United States - Our Aim

Our

USA Programs

The first seed of our mission was laid in the US where we initiated our programs to support the elderly and at the same time help youngsters find meaning in their lives through civic engagement..

15,000+

Women Empowered

8,000+

Seniors Assisted

15,000+

Youths Engaged

30,000+

Masks Distributed

Awareness In Mind

AIM (Awareness in Mind) is a research and evidence-based curriculum that helps middle through high school-aged students learn mindfulness and build character.

Children are faced with an unprecedented amount of stress and anxiety – 25% of 13- to 18-year-olds will experience an anxiety disorder according to the National Institutes of Mental Health.
The most common mental illnesses in adolescents are anxiety, mood, attention, and behavior disorders. suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people aged 15-24 years.

Grand Kids Program

The nationally recognized Grandkids program brings young middle-school and high-school students into contact with the elderly in Florida, people who were often neglected or forgotten.

As part of the program, the children “adopted” a grandparent from whom they could learn, glean wisdom, hear stories, and receive oral histories and stories of the past. At the program’s end, they would compile these histories into books that commemorated their respective grandparents, immortalizing their tales and advice for family members or posterity.

The Grandkids Program has proven to be a major success. It has brought joy to many elderly people around Florida, as well as the kids with whom they are paired, who glean their wisdom, learn invaluable lessons, and hear firsthand accounts of bygone eras.

Close to Heart

The Close2Heart program links youth with elderly patients with more advanced illnesses who are in hospice care. Close2Heart was founded because Nisha realized that many of the elderly patients in hospice care would not be able to participate in the original Grandkids program to its completion, because of their more severe prognosis and shorter life expectancy. Therefore, Close2Heart was created as a condensed version of the Grandkids program. These programs demonstrated to thousands of young adults, young professionals, and men and women of all ages the value of intergenerational bonding.

Other Impact

In Florida, a state in which 77% of nurses are women, Our Aim’s mask-making program has supplied thousands of masks to nurses in the Tampa area, suffering from a lack of personal protective equipment, with masks to protect them as they help battle the current pandemic.

Founder Nisha Mandani has also served as vice-chair for the Florida chapter of the Aga Khan Foundation USA from 1995-2008, working on projects that focused on giving aid to underprivileged and single mothers, helping them to build resumes, conducting professional training for job interviews, skill developments, and vocational training, and helping them apply to jobs around Florida.