Ra foundation started off in 2004, with the focus on healthcare by organizing women’s self help groups, to create awareness and save for their medical needs. In 2006, a French woman sighted a girl child, living on the pavements of CST station with her blind parents. Moved by her condition, she approached Ra Foundation to intervene and help the child. After taking the consent of her parents, Ra foundation put her through institutional education and care and at the end of the year, she was a transformed person.
From there began Ra’s journey of identifying the most vulnerable children and providing quality education to them through residential schools. The Happy Kids Program was thus conceptualized. It has now evolved into a programme that does 360 degree intervention into children’s education, their mental and emotional health and overall development by providing a stable and supportive environment during their formative years.
Who we are
Our Guiding Philosophy
Ra Foundation believes in community empowerment as opposed to a direct charity mode.
We believe that education is not just a recognized fundamental right: it is a powerful force to make a breakthrough from the cycle of poverty and to bring about change in society. However, it doesn’t simply imply being enrolled in a school guarantees one to be effective and fully functional, but requires a caring, nurturing, safe and healthy social and physical environment.
We work with a few students at a time. We cannot change the world at one go, but it is our sincere belief that if we can help a few to change their world, it would make for an inspiring beginning.
Our Team
Sunita Machado - Executive Director
Sunita has volunteered in the development space for around 2 decades. She was a Regional head at India Today TV and CNBC TV18 and has over a media career span of 13 years. She has an MBA degree from NMIMS.
Vaishali Dhruva - Program Manager
Vaishali has over 21 years of experience working in the educational sector especially in fields like counseling, monitoring & evaluation of projects. She has an M.HSc in Education Extension and Comm. in Education and has been a part of RA for 12 yrs.
Renuka Salve - FR & Comms
Renuka is Ra's first alumnus and looks after Fundraising and Communications. She holds a P.G Diploma in Psychological Counseling and has worked in the social sector for a brief period.
Sunil Ghone - Program Coordinator
Sunil has vast experience in the social sector, especially with children from underprivileged backgrounds. He holds a BEMS degree and has been with RA for the past 2 years.
Carolyn Fernandes - Program Manager
Carolyn has a B.Ed & a Master's from TISS, she has diverse work ex of 10 yrs across the Edu & Dev sector. She has worked in various capacities at leading ICSE, CBSE & SSC schools. Carolyn has also worked closely with government schools in Mumbai.
Priyanka Iyengar - Fundraising
With a commitment to education and empowerment in the development sector, Priyanka (they/them) has played integral roles for over six years. As a dedicated creator and educator, they bring a passion for communication and research to their work.
Rukhsana Shaikh - Program Coordinator
With a Master's in Social Work, Rukhsana transitioned from corporate to social work. Passionate about children's development, she finds fulfillment in community impact.
Trustees & Advisors
Manesh Patel
has a BTech from IIT Bombay and a MBA from IIM Bangalore. He is partner at Ernst & Young, a Big 4 Global professional services firm.
Sunil N
is an International Business Leader and is based in London. He started Ra Foundation in 2004, after years of volunteering with various non-profit organizations.
Arjun Mehra
is the CEO & Founder of C&C Talent. He is the former Chief Business Officer of Condé Nast India, where he was the commercial head of Vogue, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller, and Architectural Digest. He is an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Mira Rajput
is a celebrity content creator & an angel Investor. She uses her digital presence to spotlight brands, to create content around holistic beauty & wellness. With over 3 million followers on Instagram, Mira is recognized as a millennial voice that matters
Avinash Kothari
is a partner of a luxury designer jewellery firm. His family supports various NGOs and is currently working on community projects in villages around Mumbai involving up-skilling programs collaborating with CSR programs of multinationals.
Luis Miranda
is Chairman of Indian School of Public Policy, Centre for Civil Society and CORO. He is involved with Take Charge, Educate Girls, 17000 ft Foundation, Sunbird Trust, SBI Foundation, SNEHA, ATE Chandra Foundation and Samhita and #LivingMyPromise signatory
Kalpana Nayak
Retired as Principal Scientist from Hindustan Unilever Research Centre, Bangalore. She holds a post-graduation in Microbiology from Mumbai University.