India Country Lead

Vidhu manages Rise Up’s Gender Equity Initiative in India. Prior to joining Rise Up, she worked at Population Services International, Oxfam India, Room to Read, and other women’s rights organizations. She has developed results-oriented programs and designed advocacy strategies to advance gender justice and promote leadership, education, and access to water and sanitation services for women and girls. She has also steered policy influencing women’s empowerment, led campaigns on ending violence against women and girls and minimizing gender gaps, and developed strategic partnerships with government departments, NGOs, educational institutions, and media. Additionally, she researched and co-authored the book Withering Flowers, a Criminal Tradition in India, about caste-based prostitution.

Vidhu has a Master’s of Science with a specialization in Microbiology, a Diploma in NGO Management, and she is a graduate of the Leadership Institute on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Vidhu firmly believes that the right of women and girls to live with dignity rests upon their ability to realize their full potential and minimize power imbalances across all spheres of life.