Team

Shivraj is presently working as a Field Executive bringing together alumni groups who graduated from ECF’s Action for Equality (AfE) programme. Shivraj is a graduate of AfE himself and he supports other graduates to continue working for gender equality in their communities.

Shivraj loves to chat with his friends and mixes with new people easily. He recently became a father and intends to be an involved parent and caregiver to his daughter, breaking the norms that hold only a mother responsible for raising a child.

Mahesh holds a Master’s degree in Social Work but his journey towards this has not been a smooth one. He completed his primary school education in his village but had to walk to the neighbouring village to complete his secondary school education. He dropped out of school after an unsuccessful attempt at clearing his 10th standard examinations and started to work to support his family instead. After 2 years, he decided to complete his schooling and went on to pursue his graduate and postgraduate studies. As a Programme Mentor directly implementing ECF’s Action for Equality programme with adolescent boys in Pune, he empowers boys to challenge gender norms and stand up to pressures of masculinity.

Mahesh spends his free time reading, watching historical shows, and loves to trek and travel.

Vinod joined ECF in June, 2017 and has since become the person running the show behind the scenes. With him around, ECF will never be unprepared for a siege as he keeps the office well-stocked! He loves the way he is treated as a friend and involved in ongoing trainings in office and that motivates him to assist the team in every way possible.

In his spare time, Vinod loves to play cricket and is an expert in navigating through the traffic-ridden streets of Pune.

Lakshmi, fondly called Lakshmi Aunty, is among the oldest employees at ECF who joined when ECF was formed. Hers is the first greeting as you enter the office every morning. From the upkeep of the office furniture to the well-being of the entire team, she sees to it all as her personal responsibility. Driving up and down 14km every day, she finds her motivation in the respect with which she is treated by the team and the warm “family wali feeling”, says Lakshmi.

Lakshmi has picked up reading and writing and is now able to send her daughter messages on the phone. She loves cooking and has newly discovered her love for shopping online.

Sudakshina brings several years of programmatic experience with organisations such as NASSCOM, Global Communities and Concern India Foundation. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and presently manages the Research, Development and Evaluation team at ECF. Using multiple monitoring tools to assess ECF’s gender transformative programme Action for Equality, Sudakshina is fascinated by how the programme is evolving and becoming increasingly relevant through continuous innovation and experimentation.

Sudakshina is a voracious reader and loves to write and paint. After hours she can be found on stage enacting self-written and self-directed plays.

Priyanka brings two years of community-based experience to her work as a Programme Associate. It was while she was working on education for girls in Pune’s ASHA: Action for Self-Reliance + Hope + Awareness when she first began to feel the need to work with boys particularly on gender based violence and discrimination. She realized that without addressing the attitude of men and boys, the work on women’s empowerment could not be holistic.

Priyanka exudes positivity and brings stability to her team with her calm and collected nature. In her spare time, she is always up for a game of chess.

One of ECF’s longest running players, Pravin has been associated with ECF for over 8 years. Specialising in Rural Development, he holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. There are three things he mentions that motivate him to continue his work with ECF day after day. ECF’s vision is close to his heart as he imagines a world free of Gender Based Violence and is proud to be associated with its work with boys. Second is the space for creativity that he gets to explore new ideas and innovative ways of working. Thirdly, he smiles, ECF feels like home.

Always full of questions with endless possibilities, chai with Pravin turns out to be a most interesting affair. When not asking questions, he loves playing chess and watching movies.

Priyanka brings 5 years of expertise in handling accounts of multi-national organisations to the Finance Team. Along with a Masters in Commerce, she also holds a PG Diploma in Business Management from Shivaji University, Kolhapur. ECF’s goal to end gender-based violence and discrimination is what motivated her to join our team. Priyanka likes to spend her free time with her daughter. Her Marathi poems and short stories keep her creatively engaged.

Kirti handles the accounts and finances at ECF. She has a Masters degree in Commerce from the University of Pune and brings four years of experience in the finance sector. Apart from acquiring vital experience in financial management at ECF, Kirti is enjoying her first job in the social sector. “Having learnt more about ECF’s programmes, I am keen to be a part of a team that brings about attitude and positive behaviour change in young men,’ says Kirti. She loves spending her free time traveling with her son and daughter.