WHO WE ARE
Built from the ground up
Founded in 2021 in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, Enlightened India Foundation (EIF) was built by people who come from the exact rural contexts they serve. We turn frontline realities into systemic action, ensuring that community needs are not just heard, but are backed by undeniable data and driven entirely by young women.
MISSION & VISION
We build women-led systems for learning, governance, and evidence that communities can own and sustain themselves.
Our Mission
To bridge the gap between rural realities and systemic policy by empowering local women to gather household-level evidence, design targeted educational interventions, and advocate for civic accountability within their own communities.
Our Vision
We envision a rural ecosystem where public resources, educational frameworks, and local governance are driven directly by the data, leadership, and experiences of the people they are meant to serve.
OUR WOMEN-LED APPROACH
Built for the community, by the community.
The core of our model is the belief that rural communities do not need outside saviors; they need structure and platforms. Every piece of data we collect, every curriculum we stress-test, and every Learning Hub we operate is led by young women from the exact villages we serve.
They are not just field workers or outsourced enumerators. Because they are embedded in these communities, they bring an unmatched level of natural trust and contextual intelligence to every household interaction. This approach ensures our interventions are never theoretical—they are practical, culturally resonant, and instantly actionable.
CORE TEAM
Leadership rooted in the communities we serve.
CO-FOUNDER PRESIDENT & CHIEF FUNCTIONARY
Smita Choudhary
Drives EIF’s strategic leadership across partnerships, advocacy, and organizational growth. Leveraging a background in public relations and stakeholder engagement, she builds the sustainable, women-led systems that connect grassroots realities directly to long-term policy impact.
CO-FOUNDER DIRECTOR & TREASURER
Shivati Jasrotia
Directs program design, learning quality, and academic integrity across EIF. With over a decade of experience in education and youth development, she architects the targeted learning-gap interventions, digital literacy modules, and leadership frameworks that drive our on-ground impact.
ON-GROUND TEAM
The frontline leaders driving our community operations.
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR
Priyanka
Rising from a youth volunteer to a grassroots leader, Priyanka coordinates field programs and works directly with village leaders to drive active community participation.
FIELD ASSOCIATE
Diksha Thakur
Specializing in child assessments and community surveys, Diksha brings strong teaching skills to our weekend learning initiatives, effectively engaging both children and caregivers.
GOVERNANCE & TRANSPARENCY
Lean Governance, Direct Accountability.
EIF is governed by a compact Board of Trustees who are also directly embedded in the organization’s work, a deliberate choice that keeps governance close to the ground rather than distant from it. Our trustees combine fiduciary responsibility with operational accountability, ensuring legal compliance, financial transparency, and strategic alignment are not separate from day to day work but built into it.
- Smita Choudhary – Chief Functionary
- Shivati Jasrotia – Treasurer
- Saurabh Malik – General Secretary
TESTIMONIAL
Perspectives From the Field
“Working on the ground, I witnessed both the immense resilience and the real challenges village communities face daily. Interacting closely with them showed me the true power of grassroots community impact.”
— Diksha Thakur, Field Associate
WORK WITH US
Interested in our work?
If you’d like to know more about our work, collaborate on strengthening community governance structures, or support our programs, we’d love to hear from you.