At 50 years old, amidst a successful career as a Fitness Professional and Celebrity Trainer to clients like Halle Berry and Jessica Alba, I felt incredibly blessed in what I have accomplished so far and wanted to find a meaningful way to give back and to pay it forward.

In 2014, I traveled to Mumbai to receive Vogue Magazine’s “Fitness Expert of the Year” award and to promote my book “Feel Fit Look Fantastic in 3-2-1,” I realized during
one of my signings that here I was, in these luxury gyms surrounded by male trainers. At that moment, I decided it’s time for me to work toward uplifting, empowering, and educating female trainers.

Around the same time, a friend of mine recommended that I reach out to Prerana,
a charity founded by Priti Patkar that rescues young girls from sex trafficking in Mumbai’s dangerous red-light district. Prerana provides shelter at Naunihal, offering education and vocational training to young girls, survivors, aged 8-18. I remember thinking this is it, this is my calling to give back. I contacted Prerana and offered my exercise classes – 3-2-1 Empower was born!

During subsequent trips, I enlisted master trainer Nisha to hold regular sessions and prepare interested girls for certification. By 2016, 20 girls had become certified 3-2-1 Empower trainers.

In 2017, we obtained official 501(c)(3) status in the US, organizing our first fundraiser to purchase equipment for the girls at Naunihal and build a small gym in their home.

In late 2019, our graduate Jayashree began teaching a half-hour workout at a local gym for female members, sadly the pandemic brought a halt to this in 2020.

At the start of 2023, we rolled out its first online training session at the Dragonfly Transitional Home in Oklahoma City, USA. Online sessions enable us to reach survivors not just in India and the US but worldwide.

With a lifetime of experience in fitness, Ramona recognizes the profound impact regular exercise has on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of young survivors in recovery programs. The work of 3-2-1 Empower is crucial for these girls and all those living in poverty.

~Ramona Braganza, Founder of 3-2-1 Empower