Save the Child Foundation Fellowship
The Save the Child Foundation Fellowship for Service in India is an immersive, 12-month volunteer service program matching young professionals with development organizations. Fellows work on scalable and sustainable development projects in the fields of education, health and wellbeing, water and sanitation, gender equality.
The Save the Child Foundation Fellowship is helping to shape the next generation of leaders committed to positive change while also strengthening marginalized communities in India, Nepal and Uganda. Through collaboration and capacity-building, Fellows, Save the Child and civil society leaders form dynamic partnerships to capacity-build, exchange knowledge and skills, and share a mutual passion for advancing social and economic development. Fellows serve on an annual basis with development organizations in India.
The Fellowship creates a community of socially engaged, global citizens dedicated to positive change. Fellows will apply their leadership in the areas of education, social entrepreneurship, technology, business, journalism, public health, human rights, and others. Together they represent a collective force for sustaining a long-term agenda dedicated towards change in primarily in India, Nepal. Uganda and USA. The Save the Child Fellowship provides a platform to develop the skills, resources, and network needed to become an inclusive and socially-minded change maker.
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Fellows support Save the Chid partner organizations at a crucial moment of scalability by meeting their human resource and organizational needs through skills-sharing, training, and capacity-building. Responsibilities vary based on a Fellow’s skills, experience, and interests and will be paired with a project leader and supervisor at the partner organization.
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Projects include program design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, graphic design, videography, data collection and visualization, developing digital content, event planning, qualitative and quantitative research, creative writing, curriculum design, fundraising, teaching, training teachers, community organizing, managing information systems, and marketing and communications, social emotional learning and healing.
Sandhya Nair
Save The Child Fellowship introduced me to a world which was beyond what I have experienced. Africa was a field trip which is very close to my heart. This journey taught me to be a human more than anything, we live in cities with all amenities and being so privileged we never realize how grateful we should be. This journey reminded me how much I have and how much I can give back to the community. This fellowship helped to grow in the field of understanding how NGOs work more specifically on the ground level, fundraising and collaborating.
The fellowship not only helped me to grow in various sectors I worked in, be it fundraising, on ground with kids, creating workshops etc. But it helped to grow as a human being. I learned that this journey is not about “fixing” people's life, but truly about acceptance and learning.I take back one thing with this fellowship journey is, ‘I am because you are!’
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2021
Taniya Singh
My name is Taniya, I am a licensed zumba instructor and the future of tomorrow. Most of you when you hear about Zumba the only thing that comes to your mind is zumba shapes your body and makes you look thin. But for me zumba is something more than that, though zumba I have learnt to accept and love my body and not just that zumba have given me the opportunity to live in the present moment.
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I strongly believe that my story and zumba have the power to change lives. For the past four years I have been working at NGOs and marginalized communities and for two years I have been working with the Save the Child foundation as a fellowship.
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Save the Child Foundation has given me opportunities to travel and work with marginalized communities, special needs kids, trafficked girls, kids from slums, people who live in forest, underprivileged families and kids, also Sex workers and daughter of sex workers.
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2021
Priyank Yadav
Working with Save The Child Foundation, I realized that the world is full of opportunities and one of such opportunities that I was presented with was working with our partner organizations in Africa. This gave me on ground experience of how the situations are in Masaka, (Uganda) Africa. We met kids who have been suffering from HIV, while there were other kids whose parents passed away while battling HIV. These kids were not only in need of funds for education but they were in need of even basic things, like food, proper clothings, stationary supplies, sanitary pads, proper water supplies, and so on. Their struggle began right from fetching drinking water from miles to reaching school without proper shoes or not even having proper transport system, in that case kids would just walk to school again for miles.
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The fellowship was a beautiful journey, where I could see the other side of the non profit organization, the working, the fundraising part, the part where we need to work along with our partner organizations, know more about the fund utilisations, see how can we broaden our reach and help different partner organizations to be self sustainable.
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2021
Sheetal Jain
Working with Save the Child Foundation in Nepal opened my eyes to how alike people's stories can be. During my time there, I interacted with many sex workers and their daughters, understood their perspectives and realized how closely their lives resonated with my own. Although they endured much hardship, I could see the determination in their eyes to work for the betterment of their community.
During our workshops, everyone was very open minded and enjoyed the sessions wholeheartedly. They were able to connect with my story and were able to speak freely about their own burdens. They did not blame the society around them but instead discussed steps on how they can change people's mindset towards sex workers. They understood, even at an older age, that they still have a lot to learn and talk about on these issues.
I am very grateful to have known these women over my time in Nepal and my biggest takeaway was that even though I have been through similar situations, I need to be stronger to face these challenges like these women and keep helping the people in my community to raise their quality of life.
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2020
Asmita Katti
Hi everyone, I’m Asmita, one of the girls who came to Chicago in 2015 with Kranti's Lal Batti Express. After working for a couple years in India, both with sex workers in Delhi, housing rights in Mumbai, and special needs kids in Bangalore, I am finally returning to studies. This is because from 2020-2021, I was volunteering at Camphill School in Pennsylvania with special needs children. I really fell in love with the community, including the teachers, staff, and my colleagues. But most of all I fell in love with all 70 children, all of whom have different developmental disabilities.
I lived with them full time and helped with feeding, bathing, walking, and general caretaking for them. To be very honest, it's the hardest work I've ever done in my entire life and yet the most beautiful and rewarding. I realized I wanted to work with this population full time, so this August I enrolled in Camphill Academy's degree program for Special Needs Education. During the six months I had in between leaving the US as a volunteer and returning as a student.
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2020
Lavanya Gudelli
Hello Everyone ,Iam Lavanya Gudelli From India.
Over the past few months, I've had the privilege of being a part of a team that is passionate about breaking taboos, promoting awareness, and providing support for menstrual health. It has been an eye-opening journey that has completely changed my perspective on this crucial aspect of women's lives. One of the most rewarding aspects of this Fellowship is the opportunity to empower individuals
and communities. Through workshops and educational programs, we strive to educate both women and men about menstrual health, dismantling myths and misconceptions along the way.
Witnessing the transformation in people's attitudes and seeing the positive impact it has on their lives is truly inspiring. Over the past year, I've had the privilege of being part of a team dedicated to breaking barriers and providing support to women and girls in underserved communities. One of the biggest challenges we noticed was the lack of access to affordable and hygienic menstrual products.
I am incredibly grateful for this experience and the amazing team I get to work with. It's more than just a Fellowship; it's a mission that has touched my heart and soul. Together, we are creating a world where menstrual health and hygiene are no longer taboo subjects.
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2022
Reshma Shaikh
Reshma Shaikh is a 21 year old.girl who aspires to be a designer one day. She is full of life - loves to talk to people ,enjoys evening walks, knows how to fight for her / others rights, enjoys drawing/ sketching.
She has done diploma course in fashion designing from Zarapkar College .
She is at present interning with "Best Karma designs Pvt Ltd" and also plans to.finish higher school education (12th std) by 2023.
Post that she wants.to go for an undergraduate degree in Fashion designing.
She is very clear on her goals and knows how.to.achieve them - be any hurdles along the way.
Her illness (HIV) hasn't stopped her from dreaming and going after her dreams.
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2023- 2025 RUI Fellow
Aarthi Suryavamshi
Hi everyone. This Aarthi Suryavamshi. I am happy to share that I have successfully completed my MBA, a journey I embarked on driven by my genuine interest in Business. Despite facing financial challenges along the way, my commitment to personal and professional growth remained unwavering. This experience not only strengthened my academic foundation but also underscored my resilience and determination to pursue my passion even in the face of adversity.
Save the child Foundation made me realize that everyone has the right to wish for something. Regardless of background, circumstance, or individual journey, the freedom to harbor dreams and aspirations is a universal and inherent right that unites us all.
I have always harboured a strong ambition to become an entrepreneur. The prospect of creating and growing a business, tackling challenges, and contributing to the innovation and progress of industries has been a driving force in my career aspirations. I am drawn to the idea of taking initiative, building something meaningful, and having a positive impact on the community and the economy. This passion fuels my determination to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape successfully.
I am so excited for the RUI fellowship opportunity. The prospect of contributing to RUI fellowship and collaborating with like-minded individuals is truly exhilarating. This initial phase has allowed me to gain valuable insights and a deeper understanding of the brand's unique characteristics.
I am keenly aware that the fellowship will push me beyond my comfort zone, fostering resilience and adaptability. This transformative experience will not only enhance my capabilities but will also contribute to shaping me into a more well-rounded, forward-thinking, and impactful individual. I am excited about the prospect of this journey, knowing that the personal growth attained during the fellowship will have a lasting positive influence on both my professional and personal life.
