Indian woman killed in Mali attack ran an NGO in Chennai

Anita Ashok Datar, the Indian-American killed in the Mali terrorist attacks on Friday, was a development worker who had also co-founded a non-profit that works with women in Chennai.

Anita Ashok Datar, the Indian-American killed in the Mali terrorist attacks on Friday, was a development worker who had also co-founded a non-profit that works with women in Chennai.

Malian security officials show a jihadist flag they said belonged to attackers in front of the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali. (REUTERS Photo)

A resident of Takoma Park, Maryland, a DC suburb, Datar, 41 was a senior manager at Palladium, an international development firm with offices in Washington.

In a statement issued through the US state department her family said, “We are devastated that Anita is gone—it’s unbelievable to us that she has been killed in this senseless act of violence and terrorism. Anita was one of the kindest and most generous people we know.”

“While we are angry and saddened that she has been killed, we know that she would want to promote education and healthcare to prevent violence and poverty at home and abroad, not intolerance.” Anita Datar was born in Massachusetts. She grew up in New Jersey, United States of America, went to the Columbia University’s Joseph Mailman School of Public Health and School of International and Public Affairs.

She worked in Senegal for two years with the Peace Corps (1997-1999), and has spent much of her career working to advance global health and international development, with a focus on population and reproductive health, family planning, and HIV, the family said.

She was also a founding member of Tulalens, a not-for-profit organization connecting underserved communities with quality health services. The family said she is survived by her son, parents and brother.