I never planned to become a founder in the traditional sense. I didn’t have a clean roadmap, a safety net, or a polished pitch deck when I started. What I had was restlessness, curiosity, and a deep discomfort with seeing wasted potential—of food, of people, of time, and of opportunity.
This is the story of how One Foundation came into existence, and how my own journey shaped it.
Where It All Started
I come from a technical background—computer science—but life didn’t follow the straight line it was supposed to. I dropped out, not because I lacked ability, but because I realized I was more interested in building things that directly touch human lives than chasing degrees.
Cooking became my anchor. Food, for me, was never just food—it was care, dignity, learning, and connection. Preparing food for others gave me a kind of joy that no certification ever did. Around the same time, I found myself thinking deeply about systems: why food is wasted, why skills are undervalued, and why so many people never get the right exposure at the right time.
That combination—food + systems + people—became the foundation of everything that followed.
Learning by Doing (and Failing)
Before One Foundation had a name, it existed as experiments.
I tried freelancing in design and tech. I built platforms, blogs, social ideas, and marketplaces. I chased perfection, overthought details, and often moved slower than I wanted to. Fifteen days of freelancing with no clients taught me something important: execution matters more than polish.
I also realized something uncomfortable about myself—I was capable of working extremely hard, but I needed a mission bigger than money to sustain that effort.
That mission slowly became clearer.
The Core Problem I Couldn’t Ignore
Everywhere I looked, I saw the same pattern:
- Food being wasted while people stayed hungry
- Young people wanting to learn but lacking real-world exposure
- Education focusing on theory while life demanded skills
- Events and programs run for communities, not by them
I didn’t want to create another charity that only distributed resources. I wanted to build a learning-driven ecosystem—where people gain skills, dignity, and ownership.
That’s when One Foundation stopped being an idea and became a responsibility.
Building One Foundation
One Foundation was built on a simple belief:
If you give people responsibility, trust, and the right environment, they don’t just consume help—they grow.
We started small. Cafés, food projects, events, student-managed systems, and community initiatives. The goal was never just service—it was participation.
Children planning and managing events. Students handling operations. Young people learning not just how to work, but how to think.
The foundation became a place where:
- Food teaches nutrition, costing, and waste management
- Cafés become classrooms
- Events become leadership labs
- Mistakes are allowed, but indifference is not
A Moment That Defined Everything: Diwali
One of the most defining moments in our journey was a Diwali event organized almost entirely by school children.
- 21,000 diyas lit
- 4,000+ people reached
- 2,000 meals served
- A Bal Mela planned, hosted, and executed by kids
- Donations raised independently
- Sales generated, not begged for
- Inauguration by a public representative
- Coverage in newspapers and local news
But numbers were never the real win.
The real win was watching children take ownership—planning, budgeting, communicating, executing, and learning.
That day, One Foundation stopped feeling like my initiative. It became our movement.
Struggles No One Sees
The journey hasn’t been clean.
There were delays in registrations, banking issues, paperwork frustrations, financial pressure, self-doubt, and moments where momentum dropped to zero. I’ve travelled, paused businesses, restarted from scratch, and carried responsibilities without guarantees.
There were days I questioned everything.
But every time I stepped back, the same thought returned:
If not me, then who? And if not now, then when?
What One Foundation Stands For Today
Today, One Foundation is not just an NGO or a Section 8 company.
It is:
- A platform for skill-first learning
- A bridge between education and real-world work
- A system that treats food, technology, and creativity as tools for empowerment
- A belief that children and young adults are capable of far more than we allow them to be
We don’t aim for sympathy. We aim for self-reliance.
My Personal Philosophy as a Founder
I don’t believe in waiting to be ready.
I believe in starting, correcting, and scaling.
I believe tired muscles, long days, and hard conversations are signs of progress.
I believe systems matter more than intentions.
And above all, I believe that no one should die hungry—not of food, not of opportunity, not of purpose.
The Road Ahead
This is still the beginning.
The future of One Foundation includes:
- Skill-based cafés and learning spaces
- Technology-backed learning and verification systems
- Scalable community models
- Deeper work with children, students, and creators
- Stronger systems so the mission outlives the founder
I am still learning. Still failing. Still building.
But now, I’m not alone.
Closing Note
One Foundation was born from confusion, curiosity, and courage.
It continues because of people—children who believe, students who try, volunteers who care, and communities that participate.
This journey is not about perfection.
It’s about showing up, every day, and choosing to build.
And this—this is only chapter one.
— Gyan
Founder, One Foundation
