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JAMALI AND THE WORLD
Episode 01 · A Conversation with the Founder of AbleWithLove
MARIYA GHOTAWALA × ARWA DALAL TEENWALA
There are women who wait until everything is ready before they begin. And then there are women who begin because they cannot afford to wait any longer.
Mariya Ghotawala is the second kind.
A psychology graduate, a mother of two, and the woman behind AbleWithLove — a community she built for Dawoodi Bohra families raising children with special needs. She did not start with a perfect plan. She started with a quiet night, a thought that would not leave her, and the decision to stop waiting for the right moment.
We sat down with her — in writing, no cameras, exactly the way we like it — and asked her the questions we genuinely wanted answered.
This is that conversation.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
Before anything else — tell us who you are. Not the resume version. The real one.
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“Hi, I’m Mariya Ghotawala, living in Sharjah, a proud mom to two beautiful souls, and someone who probably asks more questions than she answers.”
A psychologist who leads with curiosity. That tracks.
She holds an Honours degree in Psychology with Management, but she is quick to tell you that what shaped her most was never a qualification. It was people. Their stories. The ones that go untold.
Recently, she started AbleWithLove — a space for Dawoodi Bohra families raising children with special needs to find each other, support each other, and feel a little less alone in a journey that can be very isolating.
“Most days, you’ll find me listening more than I speak.”
For someone building a community, that might just be her greatest asset.
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ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
AWL. Three letters that carry a lot. What do they actually mean to you?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“AbleWithLove is more than a name. It’s a reminder that every child is able in their own unique way, and every family deserves to feel seen, supported, and understood.”
She describes AWL as a safe space — not just for the children, but for the caregivers who hold everything together while quietly falling apart.
“Just as importantly, we shine a light on the mental well-being of caregivers, helping them navigate this journey through connection, conversations, and access to professional support when they need it most.”
The caregivers. The ones nobody asks about. That detail tells you everything about how Mariya thinks.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
Every initiative has an origin story. What was yours?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“There wasn’t one dramatic moment that pushed me to start. It was one quiet night that changed everything.”
She could not sleep. Her thoughts kept returning to the growing number of special needs children in the community and the families navigating it silently — unsure where to turn, unsure who to call, unsure if anyone else understood.
“That thought stayed with me and planted a dream.”
She did not wait for the dream to be fully formed. She did not wait for a plan, a team, a budget, or a perfect moment. She took the first step by starting small. By starting at all.
“I stopped waiting for everything to be perfect and took the first step by starting small, with AbleWithLove.”
There is a lesson in that sentence for every woman sitting on an idea she has not acted on yet.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
What do people get wrong about this work?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“I think one of the biggest things people underestimate is the emotional weight behind this journey.”
When conversations about special needs arise, the focus almost always lands on the child. Rarely on the parent. Rarely on the caregiver who has been awake since 4am, who has had to fight for accommodations, who has had to explain their child to the world more times than they can count, who loves with a ferocity most people will never understand.
“AbleWithLove is about recognising that the entire family needs support, especially the caregivers who often put their own well-being aside while caring for their child.”
The child is seen. AWL sees the family.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
What was the hardest decision you have had to make for this work?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“The hardest decision was allowing myself to start small.”
The dream she carried was much bigger — a physical space, a real place where children with special needs could walk in and feel completely accepted. She had to let go of that version to make room for the one that was actually possible right now.
“Letting go of the idea that everything had to be perfect before starting was challenging, but I knew it was right because every conversation, every family who reached out, and every story shared reminded me that this journey was needed.”
She did not wait for the perfect version. She built the necessary one.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
Who made you into the person who shows up the way you do?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“The families I have met through this journey have shaped me the most.”
Not a mentor. Not a book. Not a course. The families. Their resilience. The way they love their children through impossible circumstances and still show up the next day.
“My psychology background gave me the understanding, but these families gave me the perspective — to lead with compassion, listen without judgment, and create spaces where people feel safe to be themselves.”
She came in as the professional. She stayed as the student.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
If you could go back and tell yourself one thing at the very beginning, what would it be?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“I wish someone had told me that starting small does not mean making a small difference.”
She thought she needed a complete plan before she could take a single step. She learned that purpose creates its own path. That the plan reveals itself as you move, not before.
“Every story shared, every family connected, and every person who feels understood is a reminder that meaningful change begins with compassion and consistency.”
Compassion and consistency. Not scale. Not funding. Not a perfect strategy. Those two things.
— — —
ARWA DALAL TEENWALA:
Last one. A woman is reading this right now. She has something she wants to build, something she believes in, something she keeps postponing. What do you say to her?
MARIYA GHOTAWALA:
“I would tell her not to underestimate the power of one person choosing to care.”
She pauses here — metaphorically, because this is all in writing — and then says the thing that will stay with us longest:
“I have learned that sometimes you begin a journey thinking you are creating something for others, but along the way, it transforms you too.”
Build the thing. Not because it will be perfect. Not because the timing is right. But because the woman you become in the building of it is worth every uncertain step.
“Trust yourself, trust the process, and remember that your voice and your compassion have a place in this world.”
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Mariya Ghotawala is the founder of AbleWithLove — a community for Dawoodi Bohra families raising children with special needs. If this conversation found you at the right moment, share it with someone who needs to read it today.
To learn more about AbleWithLove, reach out to them directly on Instagram.
This is Jamali and the World — a written interview series featuring women from our community whose words deserve more than a caption. No cameras. No performance. Just conversations worth reading.
Arwa Dalal Teenwala
Founder, Jamali by Arwa Dalal 3