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SENIOR STAFF

SWATI NURPURI :-  Swati has been working for DIR since 2018 and was referred to the job by her university professor. She completed her education at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research in Chandigarh. Swati decided to work at a non-profit instead of a hospital after graduating as she was able to explore, learn and contribute her own ideas in ways that working at a hospital would not have made possible. She helps families by coming up with and teaching them recipes that are healthy and affordable, and teaches mothers about nutrition in order to improve the health of their children and to prevent malnourishment. Swati gains a high satisfaction from her job as she can now see her work directly improve the lives of the people in this community. She has seen many children go from the red-zone all the way to the green-zone as a result of her work. She has given dietary counseling to many children in the community who suffer from celiac disease or lactose intolerance. Swati’s commitment to this organization has led the residents to respect her, trust her council, and change their mindsets.

MEDICAL TEAM

BANITA RAWAT (FIELD COORDINATOR):- Banita has been working at DIR since 2008 when they expanded their health care program to include more of Janta Colony. Banita loves to counsel the residents of Janta Colony and pass on her healthcare knowledge to them. She has taught women to make oral rehydration solutions and in turn those women brought that knowledge back to their villages and saved the lives of people suffering from diarrhea caused by water-borne diseases.

VEENA RANI (FIELD COORDINATOR):- Veena has worked for DIR since 2006 and was one of the very first health promoters hired to work for this organization. When DIR first started working in Janta Colony, the residents lived in mud houses, had zero knowledge of basic health care or nutrition, and often suffered from preventable diseases through lack of hygiene. Veena has been part of DIR’s work to educate the community on the importance of family planning, immunization, oral rehydration solution, how to improve basic hygiene and nutrition, and how to prevent the spread of disease. Veena’s council to mothers to the community and her referral to DIR’s nutritional program has prevented the deaths of many children.

MEENAKSHI NEGI |(FIELD COORDINATOR):- Meenakshi has worked for DIR since 2008. When she was pregnant, one of DIR’s health promoters visited her for prenatal and antenatal check-ups. She loved the work of DIR and when her son was six months old she became a health promoter herself. She is proud to have a job where she can practically help the people in her community, as she has seen her neighbour’s health improve substantially throughout the last eleven years she has been working for DIR. She has seen mother’s mindsets change on how to raise and care for their children after they have listened to the HPs counselling. The mothers that have received council from Meenakshi in turn council other mothers in their community about vaccinations, nutrition and other health care issues. This education has a multiplication effect as the women she teaches pass that knowledge onto other women.

SUNITA MUKHIYA (SENIOR HEALTH PROMOTER):- Sunita has worked for DIR since 2006 after DIR staff had come to her house and told her that there were positions available for more health promoters. The very next day she came to DIR’s headquarters and was selected to be a Health Promoter; she started work the following day. Sunita has seen this organization grow from meeting underneath a tree in Janta Colony to the organization it is today. She has seen the standard of the HP’s knowledge go up dramatically, as women like her joined the organization with no understanding of healthcare practices, but through daily lessons with doctors and nutritionists, they now have enough knowledge that they are able to pass it onto the women in their community. Sunita holds weekly committee meetings for the residents of her assigned community to teach them on disease prevention, nutrition, and to hear their concerns and views as well. She has seen a transformation of the health and wellbeing of the residents of her community, as they now value education and know how to treat their own health care needs when they arise.

SANGEETA (SENIOR HEALTH PROMOTER):- Sangeeta has worked for DIR since 2007 after she passed her high school exams. She loves being a health promoter because of the relationships she makes with the people in her community. She is able to connect to people’s hearts as they share their concerns and problems with her and she feels proud to be able to help her neighbours. She has been able to see a transformation of mothers from being unwelcoming to the HPs into becoming friends with them. Through classes and education Sangeeta was taught the skills needed to dispel myths that mothers believed, and slowly children in her community became healthy and mothers began to trust DIR’s work. Sangeeta’s warm personality has helped her develop many friendships with mothers who were once apprehensive of her work. She has seen her community of Janta Colony improve in many ways because of the work of DIR- mothers are giving birth in the hospitals and know the importance of breastfeeding, children are better nourished, their physical and environmental hygiene are much better, and women know how to make oral rehydration solution.

SUSHMA BISHT (SENIOR HEALTH PROMOTER):- Shushma has worked for DIR since 2007 after another health promoter referred her for the position. She enjoys learning about the lives of the people in her assigned zone; how they earn a living, what their family structure is like, how they are fighting each and every day to solve their own problems. Shushma works with the mothers in the community to counsel them on how to improve the health of their children and enjoys answering any questions they have about their concerns. She often encounters migrating population in her community of people who go in between living in the city of Chandigarh and living in the village, and takes pride knowing that these women she councils are able to pass that knowledge onto other women in their village as they go back home. She has counseled families on the value of education, and has seen many children in her assigned area go to school because of her council, which will open up job opportunities in these children’s futures to raise their socio-economic status.

LATA GOSAIN (SENIOR HEALTH PROMOTER):- Lata has worked for DIR since 2008 after she saw the value of DIRs work in her community. She likes to council people, learn about their struggles, and offer them help wherever needed. Lata has found the majority of families in the community did not know the importance of immunizations, and her council has led all the families in her assigned zone to immunize their children. Before DIR started working in Janta Colony, families did not know how to prevent diseases or how to treat diarrhoea, but after council from HPs families now know about their diseases and know how to treat them.

DIMPLE BARUA (HEALTH POMOTER):- Dimple has worked for DIR since 2017 after she was referred to the job by her neighbour. Her favourite aspect of the job is learning about health care, nutrition, and being able to pass that information onto her neighbours. She has seen her neighbourhood transform from DIR’s work and is proud to be a part of an organization that educates and employs women in her community, raising their standards of living.

LATA CHAUHAN (HEALTH PROMOTER):- Lata Started working at DIR in 2021, DIR is teaching her the necessary communication skills and healthcare knowledge to be able to counsel young, pregnant mothers with health concerns. She is grateful for the education DIR is giving her that allows her to serve her community and see a transformation in their wellbeing. 

LATA CHANDEL (HEALTH PROMOTER):- Lata Chandel Started working at DIR in November 2021, DIR is teaching her the necessary communication skills and healthcare knowledge to be able to counsel young, pregnant mothers with health concerns. She is grateful for the education DIR is giving her that allows her to serve her community and see a transformation in their well being.

LAKSHMI DEVI:- Lakshmi Devi Started working at DIR in 1st February 2022, DIR is teaching her the necessary communication skills and healthcare knowledge to be able to counsel young, pregnant mothers with health concerns. She is grateful for the education DIR is giving her that allows her to serve her community and see a transformation in their well being.

SWAD SCHOOL TEACHERS TEAM

SAROJ PATHANIA (TEACHER):- Saroj has been working for SWAD since 2016 and teaches our 5-year-old SWAD students. She has the big job of teaching the students how to read and write and preparing them to apply to English medium schools in Chandigarh. Before working for DIR, Saroj taught high school students, so it was a learning experience for her as well to learn how to teach younger children, luckily Manjeet coached her on how to teach young children successfully. Saroj’s favourite subject to teach is Math.

LATA THAKUR (TEACHER):- Lata has worked for SWAD since 2016 and teaches our 3-year-old SWAD students. She enjoys teaching the young children for their cute mannerisms and their eagerness to learn. She has seen the children from the basti become excited to learn and their parents start to value education. Lata’s favourite subject to teach is English.

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