Board Members
Samerth Charitable Trust is governed by a Board which meets twice a year. The Board members are elected and serve a term of three years only.
Ms. Gazala Paul
Managing Trustee & Founder Member, Samerth Charitable Trust
Since May 1999 – working as Chief Executive Officer of SAMERTH Trust, a Gujarat based NGO. Her primary responsibility is to design and implement various projects for educational activities of the marginalized (due to geography or conflict) communities, livelihood promotions, prepare water security plans for the desert region, and developing peace building modules, and educating for tolerance and reconciliation, with educators and other leaders of civil society in Gujarat, North east of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland.
Since April 2006- she is a Consultant to Paul Hamlyn Foundation, UK as Advisor for developing programme on accessing quality education for the tribals and urban poor, disability rights, forest rights, enabling women’s role in local governance and addressing issue of violence against women for the west India programme.
She has previously worked with Oxfam-Great Britain as a Project Officer (1992 - 1999) for States of Gujarat & Rajasthan, developing programme on rights based issues for the vulnerable communities and mitigation strategy for disaster management.
Ms. Chinmayi Desai
Programme Manager at Saath Charitable Trust
Chinmayi has been leading on the Urban & Rural programme at Saath Charitable Trust. Supporting and Facilitating setting up of the home manager program systems, formalisation. Planning, design and implementation, monitoring, evaluation of Child Rights for Change project in 120 villages of Ahmedabad (rural district). One of her main areas of work has been designing curriculum and teacher’s training programme for education. One of the key persons in setting up the Advocacy and Networking Cell at Saath.
Mr. Gaurang Raval
Sauhard Founder Trustee/theatre Person
Gaurang Raval is building a youth movement, where they exercise an alternative citizenship of critical thinking, to vote truly based on their opinion and choices, rather than being influenced by the dominant narrative in society, ask questions to hold their governments and other institutions accountable, and finally, be problem solvers and leaders that create the future they want for themselves.
Ms. Nafeeza Pavri
Resource mobilisation and communication specialist
She has over 17 years work experience in the development sector including 10 years specialising in Resource Mobilisation, communication and non profit strategy and management. She has previously helped establish the Public engagement unit at Sense International India, an organisation specifically working on the rights and issues of deaf blindness across India. She has also worked as the Manager- Corporates at Akshayapatra Foundation. Currently, she is consulting with two organisations (Family Welfare Agency, Mumbai and Samerth Charitable Trust, Ahmedabad) on addressing immediate needs and issues surrounding resource mobilisation and communication and developing systems tailor-made for the CSO. She has conducted national and international trainings on resource mobilsation and communications in India, Nepal & Sri Lanka for organisations such as Lilian Fonds, Netherlands, British Asian Trust, UK & Shishu Sarothi, India to name a few.
Mr Pravinsinh Jadeja
Chitra Balakrishnan
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