“I’ll never forget the day I went to distribute meals in the Priyanka Gandhi Camp in Vasant Vihar. The residents were fighting for basic needs. I began cooking meals at home and visiting the slums regularly. But as I spent more time there, I realised that distributing food wasn’t enough,” says 42-year-old Payal Kumar, who spends her days educating underserved children, and empowering women in the slums of Delhi.
Before her marriage to Pankaj Kumar, an electronics engineer with a budding sound system distribution business, Payal had spent almost three years in the corporate world, working as an event manager.
“I decided to step away from my career to support my husband’s venture. I managed the administration of the business while also overseeing event management. Throughout the years, I skillfully balanced the demands of running the business with raising our two children, Pranjal and Krrish,” she says.
“I was deeply involved in the business, but I felt like I wasn’t fulfilling my true calling,” she adds.
Stepping away from business
A pivotal point in Payal’s life came during the COVID-19 pandemic. “When I first stepped into the slum during the lockdown, I was confronted with a reality that was beyond anything I had ever imagined,” Payal says, recalling her experience in the Priyanka Gandhi Camp. “In that silence, I realised that I wanted to do something for people who didn’t have the privileges that I had.”
She started preparing food for those in need, and personally delivered meals to nearby slums. Each day was different and taught her something new.

“Once, I took a cake for a child in the slum to celebrate her birthday. When I handed her the knife to cut it, she had no idea what to do. It was the first time she’d ever celebrated her birthday. It broke my heart and made me realise how much they lacked the basic joys of life,” she says.
The experience planted the seed for ‘Feed the Souls’ (FTS), an NGO Payal started to help those struggling during the COVID lockdown.
Through ‘Feed the Souls’, Payal decided to focus on three core pillars: providing food to underserved communities, offering education to children who were deprived of it, and empowering women through skills training to help them achieve financial independence.
Spreading education and smiles
“I used to live in Priyanka Gandhi Camp, but after it was demolished, my family moved to Kuli Camp on rent. My parents are both labourers. I’ve been attending FTS classes for the past 4 years. I’ve started to like studying more, and my concepts are much clearer now,” says Madhu, a class 4 student at Nagar Nigam Prathmik Vidyalaya.
Madhu is one of 125 children from Kuli Camp, a slum near Payal’s residence, who join her free evening classes. For the families of these children survival is the primary concern, and education is often inaccessible.
“I wanted to show them that education was their passport to a better life. Many of the parents didn’t see its value at first, but once they saw their children’s excitement to learn, they began to understand its importance,” Payal says.
Eleven-year-old Chandi is a regular visitor to Payal’s evening classes. “Activity-based learning is so much fun. Payal ma’am makes sure the classes are interesting, and if she ever has to take a day off, it upsets me. I can’t wait to attend her classes every day,” she says.

Payal does not limit herself to her evening classes. One of the most cherished initiatives of her foundation is ‘Project Utsav’, which celebrates the birthdays of children who have never had the opportunity to do so before.
“The joy on their faces is indescribable,” says the 47-year-old. “It’s a day for them to feel valued, to know they are special, and to understand that they are deserving of happiness.” The project has touched the lives of approximately 1,000 children so far.
Empowering women
Outside making education more accessible for children, Payal and her team also dedicate their time towards empowering women in slums. Feed the Souls’ ‘Project Hunar’ is dedicated to training women to create products from textile waste, such as bags and home decor items.
“We also upskill women in other areas, such as teaching and cooking, so they can become self-sufficient,” says Payal. “However, it’s not always easy. At times, their families and husbands don’t see the value in these new skills. It’s only when these women start earning on their own that the change becomes clear,” she adds.

Payal has employed around 20 women, giving them the opportunity to work in the kitchen, and teach in the evening classes.
Kavita, a 22-year-old teacher at Feed the Souls, is one of the many women whose lives have been touched. “I’ve been teaching here for two years, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve learnt so much, and I feel happy to be helping children who remind me of myself,” she says.
Looking forward
As Feed the Souls continues to grow, Payal has big plans for the future. She aims to introduce computer literacy classes for children, ensuring they have the digital skills needed to survive in today’s world. She also plans to set up a larger community kitchen to meet the growing demand for food and to expand their outreach to more slums in the Delhi-NCR region.

“I never thought I’d be running an NGO,” she says, “But today, I feel more fulfilled than I ever did. The love and respect I receive from these children and their families is what keeps me going,” she says.
“I try to offer hope to the children and women in the slums, so they can break free from their grim realities and build a brighter future for themselves,” she adds.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All pictures courtesy Payal Kumar