Coming Together
Shaping the Future of Children through Education
BOARD
Our Governing Board sets the strategic direction and ensures that our work remains responsive to community needs.
Mr. Rama Rao
President
A development and humanitarian strategist and practitioner with over 20 years of cross sectors experience spanning in the areas of Child Development, Disability in Development, Partnerships Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Disaster Response & Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. He has undertaken strategic deployments in South Asia, especially in Nepal and Sri Lanka to support the country offices to launch large and complex emergency responses. He has provided strategic and operational leadership to implement multi-state and multi-million projects both in development and emergency contexts, including conflict sensitive areas. His experience of over 20 years is gained from international NGOs viz. Lutheran World Service India, Handicap International, Save the Children and ChildFund India. His educational qualification includes Masters of Rural Development and Technical Expertise in the areas of Disaster Management, Resilience Building, Child Protection in Emergency and Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods.
Mr. R Govindraj Michael
Vice President
A Programme and Finance Management Professional with 20+ years of quality work experience in the field of INGO finance management (Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation), project finance management, finalising accounts, contract & grants management, FCRA, taxation, procurement, capacity building, and various compliance report generation. R Govindraj Michael holds an IFRS – International Financial Reporting Standards certified professional, M.Com and M.A. Sociology. He has worked with reputed international humanitarian development organisations viz. PLAN INTERNATIONAL – (India Chapter), ICCO INTERNATIONAL, WORLD VISION INDIA, CARITAS INDIA, EMMANUEL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, CHRISTIAN MISSION SERVICE and NAVJEEVAN SEVA MANDAL. Working experience with EU, ECHO, Global Fund, Irish Aid, USAID, DFID, Dutch & German Govt Aid, UNDP, UNICEF and corporates grants funded projects in India and South Asia countries. Worked with top five audit firms in the world viz. KPMG , PwC, GT, EY and Deloitte. He has served on boards of several organisations and committees. He has travelled extensively to the rural parts of India and abroad, and has grassroots experience in various social sectors.
Mr. S. Bheema Rao
Secretary
Mr. Rao has over 25 years of experience in academic and international development agencies including World Vision India, Lutheran World Service India, International Justice Mission, Caritas India, Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, Department for International Development (DFID) Programme, GFATM (Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), JICA and Human Development Foundation School of Management. His educational qualification includes Post-Graduate Diploma in Management, M.Com, Post-Graduate Diploma in NGO Management, Post-Graduate Diploma in Rural Development, Diploma in Industrial Relation and Personnel Management and currently perusing Ph.D. in Transformation of NGOs in NBFC in Odisha; Issues and Challenges from Ravenshaw University, Odisha.
Ms. Ipsa Pratibimbita Sarangi
Joint Secretary
Ms. Ipsa is the Regional Lead for the East Central office of the National Foundation for India, where she leads programs for marginalized communities. With nearly 21 years of experience in the development sector, she has worked with organizations like PRADAN, CARE India, and NRLM. Her expertise includes designing, planning, and implementing large-scale governance and inclusion programs, capacity building for CSOs, women’s empowerment and promotion of gender equality, leadership enhancement, financial inclusion, and grooming development professionals. She holds a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication and a PG diploma in Disaster Management.
Mr. G.Krishna Rao
Treasurer
Mr. Krishna is a committed social worker having 18 years of experience in the development sector. He worked with various organizations including Nehru Yuva Kendra (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports), Lutheran World Service India, HSBC, Society for Welfare Animation and Development (SWAD) and De Paul Public School. He currently works with the Franciscans Missionary of Mary Social Service Society for the empowerment of children and women in coastal fishing villages.
Ms. B. Gopamma
Executive Member
She is the president of SHGs’ Federation (Divya Jyoti Mahila Vikash) with 20 years of field experience in SHGs mobilization. Gopamma has earned national recognition with fellowship from Ratan Tata Virtual Academy and Change Agent of Odisha award from Yes We Can, Bhubaneswar, for contributing toward women empowerment and promoting menstrual hygiene solutions.
Mr B. Daseya
Executive Member
Mr. Daseya is working in a Indian Rare Earths Limited (IRE) since last 15 years. He has working experience in Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust and HIV AIDS projects. Besides that, he is involved in different Civil Society organizations and passionately contributes in development sector voluntarily.
Ms. Pragnya P Sonal
Executive Member
Pragnya P Sonal is the Associate Director At Sutra Consulting Private Limited. She holds a Master's degree in Social Work from TISS, specializing in Urban and Rural Community Development with a focus on Economics and Statistics. With 18 years of experience in the development and government sectors, including roles at Sutra Consultancy and Living Farms, her expertise lies in project designing, monitoring, evaluation and networking.
Mr. Rayappa Kancharla
Executive Member
A development specialist with over 35 years of experience in humanitarian response and resource mobilization. He has led extensive emergency interventions, planning, resource mobilization strategies, and increasing organizational awareness through media coverage. His areas of expertise include disaster risk reduction (DRR), child-centered humanitarian response, and climate change adaptation. He has held several high level positions, including Head of Humanitarian & DRR-CAA at Save the Children, Vice Chairperson of the Sphere India Humanitarian Coalition, Regional Emergency Officer at Christian Aid, and Senior Manager of Public Relations & Communications at Caritas India. Under his able guidance, development and humanitarian initiatives have advanced both qualitatively and quantitatively, helping people all over India.
Ms. Prangya Parimita Behera
Member
With 12 years of experience, she holds a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.), and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. She is a Lecturer at Pingalakhi Special Diploma College. Her previous roles include State Coordinator at Score Foundation and the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch. She has also contributed to the Odisha Association for the Blind (OAB), Swabhiman (NGO), NYP, and NSS. She has presented various articles on disability issues.
