“The horrific attacks on Mumbai have left our city tangled in a cobweb of emotions. At AAWC, we have held discussion forums to help our beneficiaries cope with the trauma caused by the terror attacks,” reads the editorial from the newsletter’s end of 2008 issue. “A ‘sparrow’ got married this quarter. She was placed in a shelter home and married the brother of a colleague at work who works in a multinational call center,” reads another bit of news under the title ‘Sparrows Update’.

Similarly, there is information on most aspects of the community’s life under headings such as Women’s Update, Medical Developments, Political or Legal Development, Workshop on AIDS Awareness and even poems written by children.

According to Vyas, her organisation currently supports 48 sparrows and another 34 young children who come to AAWC’s kindergarten. Overall, the organisation has supported about 700 women, 165 girls and 85 children below the age of five years as beneficiaries.

According to her, the organisation does fall short of funds since they do not take up governmental work, but donations come through small and medium corporate houses along with some friends and relatives’ generous gestures.

On a personal front, what keeps her going is the unconditional love and support that she gets from the women and children. “It’s soul satisfying,” she says. “What I’ve learned through them is much more than what I have given to this organisation.”