From West Bengal to California, “The Path to Making a Significant Impact”

Madhubanti (“Madhu”) Chowdhury’s deep-rooted faith, love for education and drive to make an impact have always been at the core of her philanthropic work. Having been exposed to need early in her native India, and moved from West Bengal, India, to the U.S. in 2001, she is guided by a belief that she should strive to make a significant impact through acts of kindness both locally and globally.

Viewing education as a birthright for each individual, she believes having an education puts a child and the child’s family in a better place. From her first philanthropic gift to a homeless shelter called Poverello House, this love for education brought her to BFA, where she made her first gift sponsoring a Girls Empowerment Collection to Cape Town, South Africa, in 2022. She seeks to pass on the value of a good education to future generations, and is particularly drawn to the Law & Democracy and Girls Empowerment initiatives, saying “there are many parts of the world where education for women is inaccessible and the role of law and democracy can truly shape a nation’s governance.” She believes that there are great prospects for women, children and adult learners in Africa.

Madhu eventually earned her MBA in 2016 and her PhD in Educational Leadership in 2024, and today works as a Program Manager for nonprofit agency Reading and Beyond, giving back in her day-to-day life. She finds motivation to serve in her deep faith. Madhu spoke to the value of practicing and cultivating love, kindness and compassion: “When I serve people, I feel I am serving the children of God, and what better way to love God than to love His children?” She wakes up each morning with this objective in mind.

In talking about her experience with BFA, she likes to tell others about the specific projects she has supported, appreciating the way BFA engages with its donors. As she says “often times with other organizations, it is hard to see the actual outcomes of the individual impact that is being made. I was able to see and hear about what I did, and was recognized as a valued member for the contributions I made.” She describes seeing photos of the library being built, and how meaningful it was for her to see the outcome of her gifts.

Madhu gifted a Gobinda & Urmi Chowdhury Honorary Library in South Sudan. She felt the Honorary Libraries were a way of expressing her gratitude towards her parents and honoring the contributions they had made to her life and pursuit of higher education. This gift sponsored the shipment of thousands of books to kids in South Sudan, including those pictured in this article.

When asked about a message to share with other current and potential BFA supporters, she said, “It is important to understand that the more we love each other and extend a hand of compassion towards each other, the greater the sense of belonging and one-ness with the whole universe.”

“Even though there has been great turmoil and animosity throughout the world at certain times in history, and continues to be, there is hope for peace in our world through the small and essential acts of kindness we all share for each other and through the purpose and ideals we serve day by day.”