# Kiran Martin

Dr Kiran Martin is an Indian pediatrician, social worker and the founder of Asha, a non governmental organization, working towards the health and community development of around 95 slum colonies in and around Delhi, reaching a reported number around to 700,000 slum dwellers. She was honored by the Government of India, in 2002, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

## Early life

Dr Martin did her graduate studies in Medicine (MBBS) at the Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi and completed her advanced studies in pediatrics from the Lady Hardinge Medical College of the University of Delhi in 1985.

## Founding of Asha Society

Dr Martin's career took a turn when Dr. Ambedkar Basti, one of the slums in South Delhi, endured a cholera epidemic, in 1988. She volunteered to provide medical assistance to the slum dwellers and the experience is reported to have prompted her into social service. In order to provide an organized service, she secured like-minded helpers and founded Asha Society, literally meaning Hope in Hindi, a non- governmental organization, the same year.

### Dr Kiran Martin's Philosophy

Dr Martin claims that she wanted to pursue a direction in life that gave her vision, values and inspiration. Dr Martin's values are an integral part of the Asha model and include the belief that all people, including the poor, have the same inherent dignity and rights that deserve protection. The Asha model directly challenges the pervasive system of caste and class that exists in Indian society and elsewhere and in particular seeks to redress the unequal treatment of females by empowering women to bring about change in their own communities. Asha was founded with a strong desire for social justice by ensuring the equal distribution of goods, services and the opportunities and benefits of development. Other values that Asha professes are compassion, gratitude, optimism, joy and simplicity. Led by Dr Martin, these values have directed the approach and expansion of Asha's work over two decades and may explain the success that Asha has enjoyed.

### Growth and Expansion of Asha

Under the aegis of Asha, Dr Martin is reported to have started various programs such as medical aid, development of roads, sanitation and water supply facilities and basic and higher education. The organization is known to be covering around 95 colonies and 700,000 people.
Soon after Dr Martin began her health clinics, she began to organise women in the community into advocacy groups to tackle community problems. These women's associations, known as Mahila Mandals, began to successfully lobby officials to secure infrastructure improvements. Asha identified and trained women to become Community Health Volunteers to provide basic healthcare and advice to families in their communities. Children's groups, known as Bal Mandals, were formed to empower children and to provide training in leadership skills to influence their own community and to participate in healthcare and improvement initiatives. Asha provides assistance and encouragement to children and their families to attend and complete primary and secondary education. In 2008, Dr Martin's long-term vision of higher education for Asha slum children was realised. Asha claims that nearly 5000 students are pursuing higher education in the University of Delhi with its assistance. This was followed by the Mentorship and Internship Programmes in 2012 to increase students’ chances of breaking into the competitive job market. Asha assists in getting financial aid from the banks and other financial institutions for the economically compromised people of the slums. Dr Martin is credited with efforts to get the inhabitants of the Delhi slums included in the financial inclusion schemes of the Ministry of Finance.
One of Dr. Martin's notable achievements was the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, and the University of Melbourne. These agreements initiated special scholarships for students from Asha’s slum communities to pursue master's and doctoral programs abroad. As a result, ten students from Asha communities have had the opportunity to pursue advanced degrees internationally.
During the critical phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Martin played a crucial role in ensuring that Asha communities were adequately supported and adhered to COVID-appropriate behaviors. Due to her efforts, there was only one death across Asha’s communities during successive pandemic waves. Furthermore, 98% of Asha community residents were fully vaccinated with both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the effectiveness of her leadership during the crisis.

### Awards and recognition

The Government of India, included her in the Republic Day honours list, in 2002, for the civilian award of Padma Shri. Dr Martin has worked with Hon Mr P Chidambaram, India's Home Minister and earlier the Finance Minister, to increase financial inclusion for slum dwellers, and Mr Chidambaram has also taken a keen interest in the progress of Asha's higher education initiative. The Chief Minister of Delhi has shown support for Martin's work on many occasions, as has the Slum Commissioner of Delhi. Veteran Indian statesman Mr L K Advani has been a long-term supporter of Martin's work. Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Indian Minister for Health, lent support to Asha's model of healthcare during his time as Delhi Health Minister in the 1990s.
Both state and national slum policies have been influenced by Asha's work, and Dr Martin's. In addition to Asha's work being awarded Best Practice by UN-Habitat, it has also been praised, studied and replicated by organisations in many countries. The Nossal Institute of Global Health, in 2011, conducted an analysis of Asha's decision points, ethos, key strategies, lessons learned, and evidence of impact in the context of New Delhi. The results of this were published as Asha: Hope and Transformation in the Slums of Delhi.
In October 2023, Dr Martin received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Sydney, recognizing her significant contributions to the welfare of India's people and her leadership in civil society.
In November 2024, Dr Martin received the prestigious Humanitarian Excellence in Healthcare Award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry
In December 2024, Dr. Kiran Martin was awarded a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the University of Melbourne. This prestigious recognition honors her decades-long dedication to improving lives through transformative work in healthcare, education, and social justice.

### Personal Life

Dr Martin has been supported by her husband, Mr. Godfrey Martin, who has served as the Associate Director of Asha for over 30 years. His contributions have been integral to the organization's success and sustainability.
The couple’s daughters, Prerna Martin and Madhuri Martin, have also been closely associated with Asha since childhood. Both daughters are now established professionals in the United States. Prerna is an alumna of Harvard University and Madhuri graduated from Cornell University. Their education and professional achievements reflect the values of dedication and service instilled in them by their parents.
Dr Martin relocated to the United States in 2006. Yet, she remains deeply involved in fundraising and frequently travels internationally to promote and support her cause.

### International Interest in Asha

Dr Martin is associated with various philanthropic organizations in India and abroad for raising funds for her activities. Asha's work is supported by formal and registered Friends of Asha societies in Great Britain, Australia, Ireland and the USA. In addition, funding agencies such as Tearfund New Zealand, Tear Netherlands and ICCO Netherlands support Asha's work, alongside international governmental agencies such as Irish Aid, NZ Aid, the Japanese government's GGP programme and AusAid.
Numerous overseas visitors have visited Asha and accompanied Dr Martin on slum visits where they saw firsthand the improvements in the health, empowerment and financial status of people in Asha project areas. These visitors have included the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr John Key, Australia's Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard in 2012, Denmark Prime Minister, Mr Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Governor General of New Zealand, Mr Anand Satyanand, the Governor of Victoria, Mr Alex Chernov, the First Lady of Canada, Mrs Sharon Johnston, the First Lady of Japan, Mrs Miyuki Hatoyama, as well as Cabinet Ministers from Ireland, the UK, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Dr Martin has attended many seminars and conferences and has addressed gatherings at the British House of Commons, United States House of Representatives, Harvard University, MIT, Cambridge University, Boston University School of Public Health, Columbia University, Monash University, Melbourne University,University of Sydney the Australia India Institute. Queen's University Belfast, Radio New Zealand,Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Doordarshan aired a public address of Dr Martin.

## Books

In 2001, a book entitled Urban Health & Development was published after being written by Martin in collaboration with Dr Beverly Booth and Dr Ted Lankester. In addition, the work of Asha has been cited in publications, research and case studies by institutions such as the World Bank, Tearfund and others.
In 2013, the book A Journey of Hope was published to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Asha. It tells the story of Asha through the reflections of Dr Martin and the photographs of Ed Sewell. It includes a foreword by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.