The Hunger Project is honored to celebrate Dr. V. Mohini Giri, a champion for women’s rights in India, for her years of service to The Hunger Project’s Global Board of Directors. Dr. Giri has retired from the Global Board after serving for 16 years, since the year 2000.
Dr. Giri’s steadfast commitment to the sustainable end of hunger and the empowerment of women has been critical to The Hunger Project’s evolving work to achieve its mission of ending hunger once and for all.
Dr. Giri has an esteemed career honoring the voices of marginalized women, widows and children across India. She has served as Chairperson of the Guild of Service since 1979. Guild of Service is a social service organization which, among its projects, helps the displaced widows of India. Dr. Giri has also served as Founder President of the War Widow Association since 1971 and as Founder Trustee of the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia since 2000. A social activist and leader in the women’s movement, specializing in human rights and gender justice, Dr. Giri is renowned both nationally and internationally for her committed work in empowering women politically, socially, legally and economically.
She has held many public positions such as Chair of the National Commission for Women (1994-1998) and Chair of the Delhi State Social Welfare Advisory Board (1987-1990). As Chair of the National Commission for Women, Dr. Mohini gave a new direction to the National Commission for Women and successfully implemented several schemes for empowering women.
Belonging to an illustrious family of scholars, civil servants and musicians, Mohini Giri is the daughter-in-law of Late Shri V.V. Giri, former President of India. Proficient in nine languages, Dr. Giri holds the doctorate from G.B. Pant University and a post graduate degree in Ancient Indian History, University of Delhi. Her publications include Kanya: Exploitation of Little Angles (1998) and Emancipation and Empowerment of Women (1996). She has received many awards including the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award in 1996 and the Mahila Siromani Award in 1998.
We are honored to have had Dr. Giri’s participation on the Global Board, and know that she continues to be part of our Hunger Project family as we build a world where every woman, man and child leads a healthy, fulfilling life of self-reliance and dignity.