I support our industry to use strong PMEL systems and develop their skills so that we can design and deliver the most impactful projects.

A quick note on language: I do not use the word ‘mission’ since that has a violent, Christian religious history. This history and its resulting power imbalance have no place in how we should rebuild our work – and it’s a disgusting ‘White Saviour’ approach to ‘charity’.

My Values. I believe in and commit to:

Empathy and Compassion 

Understanding and connecting with others on a deep emotional level, including with our work. As a human quality and in work, starting from a place of compassion helps us understand other people’s realities to help them in the right way for their needs. I begin from a place of grace with each new project and each client. We acknowledge and value their perspectives, experiences, and feelings and honour our own. This helps to foster a sense of community and promotes individual and collective well-being.

Inclusivity and Diversity

Not just in the obvious sense – as a queer Indian woman, I know how important representation and diversity are! I actively centre and foreground marginalised perspectives without being a Saviour about them. This involves calling out performative allyship, including in myself, and designing work meaningful to the communities I work with, grounded in reality. That’s why I include ideas from other industries (break our silos) and experiences from grassroots groups to multi-million-dollar foundations. I work exclusively with clients that understand the importance of diversity, representation, and inclusion in their real sense and that practice these values. Everyone I partner with also shares these values.

Accessibility

I use experiences in my personal life to guide some founding principles of equitable access. Ensuring disability justice of all forms is at the heart of my design and execution, and tools and methodologies are not ableist or perpetuate ableist dynamics. Where I do not have the expertise to best design projects with these considerations, I ensure external reviews and management of these elements.

Respect

For each other in a team, our clients and their work, and the different cultures, religions, and practices of the communities we engage with. As researchers, a respectful attitude is so essential it doesn’t even need to be said – but here I am saying it anyway. This includes working against extractive research to ensure that my work benefits the people involved.

Social Justice and Equity

Equality means everyone has the same resources and opportunities. But I acknowledge that we were not all born with or given the same opportunities in life – and this equity is what I seek through my work, providing equitable access to quality services and materials. It recognises the historical and systemic inequities and inequalities in society and seeks to address them through action.

Solidarity

My work in our industry began as a teenage activist, and that fighting spirit is alive in all I do and believe in. I stand in solidarity with human rights movements and in support of causes that are important to me. I share their work in case studies, workshops, training sessions, and as inspiring stories of change. This involves working together with others in a way that is respectful, transparent, and values-driven. Building warm relationships and fostering a sense of belonging and community is essential.

Integrity and Accountability 

Both my work and my practice with clients, partners, and communities. I follow up with clients to ensure that our work has helped them make important and impactful changes. All my research is designed using participatory methodologies that put the real people affected by the work at the centre. So, we all remain accountable to the people that really matter. Acting with integrity and accountability, prioritising the well-being of individuals and communities, and upholding ethical standards and guidelines. This way, I build trust and credibility and ensure that my actions align with values and principles.

Challenging Power

Identifying and calling out power dynamics that affect my work. I call on partners, clients, and communities to hold me to this and call out my problematic behaviours. I commit to undoing them and putting in the work to do better rather than requesting solutions from people harmed by my actions. This value involves recognising and addressing how historical and ongoing systems of oppression have affected different individuals and communities. It is important because it highlights the need to address systemic injustices and creates more equitable and inclusive environments.

Self and Collective Care

Creating cultures of care, ensuring processes nourish and replenish us and our work, and not exploiting anyone involved in our work. My work prioritises mutual support and collaboration, including for myself, and recognises and honours the diversity of individuals and communities. I promote healing, including generational healing, growth, and self-care for individuals and communities, and the value of soft skills like empathy, compassion, and active listening. I practice ethical and responsible care practices in my work, for example, by promoting a culture of openness, learning, and growth. I hope this encourages creative and innovative approaches to care, to help nurture community and belonging through care practices. I am inspired by the Nap Ministry’s Four Tenets: Rest is a form of resistance. Pleasure is a measure of freedom. Quiet is a form of collective power. Surrender is a form of activism.

Womanism

Centring women’s experiences, perspectives, and well-being, celebrating diversity in all forms. I challenge and resist systemic oppression and social injustices, promoting the healing and well-being of individuals and communities. I prioritise collaboration, mutual support, and solidarity and emphasise the importance of education, critical thinking, and self-reflection. My work recognises and honours the interconnectedness of all living beings, and I practice empathy, compassion, and active listening. In doing so, my work aspires to foster a culture of creativity, innovation, and experimentation and promote positive change through activism, advocacy, and action.

My Values. I am:

Optimistic

Our work is tough, and the challenges we’re fighting against seem impossibly difficult at times. But in the middle of all that, it’s important to remain optimistic that we can make change happen, one year at a time, if we remain committed to our work and our people. 

Friendly

My work is my passion, and I bring a lot of my own personality to it. I want to help you build strong PMEL systems and skills yes, but I also want to get to know you and your team as people and what drives you. All my services and workshops include interactive elements for us to talk about and spend some time together. This human connection is central to a lot of my work, and I use it to connect with everyone I work with. 

Collaborative

My clients are part of my network of collaborators, share the same vision and values, and support the same causes. This relationship is important since we are working together to build your expertise around PMEL and ensure your work has the impact you want it to.

Creative

I have experience in a few different industries, like fashion and journalism. I bring all of this to my work at The SMC Group and find innovative ways to share important ideas with you. From everything from pop-culture references to design thinking, I bring creativity and a sense of fun to all of our work to help make learning about key data principles a joy. 

Committed

I care deeply about my work and the causes that are important to me. I have remained committed to women’s rights, girls’ rights, economic empowerment, and climate change since my teenage years. I promise to bring this commitment to human rights and values to my work.

Knowledgeable

I bring a useful set of skills to my work – I was a grant-maker at Open Society Foundations for five years, where I began specialising in PMEL. I learned so much during these years from my colleagues, grantees, and non-grantee partners. Since 2018, I have built on my knowledge and gained expertise in specific skills I use in my workshops and advisory support. I bring an important set of knowledge and experience to my work and share my knowledge with our industry. 

My Values. I provide:

Simple Solutions 

One of my biggest goals is to help organisations develop their PMEL capacities – and the easiest way to do that is to show how simple it can be. What you’ll see here are simple solutions that can help you improve your knowledge and confidence – and, as much as possible, jargon-free too! 

Solution- and Action-driven Support

Here’s something else you’ll see here – anytime I discuss an issue with PMEL, like an opportunity to link your organisation’s longer-term strategy with your annual plans and project proposals, it will be framed in that way: an opportunity. You’ll be able to leave a workshop with ideas you can immediately start implementing. All of my work is focused on actions and solutions.

Quality and Service

Everything I do and create is made to last – so it has to be of the best quality. I spend much time researching and learning from our industry and others and finding the best ways to put those ideas into workshops or support materials for you. I work hard to make sure whatever I share with you is relevant, interesting, proven to work, and can be used by your entire programme team. 

Impactful Work

All of my work has been proven to be impactful. Whether they’re common ‘best practice’ ideas from our industry or training materials I have developed over many years, I know they are useful and impactful. I also make sure my clients use the advice I share with their communities, and I use that feedback to improve my support. 

Anti-Racism and Anti-Colonialism

Recognising that our work, sector, and humanity have a lot to undo and reckon with. I do not stop at calling out racist or colonial behaviour; I work to change it. I call out harmful behaviours and practices, insist that others do the same for me, and confront power in its most toxic forms. Our work is influenced by our planet’s White supremacists and other cultural hegemonic privileges. I work to undo this by championing the expertise of people marginalised by racist and colonial histories.

Language and Cultural Justice

I hate unnecessary jargon, and our industry is sadly rotten with it. I create multilingual spaces where we speak plainly and openly. We don’t know the topic well enough if we cannot simply explain our work. It’s as simple as that. I recognise the inequities that dominant languages and cultural practices have spread throughout the world – including that I am speaking to you in the language of my country’s coloniser. I partner with people from the communities I work in – from interpreters to project managers to designers, to undo this supposed cultural supremacy.

Human-Centred Design

Obvious, but sadly needs repeating – my work is designed with the people involved at its heart. Their needs, realities, perspectives, and experiences are all that matter. I am trained in girl-centred and human-centred design.

Continuous Learning and Growth

Prioritising ongoing learning and growth, both individually and collectively. It is important because it allows for