My name is Diba, founder of Safe Chair, a nonprofit providing free health resources across California. Everything began with my grandmother, Malak, who taught me that health is built through small, consistent habits: nourishing meals, daily walks, curiosity, and care for others. At 43, she lost her husband and raised five children alone, relying on discipline and purpose. Her life inspired Safe Chair.

Safe Chair transforms quiet, preventative care into community-driven action. Our first initiative, Malak’s Women’s Collective, partners with beauty salons in low-income neighborhoods, turning trusted spaces into hubs for health education. Hairstylists are trained to discuss breast and cervical cancer screenings and share free health resources. The salon chair is a place of trust, where women often share their deepest fears long before speaking to a doctor. Safe Chair honors that space, helping people take the first step toward care.

We’ve expanded to organizations like Pars Equality Center, providing Persian seniors with culturally sensitive pathways to care, and partner with Bay Area Community Health on mobile mammogram days, linking families to health and housing resources. Beyond physical spaces, our Safe Chair Podcast offers practical wellness advice from professionals for everyday life.

Co-founder Jonas Peifer brings lifelong dedication to service, inspired by his grandfather Klemens. Jonas volunteered on Holocaust memorials (Stolpersteine) and with AIESEC before moving to the Bay Area, where he saw stark gaps in healthcare access, reinforcing the importance of community-based preventative care. Together, we share a mission: providing dignity, education, and access to those often overlooked.

Safe Chair is a living continuation of my grandmother’s lessons: creating spaces where people feel safe to speak, learn, and take control of their health.

For Malak. And for everyone who deserves the chance to live a longer, healthier life.