What inspired you to join the Child Family Health International (CFHI) team in India?
My husband does a lot of work with universities and trade missions in UK and I used to help him in his work. I myself was working with a national non-profit in the field of preventive health care for almost a decade. When I saw this opportunity in my mailbox, I knew that this was meant for me.
At a Sikh Temple with students over the weekend
Can you tell us about your role as the India Country Director?
My main role as Country Director is to ensure that the program participants leave with a learning experience and create memories for themselves. Anything that falls in between to make that happen is my role. It includes working with the Medical Directors and preceptors to give the participants the quality program, making sure that the students have comfortable and safe housing arrangements, ensure that they are able to explore and experience culture of India by visiting places of prominence, not only by tourism perspective but by a local’s as well.
What challenges do you face in this role and how do you overcome them?
The biggest challenge in the early days of my work was being a woman in a male dominated society. This was also the subject of my panel discussion at UN Headquarters in New York. Slowly with time, work ethics and professionalism I overcame the challenges and gained the confidence of the team I created to make the programs successful.
At the program site in a lecture with students
In what ways have you helped CFHI grow in India?
When I joined CFHI in the year 2005, we had only three programs in India. Now we have eight programs running successfully.
How are your interests in rural and urban healthcare, water and sanitation, gender, and social development integrated into your work?
I have been able to cover some of these subject areas in our Public Health program.
You studied Business and Commerce and also Fashion Design. How does this background influence your work today and work experience in the health sector?
The diverse knowledge of subjects, confidence in achieving my goals, and passion for doing the same with heart and soul helped me in looking at everything in a larger perspective. Business helps me in keeping all the accountability and development of programs budgeting etc. Similarly fashion is an endless subject that keeps updating and it’s a part of life. For me to be able to design my own clothes and make designs for participants who get clothes stitched here is rewarding in itself. The work experience of the health sector I gained from being in the field starting and coordinating the largest health fair in the world that takes place still today every year, which has a daily footfall of almost 75,000 to 130,000 people.
If you could participate in a CFHI program, where would you go and what would you do?
It is difficult to say which program I would like to attend. I would like to experience all of the programs as a participant from time to time to see what more we can add on and improvise based on the participants feedback which we take very seriously. Before planning the programs, I personally try to get the feel and learning experience of the program, and only when I have the confidence in all aspects of a program, we put it online. I stay in the housing arrangements that we pick-up for program participants myself before we recommend to any participants.
Why do you think it is important for people to travel and experience new cultures?
Every culture is different. It is important for us to experience new cultures to be able to appreciate your own culture even more. Every society has positive and negative things. By experiencing the new culture, you appreciate your own culture more and bring the positive side of the other cultures to your own.
Traveling - at Machester United Stadium in United Kingdom
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel to me is not only about volunteering or interning, that is just the tip of the iceberg. It is about discovering yourself, your strengths that you never thought you had. Growing as an individual. Meeting new people, learning about new cultures, learning new languages. Doing what locals do, shopping where locals shop, eating local food.
What hopes do you have for the future of CFHI in India?
Currently, CFHI has programs in all directions of India except the East. I would like to have a couple of programs in East and South-East of India. Eventually, maybe have programs throughout Asia.
