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Fellow Initiatives

Gandhi Fellowship’s initiatives provide fellows with unique opportunities to collaboratively engage in meaningful action at both local and systemic levels. These initiatives—ranging from sports meets to poster-making contests—are designed to foster holistic development, mental well-being, creative expression, and team collaboration. Through such curated experiences, fellows are encouraged to reflect on their learning journey, express their perspectives (as seen in inter-location competitions), and cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and physical stamina via wellness-focused programs

Creating Safe Emotional Spaces Through the “Emotion Tree” Initiative

Akansha Pandey, Jammu & Kashmir

Strengthening Last-Mile Health Delivery Through Digital Capacity Building

Payal Saha, Bihar

Driving Public Health Awareness Through Newborn Care Week Rally, Katihar

Ritika Adwani, Bihar
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Akansha Pandey,

Originally from Madhya Pradesh and a student of the Science stream, is currently working in Jammu & Kashmir to strengthen socio-emotional learning in schools

Creating Safe Emotional Spaces Through the “Emotion Tree” Initiative

Gandhi Fellow Akansha Pandey, originally from Madhya Pradesh and a student of the Science stream, is currently working in Jammu & Kashmir to strengthen socio-emotional learning in schools. One of her most meaningful initiatives has been the creation of an Emotion Tree—a simple but powerful tool that welcomes every child before attendance, before academics, before discipline.

The concept is simple: children pause for a moment each morning, pick a leaf, and place it on the tree to express how they feel.
But the impact has been transformative.

Children who once stayed silent have begun to say:
“Aaj main nervous hoon… tired hoon… hurt feel kar raha/rahi hoon.”
They are naming emotions they experience daily but rarely get space to express.

While Akansha was making the tree, a group of students came forward and said,
“Ma’am, main kuch emotions add karu kya?”
They listed feelings like nervous, tired, weak, apologetic, hurt—reminding her that children carry emotional worlds that often go unseen in the rush of school routines.

This initiative reflects a simple truth:
Children don’t just need academics—they need permission to feel.
When schools make space for emotions, they make space for humans.

Through the Emotion Tree, Akansha is helping create classrooms where children feel heard, safe, and understood—laying the foundation for healthier, happier learning environments.

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Payal Saha

Originally from West Bengal and a graduate in Mathematics, is currently working in Bihar to strengthen last-mile health delivery

Strengthening Last-Mile Health Delivery Through Digital Capacity Building

Gandhi Fellow Payal Saha, originally from West Bengal and a graduate in Mathematics, is currently working in Bihar to strengthen last-mile health delivery. During a district review at the Command & Control Centre, she identified a critical gap: 500+ ASHAs across the district were not regularly active on the m-ASHA application. This insight became the foundation of her digital capacity-building initiative.

Payal began her intervention in Singheshwar Block, where 67 of 127 ASHAs were irregular in updating the app. She brought together ASHA Facilitators, district officials, and block leadership to conduct a focused, confidence-building training for 60+ ASHAs.

Her strategy combined practical learning with sustained support:

  • Hands-on app demonstrations to simplify key features
  • Small-group mentoring to address individual challenges
  • Real-time case entry to build comfort and accuracy
  • Continuous follow-ups through field visits and phone support
  • Collaboration with block officials to ensure sustained adoption

The result: the district has already acknowledged improved m-ASHA updates from Singheshwar, reflecting stronger digital participation at the grassroots.

Payal now plans to replicate this model across other blocks, contributing to a district-wide shift toward data-driven public health delivery.

Through initiatives like this, Fellows like Payal apply analytical thinking, community engagement, and leadership skills to solve real problems—strengthening public systems while growing as changemakers on the ground.

business association of the region. Mr. Fahmy served as Deputy Director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies and serves on the board of a variety of private enterprises. He is duly recognized for his prominent contribution to important advances in Egypt’s business environment.

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Ritika Adwani

Originally from Maharashtra and a graduate of the School of Economics and Commerce, is currently working in Bihar to strengthen public health systems

Driving Public Health Awareness Through Newborn Care Week Rally, Katihar

Gandhi Fellow Ritika Adwani, originally from Maharashtra and a graduate of the School of Economics and Commerce, is currently working in Bihar to strengthen public health systems. During the Newborn Care Week (15–21 November), she played a key role in organising a district-wide awareness campaign that culminated in a vibrant and impactful rally on November 19.

In coordination with the District Health Society (DHS) and District Hospital (DH), Ritika supported a series of sessions at the SNCU, where the Piramal Foundation team educated mothers and caregivers on newborn care essentials—breastfeeding, vaccination schedules, danger signs, and hygiene practices. A special session was also held on Prematurity Day to support families of preterm babies.

The week’s highlight was the Newborn Care Week Rally, launched from Sadar Hospital and inaugurated by senior district health officials. With active participation from doctors, nursing students, PPTCT counselors, and frontline workers, the rally spread key messages across the community—echoed loudly in chants like “Navjat Shishu ki suraksha, sabki zimmedari!”

The march concluded at the MCH building, where the team conducted a final awareness session on sanitation, hygiene, and government schemes for newborn health.

For Ritika, leading this large-scale public health event was a powerful growth experience. Coordinating with multiple government officials, mobilising participants, and addressing large crowds strengthened her leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills—reinforcing her commitment to solving public health challenges at the grassroots.

Through initiatives like this, Fellows contribute directly to building healthier, more informed communities.

business association of the region. Mr. Fahmy served as Deputy Director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies and serves on the board of a variety of private enterprises. He is duly recognized for his prominent contribution to important advances in Egypt’s business environment.

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