India As a medical student, Suyash saw there was a gap in the medical curriculum with the over-medicalization of sexual and reproductive health and the information needed for abortion providers to offer realistic, compassionate care for their patients. Suyash then cofounded India Safe Abortion Youth Advocates, a network of medical students working to promote women’s right to safe abortion. Suyash … Read More
Jitender Naryanan Bhardwaj
India Jitender is a peer educator and facilitator dedicated to shifting the narrative around LGBTQ+ community health, gender, and masculinity for healthcare providers and public transportation. Through his organization Beyond Eye, Jitender is creating a curriculum with on-the-ground engagement and mixed media to expand non-judgmental safe spaces. Fiscal Sponsor: Development Consortium (implemented by Beyond Eye) Project Title: Comics for Change … Read More
Jahnavi Sharma
India Jahnavi leads a team at Love Matters India to provide information on love, sex, and relationships in the state of Bihar, India. She works to normalize conversations on comprehensive sexuality education by bridging the gap between online and offline space, with the help of digital toolkits and peer educators. She is working on expanding Love Matters India to create … Read More
Japleen Pasricha
India Japleen smashes the patriarchy for a living. She is the founder & editor-in-chief of Feminism in India, an award-winning digital feminist media platform. She is also a TEDx speaker and a UN World Summit Young Innovator. Japleen has researched the impact that language and images have on communities and is developing a toolkit on the use of ethical, accessible, … Read More
Shalu Pandharinath Gaikwad
Sampada Trust Shalu has worked with Sampada Trust to create change agents at the grassroots level for the last 13 years. When she first started, Shalu was working in 25 villages. She is now working in 103 villages. Her current role is to strengthen adolescent girls’ groups, establish linkages with stakeholders, and lead the capacity building of 50 grassroots changemakers. … Read More
Tania Fernandes Echaporia
Red Dot Foundation (Safecity) Tania leads the Red Dot Foundation’s groundwork in India and initiates outreach with partner organizations worldwide. She has personally conducted training for over a thousand people, including children, and has been designing the training programs for Red Dot for the last four years. She works with over one hundred volunteers and youth every year to enhance … Read More
Dilip Alla Rathod
SIPRA, Social Institute Program for Rural Area Dilip is from a nomadic community and currently works for children of the nomadic Banjara community through a CRY (Child Rights and You) supported fellowship. Through his organization, he takes a holistic approach to address a multitude of issues, including alcoholism, land ownership, forest rights, food security, basic entitlements, women’s empowerment, and strengthening … Read More
Avinash P. Magar
Janwadi Gram Vikas Pratishthan Avinash Magar is a certified trainer by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Hyderabad, India. He uses advocacy to bridge the gap between people and policy. He strongly feels that people have power but are voiceless without the right knowledge. As a trainer, Avinash has worked with the elected women representatives of … Read More
Vanita Kamble
Ekati Sanstha, Kolhapur Vanita is a strong believer in hard work, commitment, and people-led advocacy. She is advancing gender equity through her work with women waste pickers and by enabling more girls to pursue their education. As a project coordinator, Vanita organizes women and girls, generates awareness about their needs, and teaches them to raise their voices for their rights. … Read More
Panchshila Kumbharkar
Krantijyoti Panchshila works as a coordinator and is an organizer of the National Dalit Movement for Justice. The direct focus of her work is on the prevention of violence against Dalit women and girls. She believes that empowering women and building leadership among them is key to breaking the culture of silence and challenging the larger patriarchal structure. Hence, she … Read More
