Heart to Heart: Sneha Sabu on Empowering Communities and Inspiring Change

The journey of Sneha Sabu is one of influence and purpose. Her work demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the world, from developing strategies to address homelessness in 18 Asia-Pacific countries to writing award-winning books that inspire and educate. Sneha discusses advocacy, artistic expression, and the value of connections in this interview. Come along as we examine her incredible accomplishments, her driving forces, and the lessons she has discovered.

Sneha, thank you for joining us today. Could you start by introducing yourself and telling us about your background, your work, and the vision that drives you?

I hail from Kangazha, a village in Kottayam district in Kerala, India. I moved to Australia in 2009 after getting married.

I began my career as a journalist. At the age of twenty-three, I was the Chief Operating Officer of a media production house. However, I felt the need to learn and evolve further and resigned from my job for a fresh start. My strategy journey began with World Vision in India in 2006 as a Corporate Planner, where my early lessons in strategy commenced. In 2011, I moved to Thailand to undertake a strategy role for Habitat for Humanity International. I was responsible for preparing country strategies for eighteen countries in the region—a very rewarding phase of my strategy journey.

I worked with multiple international NGOs, government agencies, media, and the private sector. I believe strategies can play a role in making a difference in the lives of people. I saw this with the reduction in mortality rates and sustainable, award-winning communities.

I am not confined to one passion. Strategy is my full-time work, but I find it meaningful when strategies can change lives in a positive way and make our communities more sustainable. Writing is my hobby. I want my writing to influence and change societies. I am pursuing my PhD part-time. In everything I do, I want to find purpose and meaning. This drives me.

You’ve worked with organisations like Habitat for Humanity International and World Vision, influencing strategies across multiple countries. Can you share some of the most impactful projects you’ve been part of and the challenges you faced?

While working with World Vision in India, I visited Baran District in Rajasthan. Every house I visited in one of the villages in Baran had four to five children suffering from kwashiorkor and marasmus. This visit was a revelation for my strategy journey. I had the realisation that the theories and concepts of development strategies do not always work. We need to constantly change and evolve with changing times and the needs of the community. Every country I visited had a distinct set of challenges. There was never a one-size-fits-all approach.

With Habitat for Humanity, the lessons I learned were different. In Thailand, floods washed away several homes. The houses had to be rebuilt on four pillars, with their bases elevated. Meanwhile, the urban slums of Manila required a new housing model to meet the growing housing demand.

Your book Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben addresses critical safety topics for children. What inspired you to write this book, and what do you hope children and parents take away from it?

According to UNICEF, millions of children face child sexual abuse every year. Creating awareness among children is one of the ways by which we can protect them from abuse. This book is a small step in creating awareness among children on a range of issues, such as good and bad touches, how to be safe in school, how to be safe while going to and coming back from school, safe sleepovers, and a secret code. My vision for every child is a world free from abuse. I am hoping this book will help create awareness among children and parents.

Your poetry collection My Lost Pages delves into societal issues and encourages reflection. What inspired these poems, and how do you see poetry as a tool for change?

Circumstances and situations in real life inspired me to reflect deeply and look at life differently. I want my poems to help people appreciate the mundane, reflect on daily life, and make a difference. Simple language and topics that connect with people and what people experience form the core of my poetry. If poems can help people think differently and trigger change in their minds, that is a beginning.

Winning numerous awards for your books is a testament to their impact. Could you share more about these recognitions and what they mean to you as a writer and advocate?

Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben has been honoured with the Difference Maker Award from Store with a Heart. This recognition highlights the book’s impact in promoting child safety and education. My Lost Pages received an Honourable Mention in the BREW Readers’ Choice Award 2024-2025, securing over 4,000 votes from readers worldwide. This accolade underscores the collection’s resonance with a global audience.

The awards include but are not limited to the following:

• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – Books for Humanity Global – Book of the Week, December 3, 2024
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – 2023 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honourable Mention in the Global and Social Issues category
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Winner in Children’s Interactive
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – May 2022 BREW Reader’s Choice Awardee
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – BREW Seal of Excellence 2022-23
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – May 2022 International Impact Award
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – BREW Book Excellence Award 2022-23 – Children’s Activity Book
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – BREW Reader’s Choice Book of the Year 2022-23
• Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben – 2022 Story Monsters Approved Winner in the Education/Reference category
• My Lost Pages – Literary Titan Gold Book Award
• My Lost Pages – 2025 Voyages of Verses Book Award
• My Lost Pages – July 2024 BREW Reader’s Choice Awardee
• My Lost Pages – American Book Fest – 21st Best Book Award Finalist in Poetry Contemporary

When I wrote my first children’s book Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben, all I wanted was to make a difference in the lives of children. Nothing else mattered. I was not sure if I was a good writer or whether people would be able to relate to and understand my writing. When the awards kept coming in, it was overwhelming initially. It was also an affirmation of the acceptance the book received. This meant a lot to me as an amateur.

When I wrote My Lost Pages, people around me said, “Do not expect any award for this book. It is just a poetry book.” These comments came before reading the book. I had absolutely no clue what to expect with My Lost Pages. But the response I received from my readers was the biggest affirmation a new writer could ever receive. The awards added to this acceptance.

Your weekly calls to support friends and create a safe platform for them to share is a deeply personal initiative. How has this experience shaped your understanding of mental health and connection?

We are all busy and have fully loaded plates. Though I value people, it was when I lost one of my batchmates that I realised how important it is to connect with people and be there for them. At times, when people go through demanding situations and circumstances, they feel lonely and do not have anyone to share their woes with. I do not want to lose another friend just because they did not have someone to talk to. This is why I am intentional about my relationships with friends. Time is the biggest gift you can give someone. The conversations I have with my friends enrich not just our friendships but also our mental well-being.

During the pandemic, you developed the Pandemic Prioritisation Matrix to assist decision-making for Australian councils. What led to this innovation, and how did it influence communities?

The Pandemic Prioritisation Matrix was prepared to help councils in NSW make decisions to support communities during the pandemic. It was rolled out to sixty councils in NSW. As a strategist, reviewing changes to macroeconomics and their impact on communities is part of my role. However, finding a meaningful dimension and producing models that provide benefits is part of my desire for sustainable communities.

Having worked in diverse regions and contexts, what universal lessons about community-building and advocacy have you learned along the way?

Embracing uniqueness and differences is important in understanding communities. Customised community-building that caters to the needs and aspirations of the community is sustainable. Advocating for policy shifts and systemic changes is time-consuming. However, the rate at which socio-economic and environmental changes impact communities is much faster. Therefore, advocacy must consider the big picture and factor in variable shifts within the advocacy issue area.

Balancing creativity, advocacy, and strategy is no small feat. How do you maintain your drive and manage your time across such varied pursuits?

I work full-time, study part-time, and write in my free time. Well, it is not easy to juggle it all. Work is my top priority, and I constantly prioritise and reprioritise other commitments. I am passionate about everything I do. I constantly see myself as a guinea pig in a lab that is part of a scientific experiment. Unless you constantly test, you do not explore your capabilities. It is a continuous learning curve, and you constantly evolve.

Lastly, what advice would you give to individuals who aspire to create meaningful change in their communities, whether through advocacy, writing, or other avenues?

All you need to do is get started and give your 100%. You will constantly evolve, learn, and work through the reality. Hurdles and challenges are all part of the journey. Stay resilient, and you will eventually get there.

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About Heart to Heart

Heart to Heart is HeartBeat’s interview series that features candid conversations with inspirational people who are truly changing the world. From social entrepreneurs and grassroots activists to organization founders and community leaders, every conversation goes deeply into the experiences, difficulties, and driving forces behind their influential work.

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