Join the Mission
Kindness grows when it's shared. Nizi Bhandari began this journey with one belief — that if you can help, you're the chosen one — and what started as a single act of giving is now reaching thousands. This page is an invitation: to give back, in whatever way you can, and help the mission grow far beyond what one person could ever do alone.
Where it began
One person can start it. Many can carry it.
When Nizi Bhandari first arrived in Australia, kindness was shown to his family by people who had no reason to help — except that they could. He never forgot it. Years later, as a father to Shiv and Iva, he made a quiet promise: to pass that kindness on, again and again, for as long as he's able.
That promise became the Iva and Shiv Foundation. It started with school supplies for a few hundred children. It has since grown to reach thousands — and the dream is to keep growing, one child, one family, one good deed at a time. But a mission this big was never meant to be carried by one pair of hands. It grows every time someone new decides to join in.
That someone could be you.
What the mission does
Four ways kindness reaches people who need it
School supplies for children
Backpacks, books and the simple tools that let a child stay in school — handed out in person across remote villages and slum communities of the Philippines, with music, dancing and joy.
Standing with cancer patients
Through House of Hope, the foundation stands beside families facing cancer — offering support and encouragement in some of their hardest moments, so no one feels they face it alone.
Skills for single mothers
Helping single mothers learn new skills to earn an income and stand on their own — because lifting a mother lifts an entire family with her.
Micro-grants for young entrepreneurs
Small grants that give young people the first push to start something of their own — turning ambition into opportunity, and opportunity into independence.
The dream
"We've reached thousands of children. The dream is a million. We've only just begun — and there's room for everyone in this."— Nizi Bhandari
How you can join
You don't have to do everything — just something
Give or sponsor
Sponsor a set of school supplies, contribute to a giving drive, or support a family in need. Get in touch and we'll find the right way for you to help.
Share the story
Kindness is contagious. Follow the Iva and Shiv Foundation and share its work — one share can inspire the next person to give.
Partner with us
Run a business, a school or a community group? Partner on a drive or an initiative. Reach out and let's create something together.
The stories behind the mission
Why Nizi gives — in his own words
Why I Named It After My Children
The two names behind every school bag — and the promise a father made.
A Meal Instead of a Holiday
How a beach trip turned into a meal for street kids — and changed everything.
From 7,000 to a Million
Why the count so far is only the warm-up for what's coming.
The Faith Behind the Giving
How devotion to Shirdi Sai Baba fuels every act of kindness.
The Godmother Who Taught Me to Give
The guiding light of Sushma Lal, and a legacy lived out loud.
From New Delhi to Melbourne
An immigrant's road from receiving kindness to giving it back.
Good to know
Joining the mission — common questions
How can I help Nizi Bhandari and the Iva and Shiv Foundation?
There are many ways to join in: sponsor school supplies for a child, partner on a giving drive, share the foundation's work with your own circle, or simply get in touch to find a way to help. Every contribution, large or small, reaches a child or family who needs it.
What does the Iva and Shiv Foundation do?
Founded by Nizi Bhandari and named after his children, the foundation gives school supplies, food and encouragement to children across the Philippines, stands with cancer patients through House of Hope, helps single mothers build skills to support their families, and backs young entrepreneurs with micro-grants.
Why does Nizi Bhandari give back?
Nizi believes that if you ever see a chance to help someone, that means you are the chosen one for that moment. His giving honours his children, Shiv and Iva, and the kindness once shown to his own family — a belief that no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.