I am a qualified and experienced attorney and founder of a non-profit organisation aimed at assisting women and children in disadvantaged communities. I have been the director of an organisation called Lightworkers since 2013 which addresses drug rehabilitation, women empowerment, and poverty alleviation in impoverished communities in the south of Johannesburg. I have also held positions as Resource Acquisition Manager (2020) and Grants Officer (2021) for Joint Aid Management (now known as ForAfrica), and JISS as Marketing, Public Relations and Fundraising Manager. During my time at JISS I implemented programmes to tackle gender-based violence, helping to modify the behaviour of abused boys with the Stop It At The start campaign. Furthermore, I created a weekly drug rehabilitation counselling programme, a self-empowerment programme, and a home/aftercare centre to aid in alleviating drug abuse in communities. Being a mother of three, one with special needs, has driven me to be passionate about advocating against issues such as abuse, corruption racism, bullying and cultural intolerance in schools. 

Specifically, having chaired a School Governing Body has enabled me to create values-based programmes involving both teachers and parents that still stand today.  My background in law includes articles for Norton Rose Fulbright and Legal Advisor for Octogen Financial Services Institution & the Road Accident Fund. More recently I served as an Acting Magistrate at Johannesburg’s Children Court.I have also lectured Law at Varsity College and am therefore well-versed in the application of law in Human Rights’ social contexts. On a concluding note, I am humbled by those accolades earned throughout my years of community activism which include awards such as an Excellence in Teaching & Learning Award (2017), Women of Wonder Award (2018), Women of Stature Award (2019), Highly Influential Women Award (2019 & 2020). My most recent honour being the Red Blazer of Excellence & Achievement Award awarded by the global All Women Rock Foundation in 2021 for humanitarian work. In 2022/23 I received the Famram International Women’s award for work in community.

Kalai is qualified with a professional qualification in: B Social Science Hons (Social Work). She has her Honours in Personal Development and a Management Advancement Programme at Wits Business School. Her skills set includes working with impoverished communities and dysfunctional families. Her work focused largely on child abuse rehabilitation through art and play therapy for which she has a qualification. She developed and conducted training programmes on child abuse for primary and secondary school students and educators in the Greater Durban area. She established and ran a child abuse therapy centre. Kalai was very involved in fundraising and marketing of an NPO: Phoenix Child Welfare As a Training and Development Director at the Dept of Transport and Public Works, Kalai was involved in taxi training initiatives. 

She was the Head of Skills Development for 6000 employees including career pathing etc. She consulted on performance management for both government departments and the private sector Her main skills are Business strategy, Marketing, Development of training programmes, Training facilitation, Business start-up processes, People skills, Therapy and Counselling. Kalai's involvement in Ruhi Life: She has always been attracted to empowering marginalised communities ... excited by the fact that Ruhi gives an opportunity to operate a business while still being able to empower marginalised communities through empowering women. “Attracted to the concept of operating and growing a small business while still being able to fulfill my passion of working with less fortunate people."