Asha Latha Akula has always lived by a simple principle: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities that many had overlooked. One tragedy turned everything into urgent purpose: a daily-wage worker and his family, caught between starvation and shame, took their own lives. They were not alone. Similar heartbreaks were unfolding across communities, each one a reminder that compassion delayed is compassion denied.
From crisis to action
Driven by deep compassion and a sense of urgency, Asha and Jonas Gihone Akula mobilised their community and friends. Together they raised approximately $18,000 and turned it into lifelines for those in greatest need. Within weeks, this relief reached over 75,000 people across 10 cities: families who suddenly had food on their tables, children with renewed hope, and communities that discovered they were not forgotten.
But as the immediate crisis eased, a deeper truth became undeniable: individual acts of kindness, however generous, cannot move mountains. Millions still wake each day facing hunger, poverty and closed doors. The need was bigger than any circle of friends could meet alone.
See our original GoFundMe campaign
Why we exist
Slate Welfare Foundation was born from this realisation.
We exist because one person’s hardship should not be their final chapter. We exist because potential lies dormant in communities written off as “too poor” or “too far gone.” We exist because systemic poverty is not destiny. It is a cycle that compassion, strategy and sustained effort can break.
Why “Slate”?
A slate is where every child first learns to write, and where mistakes can be wiped clean and started again. That is our belief for every person we meet: Learn. Unlearn. Create. Your past does not have to decide your future.
What we do
Slate is committed to helping people rewrite their life stories. We empower youth, women and individuals by:
- Identifying unique talents that poverty often keeps hidden
- Providing resources, guidance and mentorship to build real skills and confidence
- Creating pathways to self-sufficiency that restore dignity and independence
- Breaking cycles of poverty through education, opportunity and sustained support
- Opening doors to better lives, locally and globally, for those determined to seize them
We don’t believe in charity alone. We believe in transformation: seeing the person behind the struggle, nurturing the spark within them, and walking alongside them until they can walk confidently on their own.
Our values
Dignity
Every person is valued. We build on strengths, not shame.
Sustainability
We create lasting change, not temporary relief.
Equity
We prioritise the most vulnerable.
Accountability
We measure impact and stay transparent.
Community
We work alongside people, not for them.
Our promise
Every person deserves a chance. Every life has value. Every story can be rewritten. We’re not here to save people. We’re here to empower them to save themselves, and in doing so, transform their families and communities.