OUR STORY

Manāna means "to celebrate" in Hindi, and celebrate is what we do. Manāna was founded in 2014 in Atlanta, GA by high schooler Saachi Datta in response to the hardships she saw refugee girls her age face when they came into the country. As a strong believer in the power of joy, she, along with a few classmates created a club to throw birthday parties for an after school program. Over the next few years, the the club grew and became a non-profit under the umbrella of the GivingPoint Institute. In fall 2018, we opened a branch in Philadelphia, and in 2020 we expanded to Seattle. Having broadened our reach across all three cities, Manāna is able to celebrate birthdays, as well as host celebratory occasions catered to each group of children. Now we are a 501(c)3 tax exempt non-profit organization. Spreading happiness is what we love to do, and we look forward to continuing our mission to reach more children!