Meet Our Winning Team
Medical Officer
Dr Sulbh Sharma – divides his time between working for the charity and his own practice. He holds weekly clinics at our centre, and travels three times a week into the urban slums with our mobile medical unit, providing primary health care to some of Nagpur’s poorest women. He’s very popular with our patients, not only because he gives excellent treatment, but also because of his empathy towards those with socially taboo conditions such as leprosy and HIV. A perfect gentleman and consummate professional, Dr Sharma occasionally allows us to enjoy his fun side.
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Avinash Joshi – is one of Vidarbha’s most senior Psychiatrists. He’s been associated with the charity for over 15 years, and transformed the lives of women suffering from chronic and neglected psychiatric conditions. He is a quiet, cultured man who appreciates and sings Indian classical music. Dr Joshi created the www.brainmuseumnagpur providing a comprehensive history of the brain, mind and psychiatry in the local language of Marathi. This was in recognition of the fact that most literature published on the brain, mind and psychiatry is in English, and therefore inaccessible to the common, man, woman and child living in Maharashtra.
Senior Field Officer
Rajesh Patil – is our 1st employee and Usha’s elder brother. He joined the charity out of his concern for Leah and Usha’s safety working in the slums. Over the years he’s helped in providing ulcer management and repairing the homes of hundreds of leprosy patients. He has a vast knowledge of Nagpur’s 447 slums, and is highly regarded in these backward and sometimes volatile areas. Rajesh is often responsible for evening emergencies, working in situations considered too dangerous for our female employees. He is a dedicated, generous and loyal man, especially to the needy.
Social Worker (MSW)
Puja Atey – is an excellent counsellor. She has an aptitude for instilling confidence in some of our most vulnerable and abused women. She’s a measured and professional woman, with a special knowledge in local authority matters. She uses this to help economically poor and illiterate women access government grants and schemes; often processing their applications on their behalf.
Social Worker (MSW)
Rama Meshram – is a fun loving, strong young woman; very capable of meeting the challenges of the charity’s day to day work. Having lost her mother to cervical cancer, Rama has a special empathy with our cancer patients, accompanying them to hospital, and ensuring that they understand everything about their condition and treatment. Two special qualities we love about Rama: her stance against corruption, and the sound of her laughter.
Social Worker (MSW)
Pratibha Bagade – works at our shelter for destitute women. During her MSW training, she opted for mental health as her area of interest, making her well equipped to counsel the mentally and physically abused women we accommodate. In the past Pratibha worked in remote tribal areas, vulnerable to Naxalite (terrorist) attacks. She is a sensitive and nurturing person, who is loved by the broken and dejected women she works with.
Nurse
Ujwala Nandeshwar – works with Pratibha at our shelter for homeless women. She is responsible for ensuring that the women take their medication correctly and attend medical appointments. During her first few weeks of employment, she successfully delivered a baby, who arrived prematurely. Ujwala is a restrained, discreet person, able to keep those around her calm in a moment of crisis.
Office and Training Centre Coordinator
Manda Rakshak – divides her time between our headquarters, and the charity’s training centre, where under privileged women access free training in tailoring and embroidery. She maintains all the charity’s records: our patient’s registers, medical supplies, grains stock and many, many more. Manda is meticulous, loyal and reliable, and has been with us for 12 years.
“The Transporter”
Shailesh Mohite – the charity has 4 vehicles, and Shailesh drives them all. Our work is spread across vast areas, including a 150 km distance between our base in Nagpur and Wardha. Driving in India requires nerves of steel and lightening reactions, and Shailesh always makes his passengers feel safe. He’s a popular, enthusiastic member of the team, who can turn his hand to any task – getting banners printed or doing electrical repairs, even cooking. You ask, and the job gets done, and done well. One of Shailesh’s life time ambitions is to drive overland from India to the UK.
Accountant
Najmuddin Kamal – maintains, updates and handles all our financial matters. In a country where corruption is a way of life for many, Kamal is uncompromising in maintaining his reputation of integrity. This fits in perfectly with our own stance against corruption, so we know our finances are in trustworthy hands. Kamal works for a number of business clients in Nagpur and is always busy. He’s quite, professional and always able to get a job done on time.
Legal Advisor
Advocate Sunil Thombre – registered the Indian half of our charity in 2000. Since then he has been our legal advisor. In supporting underprivileged women, we encounter complex legal matters, such as denial of access to children, inheritance rights, property disputes and divorce. Mr Thombre provides the charity with an invaluable service. He’s a keen badminton player, and a member of a number of auspicious social and charitable clubs within the city.
House Keeper & Cook for Our “Meals On Wheels Service”
Anjanabai Devgade – is one of the first members of staff to start work in the morning. She prepares meals for a variety of women who are unable to cook for themselves; either through disability or poor health. Anajanabai is the mother figure of our team; ensuring we receive teas and coffees, invariably without being asked. She is warm, caring and glamourous.
“Meals On Wheels” Distributer
Vinod Patil – Vinod cycles 50km a day delivering up to 20 cooked meals to women unable to cook for themselves. He’s a gentle, popular member of staff, who will often do extra chores for the women he delivers meals to – such as shopping, or collecting fire wood; especially for the elderly. Vinod is extremely laid back, and you’ll always feel calm in him presence.
House Keeper
Priti Narnavare – Priti is responsible for cleaning and setting up our office headquarters and training centre, which are in separate buildings. She arrives first thing in the morning and maintains a high standard of cleanliness; a hard job given that people come and go throughout the day. Sadly Priti’s husband died recently at the age of 30, leaving her a single mother to two young boys. We admire her courage and tenacity because being a single mother from an under privileged background in India, is very hard indeed.
