Dr. Malini Saba Calls for a Shift from Performative Charity to Transformational Systems Change

Nevada, USA, 29th August 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, Global entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Malini Saba is calling for a reexamination of the way individuals and organizations approach giving, advocating for a move beyond temporary fixes toward long-term, system-level change.

In a recent conversation on success and leadership, Dr. Saba shared deep insights into what she calls the “Band-Aid model” of charity—quick fixes that address symptoms rather than root causes. Her decades of experience funding and building initiatives across education, healthcare, and economic development have led her to one central conclusion:

“Pity doesn’t change the world. Systems do,” Dr. Saba stated. “If we stop at food drives and school donations without changing why people are hungry or uneducated in the first place, we’re just managing poverty, not ending it.”

Why Systems Change Matters

Globally, over 700 million people still live in extreme poverty (World Bank, 2023), and nearly 244 million children are out of school (UNESCO). Maternal mortality remains a crisis in many regions due to systemic healthcare failures, not a lack of supplies. Dr. Saba believes these issues demand more than charity — they require structural reform.

“We invest in women-led cooperatives in South Asia. Not just to hand out money — but to help women own land, run businesses, and create generational wealth,” she explained. “We support mental health clinics in underserved U.S. communities, training professionals from within those neighborhoods, not outside them.”

Her foundation doesn’t rely on traditional donors. Instead, Dr. Saba self-funds her philanthropic work through the returns from her global investment firm — a deliberate choice to keep values and outcomes aligned.

“When you take outside money, you often take on someone else’s vision. I fund what I believe will create lasting, local transformation,” she noted.

A Different Kind of Giving: From Relief to Resilience

Dr. Saba’s message goes beyond how we donate — it’s about how we think about impact. She wants people to move from feel-good acts of giving to thoughtful, durable support.

“Handouts help in a crisis. But long-term, people need power — not pity. That means changing who holds the mic, who makes decisions, and who benefits,” she said.

This includes asking harder questions:

• Who decides how aid is spent?
  

• Are we solving the actual problem, or making ourselves feel better?
  

• Are local voices at the table — or being spoken over?
  

She challenges donors, community leaders, and everyday people to be more intentional in where they put their time, money, and trust.

A Call to Action: What You Can Do Now

While many assume systems change requires wealth or power, Dr. Saba believes individuals can begin right where they are. She offers practical steps:

• Educate yourself on the root causes of the issues you care about.
  

• Listen to local voices and support organizations led by people from the communities being served.
  

• Fund movements, not moments — prioritize long-term partnerships over one-time donations.
  

• Ask better questions about where your money goes and who it benefits.
  

• Invest in advocacy and policy reform, not just short-term aid.
  

“True success,” she says, “is when your impact outlives your presence — when you’ve helped create a system that no longer needs saving.”

About Dr. Malini Saba

Dr. Malini Saba is a self-made entrepreneur, psychologist, and founder of the Saba Family Foundation. With a career spanning over 30 years across sectors including healthcare, fintech, commodities, and real estate, she uses her business returns to fund systemic social initiatives around the world. Her work focuses on long-term solutions in education, mental health, and economic empowerment — especially for women and children.