Ria Badhwar - Serve Virginia

Ria Badhwar

February 13, 2025

Ria Badhwar is the founder of EmpowerNari, a nonprofit supporting women facing mental health issues.

“Growing up, I witnessed the struggles my mother faced with severe depression and anxiety,” she reflects. “This experience profoundly affected me, and in 2022, when my mother left abruptly, I too struggled with my mental health challenges. Through EmpowerNari, I’ve worked to address the lack of resources available to low-income women and teen girls in my community, where financial strain often exacerbates mental health problems due to the significant wealth gap in Loudoun County and the broader DMV area.”

To date, EmpowerNari has collected over 7,000 articles of clothing for Women Giving Back, a nonprofit shelter that provides free clothing to low-income women. The organization has also raised over $350 through a walk in partnership with City Girls Who Walk DC. EmpowerNari is also expanding its initiatives to advocate for greater mental health resources for teens in Virginia, including a trip to Richmond to lobby state lawmakers for increased support.

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