A photo shared by Sheryl Sandberg on Instagram.
Facebook's second-in-command Sheryl Sandberg has shared a post detailing how women in India are supporting each other and their communities during the Covid crisis.
Ms Sandberg founded Lean In, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping "women come together to learn from each other and achieve their goals", in 2013. Since then, Lean In Circles have emerged in over 184 countries. Circles bring together women from all walks of life and in these small groups, "women get and give peer mentorship, sharpen their skills, and have a place to be unapologetically ambitious," writes the organisation.
In India, said Ms Sandberg in her Instagram post, almost all Circle Leaders have been affected by the devastating second wave of Covid infections, one way or the other. "Almost all of our @leaninorg Circle leaders in India have been affected by COVID-19, and many have lost loved ones," she said.
"I recently spoke with some of these Circle leaders to learn more about the grief and challenges they're facing," the Facebook COO wrote, adding that she was left in awe of the women who supported and helped each other through tough times.
Ms Sandberg went on to share the story of Sphoorti, a Network Leader with Lean In Bangalore. In her community, many women resigned from their jobs because they were unable to balance the demands of a career with housework and caring for children and in-laws.
"Sphoorti led an initiative to bring these women back to work," Ms Sandberg revealed in her post. "She reached out to their husbands and family members to explain the importance of stepping up at home, and connected them to families who were modeling ways of sharing work equitably."
Thanks to Sphoorti, almost all the women who had quit their jobs returned to the workforce. "During the pandemic, I have started using community and ideas in different ways to make sure that women stay in the workforce," the Bengaluru-resident said.
Sheryl Sandberg concluded her Instagram post with a word of thanks for Sphoorti. "Thank you, Sphoorti, for demonstrating how to show up for our communities in times like these," she said.
The post has racked up over 2,000 'likes', with many praising the initiative and the women who are a part of it.
"Keep up the amazing work you do," wrote one person in the comments section. "Heroes of our heart," said another.
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