Parveen, a calm natured person and passionate to learn, joined PUKAR as a Barefoot Researcher and worked in a health project for five years. Following her passion she mentored adolescent girls in the Rise-Up Fellowship for a year before taking up the role of Assistant Facilitator in the Journey Towards Dignity vertical. Having completed her D Pharmacy, Parveen aims to continue her career in the social field to work with adolescent children on education and health related issues. Apart from academics, she is passionate to travel, enriching her understanding of diverse communities and societal issues.

Sheeba has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She has an experience of over 16 years working with different NGOs, focusing on groups of women and girls. She has also worked in the health sector. Her interests include conducting workshops on social issues for children, camps for community, counselling, networking with NGOs etc.

While pursuing her master’s in Marathi literature, Shrutika also became a PUKAR Youth Fellow, completed a diploma in Marathi journalism at St. Xavier’s College and an advance level course of Indian Society for Applied Behaviour Sciences (ISABS), thus giving her the edge to become a consultant. and her contributions to Mythology of Mumbai project continued simultaneously. Her research in public health issues has led to her co-authoring six papers in international peer reviewed journals and presentation at many national and international conferences including Harvard University. She is also the associate director for the “Information for All- E-Governance for All- Building Knowledge Bridge for Digital Divide” project supported by Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives and is responsible for all the programmatic implementations on the ground.

Shubhangi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. currently studying in MSW. She has an experience of over 10 years working with different NGOs, focusing on groups of adolescent girls. She has also worked with young people and parents. Her interests include conducting workshops on social issues for specially girls, holistic development of girls, counselling, networking with the NGOs etc.

She joined Rise-Up project at PUKAR in July 2015 and was working with adolescent girls to develop their leadership skills. She is now part of PUKAR’s “Journey Towards Dignity” (JTD) Project.

Tejal posseses a Bachelor of Science from Mumbai University, a degree in software engineering and a diploma in Public Health from the Public Health Foundation of India with a focus on Women and Children. After a pit stop in Indian Oil in software management she joined PUKAR as a youth fellow. In addition to co-authoring six papers in International journals, she presented her research on immunization and coding and mapping slum communities at the National Institute of Health Summit, Washington DC in 2012. In addition to her serious contribution to Mythology of Mumbai project over 7 long, years, now Tejal oversees all the field related activities of projects conducted under the vertical of Healthy Cities Wealthy Cities. Her special interests are in long term case studies.

When Vishal joined as Barefoot Researchers in PUKAR’s Flagship program of Youth Fellowship in 2014, he chose a very unusual topic for his research.  “Kamathipura, The Name, Fame and Fortune”.  His research on this most unfortunate community of Prostitutes in Mumbai’s Red-Light Area gave Vishal’s basic nature of care, empathy and sense of justice a great platform. Armed with an extensive experience in paraprofessional counselling Vishal worked with patients suffering from TB, HIV and Leprosy. He always worked with and worked for some of the most neglected and excluded people of his city. It is this proclivity for the poor and the excluded that makes Vishal an outstanding mentor and facilitator for the younger and marginalized youth. Vishal aspires to impart leaderships skills in himself as well as the youth he mentors.