physically hurt by traffickers. However, I chose this path, and I believe that I will dedicate my life to helping victims of abuse—whether it is human trafficking within the LGBTQ community, domestic abuse, or child sexual abuse. If this effort puts me out of commission permanently, I’m ready to embrace that fate with pride and happiness,” she declares.
What motivates and inspires Somy Ali ?
“To me, nothing is more valuable than waking up every day to save the lives of victims who are being physically abused and children who are being sold to traffickers,” she continues. It’s not a job; rather, it’s what the universe wants me to do. Depending on what one believes in, a person may occasionally be completely transformed into someone else by a higher power, God, or the universe.
My journey to this point has been fueled by my personal experiences with sexual assault and seeing domestic violence. My life is my NGO, and I value and am appreciative of each and every individual who has contributed money and time to keep our NGO going. As I constantly say, we could not have continued for this long without the support of our contributors, fundraising committee, and board members. Without their cash and the support that accompanies it, NMT would not exist. As they say, “It takes a village,” and NMT is no different because we wouldn’t be able to assist the victims without genuine monetary donations.
By-Sapna Meena