OUR ENTREPRENEUR PARTNERS
The long term engagement of our alumni with the movement is quintessential to our cause. We work very closely with the entrepreneurs during the incubation year but once they join the Alumni movement, we are more focused on providing need based support enabling connections and collaborations in our community.
20
21
Aastha Kanodia
Surat, Gujarat
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics with Teacher Training
VISION
Astha Kanodia co-founded the Asaadharan Foundation in 2019, which develops accelerated learning programs in Surat’s two biggest urban slums. A lawyer by profession, she extensively worked with children before she realized that she wanted to change their life outcomes. Today, Asaadharan educates 1400 girls with six teachers through a peer-learning model.
Abhijeet Barse
Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Education through Soccer
VISION
Abhijeet Barse has closely observed how slum youth had to struggle for the same opportunities that he took for granted. His father started Slum Soccer in Nagpur, Maharashtra, with the simple idea that football promotes participation, inclusion, and unity and enables individuals to experience teamwork. Abhijeet continues his father’s legacy through Slum Soccer, which has reached over 50,000 children.
Ashita Nath
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh
AREA OF FOCUS
Education & Agriculture
VISION
When Ashita Nath noticed that Paschim Gaon, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, was struggling with open defecation, gender inequality, low farming income, and a high dropout rate in education, she wanted to make a change. She founded The Good Harvest School in 2016, an agri-based primary school for girls. The curriculum is designed for children to learn regular subjects and extensive lessons on sustainable agriculture.
Chandan Singh
Jharkhand
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
VISION
For 13 years, Chandan Singh has worked on mobilizing youth energy. He went on to form Pratigya, a Jharkhand-based social enterprise with grassroots initiatives in education, child care, and child protection. Pratigya also runs the state’s first life skills program that engages children in Social and Ethical Learning, Financial Education, and Legal Education.
Dadasaheb Gaikwad
Beed, Osmanabad, Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics through joyful and activity-based learning
VISION
Dadasaheb Gaikwad is originally a farmer. After five years of working in the corporate sector and various non-profits, he started Gram Urja. After participating in a rural immersion program for three years where he stayed in a village, he decided that he wanted education to help create community leaders. Gram Urja works towards empowering rural masses through interventions in education and livelihoods in Osmanabad, Latur, and Beed.
Mohammad Farooq Fazli
Jammu and Kashmir
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics
VISION
Mohammad Farooq Fazli has always had a special interest in understanding how conflict, fear, and political unrest affect the everyday lives of Kashmir’s people. ELICIT, a group of educational institutions, endeavors to tap into the tremendously gifted children of Kashmir. By changing the way education is perceived in the Pulwama Valley, he is developing the area through programs that inculcate the values of persistence and transformation for children and youth replacing violence.
Indrajit Sinha
Assam
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education & Youth Development
VISION
Indrajit believes that young people need to be equipped with tools to thrive in a challenging new world and that good teachers are always learning. Hailing from a small remote town in Assam, he started the We Are Young Foundation, a youth-led organization working towards adolescent and youth participation in governance and civic mobilization. Currently, WAY Foundation works with youth from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam.
Nikita Ketkar
Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Quality Education
VISION
Nikita has been a journalist, lecturer, and Social Worker. After 3 years at Save The Children India and Sahas Sports Foundation, she started Masoom, an organization focused on providing night school students with skills to unlock their full potential and find job opportunities. Masoom currently works with 85 schools based in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, and Nagpur, with more than 20,000 students.
Rinsa Perapadan
Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Computer Education
VISION
Rinsa is a social worker by degree and an educator by passion. Rinsa has been working with children from diverse backgrounds for the past 11 years. To inculcate the joy of learning, she started the non-profit Tinker Qubits in 2021 to address underprivileged girls in Mumbai dropping out of school disproportionately. Their programs are focused on empowering children with digital skills using computer programming and physical computing.
Santosh Phad
Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Computer Education
VISION
Santosh is from a small village named Mandwa, Maharashtra. When he noticed the gap between rural and urban education, he decided there needs to be a bridge between the two. He founded Thinksharp Foundation, which provides modern learning tools in rural schools which support financially disadvantaged children in rural Maharashtra. They provide safe learning spaces through books, games, and computers to students between the age of 10 to 20.
Souvik Saha
Singhbhum, Jharkhand
AREA OF FOCUS
Life-skill Education & Youth Development
VISION
Souvik conceived the idea of People for Change in 2010, a social enterprise based on the belief that the schooling system should have formal and structured spaces for adolescents to understand themselves and the world around them. In Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, they run multiple initiatives, including bringing learning to rural doorsteps and making a difference to 60,000 people.
20
20
Michael Babu Raj
AREA OF FOCUS
Children & youth affected and infected with HIV
VISION
Michael believes strongly in the power of education in building leadership and enabling spaces. Working with the Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) his work has a specific focus on children with HIV infections. The fellowship they’re working to launch will facilitate the completion of schooling in the context of stigma, specialized healthcare needs as well as economic challenges, psycho-social support, vocational training and life skill education.
Karnataka
Samyak Jain
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics through peer learning
VISION
Samyak Jain’s personal experiences in peer mentorship gave him a new perspective on educational inequity in India. As the first organization in India focused on delivering a contemporarily relevant syllabus based on collaborative, peer-learning ‘Involve Learning Solutions’ is creating an all-new learning ecosystem. By empowering students within the community to act as educators, they have a unique model of fellowship which inculcates values such as agency and responsibility.This experience-based leadership model is a mutually beneficial model helping all involved to learn valuable life skills, get personalized education and exposure with Involve’s support systems and resources.
Chennai and Bangalore
Ganesh Birajdar
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
VISION
With a specialization in cognitive science and psychology, Ganesh Birajdar approaches holistic education from a uniquely informed perspective. Its rigorous data-driven approach makes ‘Learning Companions’ incredibly adaptive in the education space. Their Fellowship program is working to create education leaders who would work towards creating effective, engaging and inclusive learning spaces for children from marginalized communities. Their mission is to transform the education landscape of Nagpur and nearby districts in the next 10 years by creating about 300 education leaders and helping about 20,000 children to become self-aware, independant learners.
Nagpur, Maharashtra
Kamlesh Atwal
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics
VISION
Dr. Kamlesh Atwal strongly believes that social equity goes hand in hand with education. His school ’Nanakmatta’ focuses on teaching not just academics but also a way of life. At this school, traditional rote learning takes a back seat to a meaningful understanding of the subject matter. They’re presently looking to achieve this vision through the launch of a fellowship program. Having a diverse set of students, he works to cultivate a learning space of inclusion and sensitivity to minorities.
Uttarakhand
Pratap Kumar Pradhan
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
VISION
The organization ‘Gramothhan’ has a dual focus on both education and ecology, working to create learning spaces that promote sustainable local livelihoods. Pratap Kumar Pradhan believes in the power of empathetic education and the capacity for teachers to be social change makers. This change is soon to be implemented by fellows and students based within these communities. With over five years of experience across the development sector and skill development, he has made it his life's goal to be engaged in meaningful service to others.
Sakshi Srivastava
AREA OF FOCUS
Out of School Children
VISION
Sakshi Srivastava’s Anubhuti Foundation works to exponentially minimize school dropouts with their integrated, community-driven curriculum. With her diverse set of experiences working with organizations like Goonj, Gandhi Fellowship and the Chief Minister Good Governance Program, she is uniquely placed in creating holistic educational interventions. Adapting quickly to the COVID - 19 Pandemic, she launched The Nivala Campaign which distributes essential supplies to daily wage workers across the country.
Gurugram, Haryana
Summaiya Afreen
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
VISION
Summaiya Afreen has experienced first hand the constraints of being a woman within a conservative society. Tired of these socially constructed gender roles, she was inspired to revolutionize the system from within. She co-founded a Social Enterprise Lakshya Jeevan Jagriti which has a dual generational focus, working not only with children but also their mothers. With a Masters Degree in Social Work and over ten years of experience in the women empowerment spaces, she has a unique perspective and understanding of these issues. With a wide range of programs from developing IT capabilities to vocational and corporate skills, she works to empower women to be leaders in their communities.
New Delhi
Tabish Bilal
AREA OF FOCUS
Prevention of Crime
VISION
Tabish Bilal's experiences working with underprivileged children from a variety of backgrounds made him realize the transformative power of education. A strong believer that the actions of the past should not define their future, he set up 'Project Second Chance.' A project under Turn Your Concern Into Action (TYCIA), working to educate the incarcerated. Through their fellowship model, they help build capabilities and life skills, making them ready for the outside world.
New Delhi
Vaishnavi Srinivasan
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
VISION
Vaishnavi Srinivasan’s personal experiences with the education gap, left her determined to end this cycle of low confidence and low-quality education. With this end goal in mind, ‘Bhumi’ works to transform schools systems into more holistic learning systems. Their fellowship program presently allows for fellows to contribute their own innovative teaching methods and to build a forum for idea exchange and proof of value. Ultimately, they hope to create leaders in education and to build a self-sustaining system of change.
Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
Venkatesan N
AREA OF FOCUS
Out of School Children
VISION
Venkatesan N's personal experiences with vernacular schooling in a small town, made him realize the revolutionary power of education. Through Vidya Poshak, he works to provide support structures to young, meritorious students constrained only by a systemic lack of resources. Vidya Poshak is almost entirely community driven with donors, resource persons and student volunteers. Through finances, guidance, skill training as well as educational resources, Vidya Poshak works to empower the youth to be change makers and leaders going forward.
Dharwad, Karnataka
Vidhya Das
AREA OF FOCUS
Academics and Holistic Education
VISION
Her unique understanding of the systemic and multi-layered exploitation of the poor inspired Vidhya Das to create ‘Agragamee.’ With a dual focus on economic development and social mobilization, it has a reach across the most backward blocks of Odisha. They presently have an open volunteering service but are looking to launch a fellowship program soon. With credentials ranging from the Jamnalal Bajaj Award to the Odisha Legends Award, Agragamee has certainly left its mark in the education sector.
Rural Orissa
20
19
Mathanmi Hungyo
AREA OF FOCUS
Whole School Transformation
ABOUT
Understanding the challenges in pursuing quality education in conflict zones, Manthanmi Hungyo decided to create ‘Recognize Rise And Empower Association'. An organization dedicated to sustainable development of women in border areas in North Eastern India. Their work extends to areas such as education, livelihoods, sports and health. Focused on collective responsibility, RREA strives to attain an equitable society where justice, peace, and equity prevails.
Imphal, Manipur
Tejaram Mali
AREA OF FOCUS
Rural development
VISION
Tejaram realized the importance of sustainable development in education, specifically for rural areas. His work through Manthan Sansthan works to address basic needs through small practical works linked to global knowledge on development. Their focus is on tribal communities, women, small farmers as well as children and youth. Their fellowship also provides opportunities for students from universities to not only aid this process of education but also learn about Rajasthan’s culture and traditions.
Kotri, Rajasthan
Irfan Shahmir
AREA OF FOCUS
Sustainable community development through excellent education
ABOUT
The complex nature of the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir crippled its education system, leaving its youngest, most vulnerable. To alleviate their suffering through quality education and give them a way out of the cycle of poverty and violence, Irfan Shahmiri established CHINAR International. They supplement this educational intervention through international support from volunteers that include youth development and monitoring child development.
Jammu and Kashmir
Sajida Vadgama
AREA OF FOCUS
Inclusive Education
VISION
Sajida believes that if every child with disabilities is included within society, they have better chances of reaching their maximum potential. Her organization ‘Ummeed’ creates these safe and inclusive spaces by working in conjunction with parents, teachers and other major stakeholders. Their immersive 2 year long fellowship works to build a network of Inclusion Champions.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Khushali Samriya
AREA OF FOCUS
Building life skills and providing career
ABOUT
Khushali realized early on that education was more than just academic skills. She founded H.O.P.E to help students develop skills relevant to emotional intelligence and to create positive change. These skills are integrated within formal classroom spaces and then practiced in both home and school spaces through community engagement. Their Fellowship Program facilitates this Program by engaging the youth to act as role models within this community.
Bhopal, MP
Gitanjali Babbar
AREA OF FOCUS
Empowering women and their children living in brothels of GB road
ABOUT
Gitanjali believes that the tool of empowerment for the marginalized is education. To that end she established ‘Kat-Katha’ an organization dedicated to fighting forced sex work. This education extends to skill training as well as healthcare and legal awareness. Through educating and empowering the women working in the brothels of G B road, she aims to give them the chance to live a life of their own choice with dignity, ownership and compassion.
New Delhi
Neeladri Bora
AREA OF FOCUS
Whole School Transformation
ABOUT
Neeladri’s own experiences with rural education in the North East made him determined to ensure that every child in the remotest parts of the country should have access to a quality education. He established the ‘Northeast Centre for Equity Action on Integrated Development’ to work towards creating these spaces. Their 2 year Fellowship Program includes interventions such as the use of an integrated curriculum and a differentiated teaching approach as well as ensuring child centric agenda setting through community engagement.
Guwahati, Assam
Maanasa Paramasivam
AREA OF FOCUS
Sustainable rural development through excellent education
ABOUT
Maanasa’s personal experiences with rural schooling pushed her to look for, and eventually create better sustainable education spaces. Barefoot College works towards this goal by emphasizing a hands-on, learning-by-doing approach and focus on poor, isolated communities to broaden their access to education. Through the Barefoot TALL Fellowship, Fellows are trained to develop teaching skills as well as their philosophical understanding of education itself. An exciting added benefit is the exposure to rich rural Rajasthani culture.
Tilonia, Rajasthan
20
18
Rahul Aggarwal
AREA OF FOCUS
Science, Technology and Innovation
ABOUT
Rahul and Ridhi Aggarwal wanted to bridge the gap between real development and education. Their after school project ‘Swatantra Talim is an initiative for hands on learning. Here students are encouraged to question and innovate at their learning centres, facilitated by their Fellows. They believe that children are the key innovators in the process of facilitating social change.
Lucknow and Sitapur, UP
Subhankar Paul
AREA OF FOCUS
Holistic Education
ABOUT
Subhankar believes that once you empower people from the community, they can collaborate to create systemic change in the community. To that his organisation works to ensure that all children, irrespective of their backgrounds get an education that will empower them to be change makers in their communities. Through their two year fellowship, graduates from the community work as educators and support overall development in a diverse set of roles.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Adwait Dandwate
AREA OF FOCUS
Out of School Children
ABOUT
Vardhishnu’s initiative Anandghar (A Home of Happiness) creates an ecosystem of learning and support for street children specially child waste-pickers and child labourers. Fellows work within Community Learning Centres which acts as a bridge between the children, parents and the schools. The emphasis is on making small positive behavioral and emotional changes through this education. Ultimately, supporting these children to make a smooth transition into mainstream schools.
Jalgaon, Maharashtra
Ajay Kumar
AREA OF FOCUS
Environmental Education
ABOUT
Ajay Kumar works to create community change at an individual level. To do this his organization Teach For Green works to promote values of sustainable co-existence. With a Do-It-Yourself Approach to green energy, waste management, water conservation and more sustainable practices, they work to build entrepreneurial spirit and an environmentally conscious society. Under their Fellowship Model, students become eco-leaders and spread environmental awareness in their community to promote indigenous sustainable solutions.
Palamu, Jharkhand
Surender Yadav
AREA OF FOCUS
Preparation of Jawahar Navodaya exams
ABOUT
Surender saw the growing apathy among his peers to the education crisis in India, and decided he wanted to make a difference. His organization ‘Self Reliant India’ works to eradicate the gap across barriers such as race and socio-economic status. They believe in delivering quality education through community participation and ownership. The Fellowship Program also helps children prepare for admission into Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and other such entrance examinations.
Rewari, Nuh, and Jhajjar, Haryana
Henna Khan
AREA OF FOCUS
STEM Education
ABOUT
Sustaining children’s curiosity and interest in STEM fields was Henna Khan’s initial incentive to establish ‘Universe Simplified.’ USF is an interdisciplinary approach based on real world challenges which inculcates critical thinking and problem solving skills in children. Their Fellowship Program works not just in the execution of STEM based curriculum but also engaging the broader community of parents and teachers. Ultimately, they’re working to create a world where children can apply science and technology to solve real world challenges.
Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra
Meghna Chawla
AREA OF FOCUS
Overall development of children
ABOUT
Meghna Chawla’s extensive teaching experience made her realize that most children don’t find classroom learning to be engaging. She decided to be part of the change by creating meaningful and exciting classroom spaces. Her organization’s Beacon Educator Fellowship works to accomplish this by working directly with government school teachers to help them internalize practices that encourage children to discover and express themselves. Her organization Foster and Forge works to build a sustainable learning community through engaging with schools, parents, community leaders and children themselves.
Uttar Pradesh
20
17
Vinayak Mali
AREA OF FOCUS
Experiential Science & Math
ABOUT
Vinayak believes in the power of bringing change by creating social leaders from within the education system. His organization Vidyoday Muktangan Pariwar works to help implement a replicable and scalable model of education across schools in India. Their community centres also allow for experimentation through their problem-based learning systems which encourage new curriculum.
Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Ravi Dhanuka
AREA OF FOCUS
Building skills in young community educators, with the aid of digital technology
ABOUT
Ravi realized the need for capacity building in children from the marginalized sections of society. They carry out this goal through enlisting local youth as Edu-leaders, which allows for higher quality education to children at a much lower cost. This also acts as a stepping stone for youth to build their capabilities to pursue their aspirations, attain higher education or become mainstream education professionals.
Bihar
Divakar Sankhla
AREA OF FOCUS
Student leadership; Holistic Youth Development
ABOUT
Divakar established Alohomora to help students find and pursue careers they’re passionate about. With a focus on ensuring that they’re equipped with the knowledge and opportunities best aligned with their interests and aptitudes, Alohomora works to unlock each child’s innate potential. Fellows of this program consist of community youth presently pursuing their graduation from similarly underserved communities. Essentially, building the leaders of tomorrow throughout the classroom.
New Delhi
Sandhya Gupta
AREA OF FOCUS
Science & Math experiential learning
ABOUT
Sandhya Gupta knew science and mathematics to be the fundamental tools to understand and formulate the world around her. To foster the same interest and love for these subjects, she began Aavishkaar. A hands-on experiential mathematics and science program for the underprivileged. Their unique and innovative modules, get children to truly engage with the subject matter. They also focus on teacher training in how to facilitate discussions, make lesson plans and explore solutions together with students.
Palampur, Himachal Pradesh
Suraj Sudhakar
AREA OF FOCUS
Fitness and Sports in Education
ABOUT
Suraj believes that the sedentary nature of contemporary life is adding to the pressing nature of India’s health crisis. His organization CoolCoach, works to reclaim the space of Physical Education (PE) in schools once more. This is done through identifying and training promising athletic youth from underprivileged communities to help them build a successful career in the sports/fitness industry. Ultimately, by creating awareness among the children they give them the tools to bring about an active change in their life.
Pune, Maharashtra
AREA OF FOCUS
Education through art and storytelling
ABOUT
Happy Horizons Trust was founded by husband-wife duo Kshitiz Anand and Vatsala to tackle the literacy problem in Bihar. Through their unique application of design thinking and storytelling in learning, they work to develop critical thinking skills. Their Fellows consist of high school girls that not only get to develop relevant skill sets but also transform mindsets within their communities. By rewriting these gendered roles we work to give girls access and exposure to different career opportunities for their growth.
Kshitiz Anand
Saharsa, Bihar
Vivek Kumar
AREA OF FOCUS
Integrated Learning
ABOUT
Vivek realized that to truly effectuate change, one must build relationships with the community along with imparting education. To accomplish this goal, he established Kshamatalya, an organization working with rural, tribal and semi-urban communities. Their work makes use of an immersive action-oriented approach. Their fellowship model helps young people gain experience and learn new aspects about themselves whilst also supporting children in developing their self-designed learning spaces. Ultimately, they aim to create spaces for re-imagining and developing mindfulness, systems thinking and incubation spaces for children and communities.
Kotra, Rajasthan