Freny & Jal Bavaadam Foundation

Our setup is out at Plot 353 in the GIDC Waghodia area, just on the outskirts of Vadodara. Being in an industrial zone means it’s not the quietest place to work, with trucks and machinery always moving around, but it suits us just fine. We have a good amount of space here, which is helpful for the kind of work we do. It’s more of a functional space than a pretty one. We’ve got concrete floors and high ceilings, and we keep things pretty basic. A few of us have been working here for years, and we’ve seen the area grow a lot. We didn’t want a fancy office in the city center; we preferred being out here where things actually happen. Most of our day involves managing different projects and making sure things are getting where they need to go. We don't have a marketing department or anyone to write fancy speeches for us. We just speak plainly and do what needs doing. It can get quite hot in the afternoons, especially in the summer, but we have some fans that keep the air moving. People usually come to us when they have a problem that needs solving, and we see what we can do. It’s a straightforward way to spend the day, and we like the people we work with out here. It’s a hardworking neighborhood and we fit right in with the rest of the plots.