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The Context

India has a large number of local social entrepreneurs and grassroots initiatives working on various social issues in rural and urban areas. They play a significant role in shaping the social fabric of the nation, tackling grassroots challenges and bringing government schemes and programmes to the underserved communities. This role was duly acknowledged and appreciated by Governments and Development Actors across the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the grassroots initiatives and social enterprises effectively provided last mile delivery of services.

However, these social entrepreneurs and enterprises face several challenges that hinder their ability to bring sustainable change on the ground including lack of structured approach in their work and in presenting their work, dearth of resources and inability to access and tap locally available and in-country resources. In addition, with India emerging as a growing economic power, international donors too have started investing in other countries.

On the other hand, there are many rising opportunities. The Government of India is proactively leading the transformation of the social landscape by reaching marginalized communities through social development schemes, programmes and enabling legal mechanisms. India’s middle-class segment is also growing, along with rise in charitable giving. Additionally, being the first nation to legalize corporate social responsibility, India is providing a structured boost to development endeavours at the grassroots.

Smile Foundation, in alignment with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, has been working to empower social grassroots initiatives as well as social entrepreneurs towards self-reliance and sustainability. Empowering Grassroots is rooted in the belief that it is important to develop capacities and harness the capabilities of social change makers and grassroots initiatives, in turn enabling them to address the needs of the civil society by supplementing and complementing the efforts of the government and in line with the global development strategies, for gaining resilience, future readiness, credibility and local support.

About Us

Built on Smile Foundation’s 20 years of extensive experience working with social entrepreneurs and local initiatives in India, Empowering Grassroots brings an India focused program to strengthen the capabilities of social change makers and grassroots organizations towards better governance, strengthened leadership, resilience and sustainability. The program enables them to gain credibility and support. It also helps them become self-sufficient by honing their skills in identifying, accessing and mobilizing locally available resources.

2002-2003

Empowering Grassroots Initiative launched for capacity building of NGOs/CBOs.

2008-2013

Partnered with Wilde Ganzen Foundation to scale up the SVP projects. Joined Together for Change Alliance.

2014-2015

Completed training for 500 Grassroots level Organizations from India.

2016-2017

Launch of Change the Game Academy global program. Co-created the classroom course of Local Fundraising and Mobilising Support. Chosen as Nodal partner for Asia region for CtGA

2020-2021

Adapted classroom courses into virtual courses. A versatile pool of Trainers and Dedicated Team in place

2021

Training Initiatives Consolidated as Change the Game India. Completed training for 710 grassroot level organizations globally. A versatile pool of trainers and a dedicated team in place.

Our Globally Accredited Trainers

Sindhu Nambiath

Sindhu Nambiath heads the ‘Training & Research’ vertical in Smile Foundation. She is also national trainer on Mobilising Support and Scaling-up Management. Sindhu has done her Masters in Social Work from MG University, Kerala an M. Phil in Public Health from JNU, New Delhi. Sindhu is a recipient of JRF and SRF from UGC, Government of India. She brings more than two decades of experience in the social development sector in India & South Asia and in working with the government, UN, multi/ bilateral agencies & national organisations, on social policy & advocacy, evidence-based advocacy, research & evaluation, knowledge management, program management, capacity development, networking, partnership & organizational development.

Sakshi Rishi Varshney

Sakshi Rishi Varshney is working with Smile Foundation as an executive under Training and Research Department. She holds a degree of Masters in Social work from Amity University, Noida and Post graduate diploma in Behaviour and Counselling from Aligarh Muslim University. She has 5+ years’ experience in working with children, adolescence families and government drivers across India. Skilled in PAN India project implementation, Data Analysis, Budget preparation, Training of field workers, Individual counselling, Family counselling and working with CWC and DCPCR.

Mukesh George

Mukesh George is working with Smile Foundation as an Assistant Manager. A passionate facilitator, mentor and coach with 11+ years of experience in Training and Development. He is a Master trainer for Local Fundraising and Mobilizing Support, trained by Management for Development Foundation (MDF). He is a Non-Violence Communication practitioner. He also holds a certificate in Social Ethical and Emotional Learning (Developed by) Emory University and pursuing Masters in Social work. Talks about non-violence, empathy, education, self-reliance, communication, conscious decision making, awareness of actions, making informed choices and paradigm shift.

Manju Menon

Manju Menon is the Co-Founder and CEO of NuSocia – A Social Impact Advisory and Research firm. She comes with around 18 years of experience in the field of Social Impact across functions such as Project management, Partnerships, fundraising and capacity building. She is a graduate of globally renowned Goldman Sachs 10K women programme and pursuing her PhD in Social Entrepreneurship from TISS Mumbai. Manju is associated with EG since 2016, and is an International Master Trainer on Local Fundraising and Mobilising Support.

Sudipta Dhruva

With over 30 years of training and entrepreneurial experience, Sudipta has worked with schools and organizations in various capacities. She has developed curriculum, delivered training programs, designed events and produced TV shows through Ideas Box, a company that she co-founded under the Amar Chitra Katha group. A passionate storyteller and story harvester, she also works with business and impact storytelling for NGOs and the Corporate world.

Santa Sylvia

Holds a master’s degree in Sociology and Extension Education. Social Worker by profession working with NGOs since 2012. Passionate about impacting lives and creating a change. Santa has started skill training centres at various slums across Bangalore. She has started the POSH and set up ICC for leading international organization. She has trained over 100+ educational institutions, religious organizations, shelter homes etc. on child safety compliance.

Sujata Raghavan

Sujata Raghavan believe that communication is the key to realise individual potential and collective goals. And this is what her work spanning three decades reflects. Her role includes training rural communities in writing on social development issues, building media networks at the grassroots, editing, writing, translating articles from the field and placing these in the mainstream print media. She also contributes as Editor and Project Manager at Charkha Development Communication Network. She is also a national trainer on the theme Mobilising Support for EG.

Vivek Kumar Singh

A post-graduate in Medical & Psychiatric Social Work, Vivek works in AIIMS-Delhi as Medical Social Service Officer. He has a diverse experience as a Life-skill trainer with Don Bosco and he is also learning & sharing Nonviolent Communication (NVC) since 2010. An avid reader & cinephile, Vivek creates Sketchnotes & posters on his favorite concepts. He has also developed training material on different topics and coauthored a book on NVC. He got certified as a Trainer of Mobilising Support by CtGA in 2023.

Kaushik Mitra

Kaushik Mitra is a marketing and communications professional with over 15 years of experience in building awareness, engagement, and resources for international, national, and local non-profit organizations. He has a proven track record of creating impactful fundraising communication strategies, executing successful campaigns, and driving donor acquisition and engagement. With expertise in brand positioning, stakeholder mapping, and multi-channel communications, Kaushik has helped nonprofits establish strong identities and achieve their fundraising goals. In his previous avatar, Kaushik has held senior positions in communication agencies managing Fortune 500 brands in India and has led large teams across geographies. His repertoire includes advertising, direct marketing, public relations, digital marketing, alliance and partnerships and loyalty programmes.

Amol Dhakane

Amol Dhakane has 17+ years of experience in various areas such as Sales, Marketing, Business Strategy, Managing Profit Centres, Operations, Trainings and so on. Amol worked with companies like Tata Steel, Jindal Stainless, British Petroleum and currently he is working with NuSocia as Chief Operating Officer and with Smile foundation as Master Trainer - Local Fundraising. Amol is passionate about making an impact at grassroots level through training and coaching.

Richa Sahay

An Entrepreneur, a Life Coach and a Trainer, Richa is the International Master Trainer on Local Fundraising and Mobilising Support. She has trained and coached students, corporates, schools and NGOs empowering them in various capacities for more than 18 years now. Richa is the Founder of Kaivalya Foundation through which she is supporting individuals to create work-life harmony. Besides, she is also a Reiki Master.

Karen Grace Paul

Karen Grace Paul works with diverse populations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors as a trainer with 16 years of experience in education, human resources, and trauma-informed child and adult protective services. She has experience creating and maintaining training programs, conducting training for in-person courses and online training modules, and working with staff. Her work involves staff development, team effectiveness, NGO capacity building, fund raising, and training development for all levels of an organization.

Shantanu Basu

Trainer for Mobilizing Support training of Empowering Grassroots, Experienced Learning Development Leader with a demonstrated history of exceptional results. Skilled in Soft skills, Behavioral Training, Sales Training, Coaching, Team Building, Management and Leadership. Strong Training and Development professional

Manjusha Khedkar

Manjusha holds degree of Master's in Social Work from TISS, Mumbai, and a Master's in Law from Pune University. Having been part of various social initiative networks working with Adivasi communities in Maharashtra, her prime focus has been to design the curriculum and conduct training sessions for CBOs and village-level workers to achieve community mobilization. Her areas of work include supporting the establishment of women's enterprises, promoting forest-based livelihoods, and operating legal aid canters in tribal areas. She is working with Smile Foundation as a trainer - Mobilizing Support

Parvathy Ganeshan

A teacher, entrepreneur, social worker and trainer, Parvathy has been actively involved in the development sector for over 20 years as a volunteer and a leader. Completing her Masters in Chemistry with a University (1strank) followed by a degree in Education, she started her career, coaching and mentoring higher secondary girls. She now runs a successful online coaching centre for school students, and is part of the leadership team at ATMA Foundation, a non-profit voluntary organisation. She is working with Smile Foundation as a certified trainer of Local Fund Raising.

Evolution & Key Milestones

2002-2003

Empowering Grassroots Initiative launched for capacity building of social initiatives and social entrepreneurs.

2008-2013

Partnered with Wilde Ganzen Foundation to scale up the SVP projects. Joined Together for Change Alliance.

2014-2015

Completed training for 500 Grassroots level initiatives from India.

2016-2017

Launch of Change the Game Academy global program. Co-created the classroom course of Local Fundraising and Mobilising Support. Chosen as Nodal partner for Asia region for CtGA

2020-2021

Adapted classroom courses into virtual courses. A versatile pool of Trainers and Dedicated Team in place

2021-2022

Completed training for 710 Grassroots level initiatives globally. A versatile pool of trainers and a dedicated team in place.

National Reach & Presence

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