Fellows

Anuradha has been working in the international nonprofit sector as a human rights practitioner for over five years. Her interest in human rights began in college when she got involved in a project which provided legal aid to slum dwellers. She then interned with a criminal lawyer where she was required to work with victims of violence and abuse. This job encouraged her to join HRLN (Human Rights Law Network), a leading human rights organization of lawyers and social activists where she worked for three and a half years on issues such as rights of the children, refugees, women, disabled, prisoners, and trafficked persons. Her work included litigation as well as conducting trainings, workshops, advocacy campaigns, and other capacity building programs and policy interventions. She later joined STOP (STOP Trafficking and Oppression of children and women), a grassroots organization working on anti-human trafficking initiatives. Anuradha has traveled extensively, including to Sweden, Iran, Nepal, England and the Netherlands, attending international conferences on issues such as child protection policy, disability, and trafficking in persons. Anuradha received her LLB in 2002 from University of Bangalore, India, and was awarded the William Ross Murray scholarship in 2008 to pursue her LLM in international human rights law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Host Organization: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services

Asmita has been actively involved in the nonprofit sector, particularly in the fight against child slavery, since childhood. Before coming on the Atlas Corps Fellowship, she was a research assistant with CORD (Collaborative Research and Dissemination), a social research group that fights for the rights of the disadvantaged through meaningful, field-based research. At the age of 10, Asmita gave a speech in a U.S. Congressional hearing and addressed a Canadian Labor Congress convention against child labor; she has continued her work for human rights and social justice throughout her education. In college, Asmita worked as a student intern at the University of Iowa’s Center for Human Rights. She has been a proponent of grassroots activism in India, starting a student movement against child labor, and also has experience working with the U.S. Senate and the ILO (International Labor Organization) in Geneva. Asmita holds a B.S. in economics from the University of Iowa.

Host Organization: International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children

Deepa has seven years of intense work experience in the nonprofit sector, where she trained and facilitated leadership experiences for young students around the world. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Rajasthan University and started working with AIESEC in 2007 as a volunteer. Most recently, Deepa worked as a management consultant and counselor/trainer for young people. Before that, she worked with AIESEC International for a year, where she was responsible for handling operations in the Asia Pacific region. Her main role was to guide young student leaders from different Asia Pacific countries to coordinate the operations and align their national strategies with the global strategies of AIESEC for growth and development. Deepa was the President of AIESEC organization in Mauritius for two years. During her tenure, she initiated various projects on issues like Environment, Youth leadership, Cultural Understanding, Education & Sports, Gender, and Drug abuse. Additionally, the projects also provided a platform for the local youth to discover and develop their leadership potential. She got reputable companies involved in these projects as CSR, and worked very closely with government bodies to get support and recognition for her projects. She also got her environment project funded by UN Habitat in Mauritius. For three years, Deepa volunteered with a child development nonprofit organization, rural development organization, and AIESEC. Deepa is very interested in youth development & empowerment, social enterprise management, and international exchange programs. She has a passion for training, facilitation and project management. She also cares deeply for animal welfare and environmental conservation.

Host Organization: Youth For Understanding

Role at Host Organization: Deepa will begin the implementation of a 5-year business plan with the primary focus being on the diversification of YFU’s revenue sources; including both short-term and long-term recommendations for YFU. This will allow the organization to operate more effectively.

Gargi has more than six years direct experience in anti-human trafficking and youth rights. Since April 2005, Gargi has been a senior program coordinator at CHILDLINE India Foundation where she coordinates and monitors programs in five northern Indian states. Working in 75 cities across India, CHILDLINE is the nation’s first 24-hour emergency phone service for children in need of care and protection. Gargi also assists in the arrest and prosecution of traffickers, for which she has posed as a decoy client and rescued 15 minors from trafficking through police raids in Delhi. Previously, Gargi was the city coordinator for CHILDLINE Delhi (2003-05) and the center coordinator with the Prayas Institute of Juvenile Justice (2001-03), a NGO working for marginalized children, women and youth in India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Gargi has been invited to speak about her work in trafficking and sexual abuse on many occasions, including a regional trafficking conference in Tokyo, Japan, at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi, and most recently by Scotland’s Strathclyde Police in June 2006. In 2004, she was selected as one of the “50 Dynamic Women” by the U.S. Ambassador in Delhi, and in 2005, was nominated as a Young Indian Professional Leader by the U.S. Embassy. Gargi earned her B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Delhi.

Host Organization: Ashoka Youth Venture

Indrias has a total of seven years of experience in the development and humanitarian sectors. She recently worked as a Social and Behavior Change Officer at UNICEF Indonesia where she managed a total budget of US$ 190,000 for four Risk Communications and Community Engagement (RCCE) projects in South Sulawesi and Maluku, Indonesia, to implement behavior change communications strategies and demand creation for COVID-19 vaccination through capacity building for healthcare workers, teachers, parents/caregivers, community and religious leaders, journalists, and youth. Finda earned her Master’s degree in Children, Youth and International Development from Brunel University London and her Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from the University of Indonesia. During her studies in London, Finda did an internship at StreetInvest, a nonprofit working on the issues of street children in West Africa, East Africa and India, where she supported the production of Impact Reports for StreetInvest for 2019/2020 term by reviewing and analyzing data collected at projects in Kenya. Prior coming to the UK, Finda worked as an Advocacy and Partnership Officer at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Center for Early Childhood Care and Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP), where she designed, planned, and implemented advocacy and partnership strategies on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). She also liaised and built partnerships with 11 Ministries of Education in Southeast Asia and a range of other organizations such as UNESCO, Plan International, and Aide et Action. Finda is passionate in the topics of children education and women empowerment.

Host Organization: Women’s World Banking

Role at Host Organization: As a Policy Advocacy Fellow, Indrias will help accelerate the policy advocacy process at the Women’s World Banking, assisting in delivering parts of the policy and advocacy strategy and goals set for the next five years. The Fellow will engage withpolicymakers and regulators in the area of women’s financial inclusion and encourage them to make changes where needed to improve the enabling policy environment for women’s economic empowerment. The Fellow will work on projects from different countries, particularly in the Women’s World Banking’s focus countries of Cambodia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam. The Fellow will also draw together from the organization’s existing work, build further the policy positions, and advocate to new audiences, which will be very beneficial to Women’s World Banking.

Karuna holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi in India, and a Graduate degree in Information Technology from the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), in India. She has extensive experience working with communities and the government sector, as well as six years of experience in the non-profit sector. Karuna has engaged in volunteer work with prominent nonprofits such as Prayas, Project WHY and Rotaract in India. Initially, Karuna enjoyed a brief exposure in the corporate sector with IBM and Adecco India. In her most recent role, Karuna worked as a Program Officer with Multiple Action Research Group (MARG). Her experience includes project management and implementation in the areas of empowerment, gender & governance, media and policy advocacy, youth development and capacity building on projects supported by UNICEF, UNDP and Oxfam India. She has closely worked with the media, advocacy groups, and the Delhi Task Force to combat trafficking and to mobilize support and create awareness of child labor. Prior to MARG, Karuna worked with the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), one of India’s leading non-profits, contributing to multi-donor projects in order to combat human trafficking. As a part of the Delhi Task Force on Child Labor, she led teams in rescuing more than 300 victims of human trafficking from Jharkhand, Orissa, Rajasthan, Haryana, West Bengal, Bangladesh & Nepal. Karuna is passionate and committed to the cause of working towards bettering lives of marginalized women and children.

Host Organization : CARE International

Role at Host Organization: Karuna will be engaged in supporting research and analysis around implementation of donor and government policies addressing early forced marriage in Bangladesh and Nepal and will contribute to the development of an advocacy strategy to influence key stakeholders at global and national level. Karuna will also be engaged in supporting the Tipping Point team in strategic planning and project implementation including activities aimed at capacity building, communications and knowledge management.

Natasha conceptualized and implemented a nation-wide program aimed at sensitizing the youth and mobilizing thought and action around the cause of women’s empowerment while working at CARE India as the Youth Engagement Coordinator. Previously, as part of Ashoka’s Full Economic Citizenship initiative, Natasha supported marketing and communication efforts for the ‘Global Summit of Housing Entrepreneurs’ held in Barcelona, Spain. She also assisted volunteer teams with strategies for onsite implementation and event delivery. Natasha has held multiple leadership positions in AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization, which she was a part of for three years. She partnered with thirty-five NGOs focusing on HIV/AIDS, education, and child rights, and implemented innovative social projects that combined international exchange programs with local awareness events. She organized Delhi University’s first HIV/AIDS testing drive and facilitated HIV/AIDS and reproductive health workshops for over 500 students. Additionally, she led six diverse and multicultural teams throughout her tenure and in 2009, was selected to represent AIESEC India as a cultural envoy to Turkey. In 2010, she led a five member international team and handled media relations and PR for India’s largest youth congregation comprising of 700 young leaders from 110 countries. Through these experiences, Natasha has honed strong communication, project management, and leadership skills and has grown into a committed and ambitious nonprofit professional. Natasha has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Delhi, India, and is a strong advocate for women and children’s rights.

Host Organization : PYXERA Global/US Center for Citizen Diplomacy

Neelima Raheja is a creative and passionate development professional with 6+ years of experience, and a diverse skill set across project management, capacity building, program strategy & design, and implementation. She discovered her passion for empowering the community and working in the nonprofit sector during her college years, wherein she volunteered for high-impact civic initiatives on issues such as education, gender-based violence, environment, and mental health. She holds an undergraduate degree in commerce; with a diploma in Guidance & Counselling from Panjab University. In her role with Bhumi as a Program Director for Supplementary education, she designed the program’s long-term strategy to ensure holistic education and sustainable livelihood for the children from under-served backgrounds. Previously, Neelima worked with Make A Difference – a volunteer-driven organization, as a Program Operations Director to improve the long-term outcomes for youth from institutional care by supporting and preparing them for life outside institutions. She is currently pursuing a Diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy and Masters in Counselling Psychology. Her goal is to continue empowering children and youth through holistic care with a focus on emotional well-being for better life outcomes.

Host Organization: Heartland Alliance International

Role at Host Organization: At Heartland Alliance International, Neelima will be serving as the Field and Program Operations Fellow. Neelima will help standardize operations and key business process workflows, and support the organization’s strategic planning process. The Fellow will support the development of a global field operations manual and contribute to the new roadmap and strategy for the organization’s future. In addition, the Fellow will provide support to local Chicago-based efforts to support health and healing activities held in conjunction with HAI’s Kovler Center.