WHO WE ARE
A grassroots organisation built from the ground up
Founded in 2021 in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, EIF was built by people who come from the same rural contexts they serve. We build women-led systems for learning, governance, and evidence that communities can own and sustain themselves.
OUR JOURNEY
Five years of building from within
2021
23+
5
70%+
WHAT DRIVES US
Our mission, vision, and core beliefs
We work with rural communities not as recipients of change, but as partners in building it. We believe lasting progress is created when local knowledge, community leadership, and collective action are placed at the center of development.
Our Mission
To build women-led, community-embedded systems for learning, governance, and evidence in rural India. We aim to creating lasting change that communities own and sustain themselves.
Our Approach
Local leadership, community ownership, and lasting change. We train women and girls to lead every program — not as beneficiaries, but as architects of their community’s future.
Our Commitment
We deepen impact before expanding. We document everything. We share our evidence openly. And we hold ourselves accountable to the communities we serve.
OUR CORE TEAM
Led by people who come from the communities they serve
EIF’s leadership team brings together expertise in education, public relations, programme delivery, and community development — all rooted in experience of rural contexts in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
CO-FOUNDER
PRESIDENT & CHIEF FUNCTIONARY
Smita Choudhary
Provides strategic leadership across partnerships, advocacy, and organisational growth. Background in public relations and stakeholder engagement. Focuses on building sustainable, women-led systems that connect grassroots action with policy and long-term social impact.
CO-FOUNDER
DIRECTOR & TREASURER
Shivati Jasrotia
Oversees programme design, learning quality, and academic integrity. Over a decade of experience in education and youth development. Shaped EIF’s learning-gap interventions, digital literacy programmes, and leadership development frameworks.
EIF
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Priyanka
EIF
FIELD ASSOCIATE
Diksha Thakur
Diksha supports EIF’s field programmes for children and caregivers, including child assessments, community surveys, and weekend learning initiatives. With a background in Economics and Public Administration, she brings strong facilitation and teaching skills to her fieldwork while pursuing a Diploma in Elementary Education.
HOW WE ARE STRUCTURED
Our women-led programme delivery model
A structured system that places rural women at the heart of leadership and change — from strategic direction at the top to youth facilitators on the ground.
LEVEL 01
Executive Leadership
Strategic direction, partnerships, and governance oversight ensuring mission-driven accountability.
LEVEL 02
Programme Coordination
Translates strategy into action — manages implementation, monitors quality, supports field teams.
LEVEL 03
Community Women Leaders
Young women from the villages, trained to independently lead all programmes at the local level.
LEVEL 04
Youth Activity Facilitators
Children and adolescents who support activities, assist peers, and grow into future community leaders.
GOVERNANCE
Board of Trustees
Enlightened India Foundation is overseen by a Board of Trustees providing statutory oversight and accountability — ensuring activities remain mission-aligned, ethical, and transparent.
CO-FOUNDER
CHIEF FUNCTIONARY
Smita Choudhary
Strategic leadership, partnerships, and organisational governance.
CO-FOUNDER
TREASURER
Shivati Jasrotia
Programme design, learning quality, and financial accountability.
CO-FOUNDER
GENERAL SECRETARY
Saurabh Malik
Statutory compliance, institutional processes, and Trust governance
OTHER TRUSTEES
Shri Maharaj Singh
Former Chairman, District Council & Cane Society. Brings long-standing experience in rural leadership, farmers’ advocacy, and grassroots governance.Strategic leadership, partnerships, and organisational governance.
Shri Pradeep Singh
Former practicing lawyer at the District Court. Provides legal perspective and statutory oversight to the Trust.
Shweta Soni
NIFT Delhi alumna and entrepreneur. Brings design thinking and grassroots enterprise perspective to Trust governance.
Surbhi Singh
TISS alumna with experience in CSR and social sector programs. Contributes insight into community development and institutional processes.
VOICES FROM OUR LEARNERS
What our young learners say
Our very first young learners, now grown into community leaders themselves, reflect on what they discovered through EIF.
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Reports & research publications
We are committed to transparency and responsible use of resources. All annual reports and research publications are publicly available.
Annual Reports & Financial Statements
Community Studies & Research
Work with us
Whether you want to fund our programs, partner on the ground, or support our research — we’d love to hear from you.