Team

Rita Dsouza

Rita is one of the most simple, humble and loving persons you will ever meet. She is a doting mother and grandmother. She retired from the Income Tax Department after serving there all through her adult life. She doesn’t let age deter her and walks more steps a day than most people do.

Anjali Saldhana

Anjali is one who lives life on her own terms and conditions and does not let any difficulty get the better of her. She has a contagious smile that can brighten up the room. Passionate about her boys, cooking and gardening, she works with a travel agency.

Veronica Nair

The most ‘in demand tutor’ in Chinchwad and naturally so because this is what she is good at. And which kid doesn’t like a teacher who has a glint of mischief in her eyes? A wine connoisseur and powerful singer, she takes life, one day at a time.

Benita Pereira

A die-hard teacher who goes out of her way, above and beyond, to ensure that her kids are learning and learning well. Here is a mother of 2 boys who believes in the possibilities that good education can offer to all but especially to girls. Benita who takes delight in the small things in life, is a continuous learner in all things – academic and non.

Reeves Rodrigues

Kids with a solid foundation in education and rooted in and guided by the right values have the capacity to withstand and excel in challenges life brings their way. This is the belief that drives Reeves, founder of Poveda. A teacher well-formed will impact the lives of all children who pass through her/his classroom for the rest of their lives. This is the second belief that makes him come alive across the several development workshops he leads.

Victor Zuzart

Victor, a Corporate Communications professional with over 20 years of hands on experience, loves to talk, interact with people and strangers and enjoys encouraging youngsters, a passion that has evolved over 30 odd years since his formative days in the youth ministry.
Victor thrives on challenging assignments that allow him to think out of the box and respond creatively. Educating and empowering young minds with opportunities available post schooling is what is keeping him currently occupied. He is also passionate about uplifting and bringing about change in society.

Rahul Kashelani

Rahul is the founder and director of Avapya Web Services. His tryst with Poveda started many years back with him walking into our learning centre on his birthday to make a donation. This simple visit was followed by many, thus starting a weekend computer class for the children of the then existing centres and later enrolling more children from the communities. Teenage boys in the communities need positive male role models and Rahul is just the perfect example that can be- calm, soft spoken, gentle, positive, centred…

Pramila Shetty and Manasi Pise

Managing the core program of the foundation- the kindergarten and after school support classes for children from Phulenagar, Ramnagar and Indiranagar for three years now, these two dynamic teachers bring the centre to life. And when physical classes were disallowed because of the pandemic, Pramila and Manasi took non presential learning to a different level with online classes, videos, classes for the mothers, DIY activities, worksheets, assessments and much more. They converted the entire curriculum into videos.

Priya Patil

Priya has an MBA and a teaching diploma. Priya worked with the Poveda Kindergarten for a few years as a teacher. She returned to Poveda in 2022 in charge of the tuition classes. She is quiet, calm and non-interfering, very passionate about her students and is keen to maximize the learning of every student she teaches.

Jennie Dias

A consistent volunteer at the annual graduation of Poveda, helping with make-up and costumes and photographs, Jennie developed a keen interest in wanting to be part of the foundation in a larger role. An MBA student and a great musician, she now manages accounts at Poveda singlehandedly and is the point person for all donors. In addition to this, she volunteers at online classes in Spoken English for a group of children from the Zilla Parishad schools in and around Nasrapur every Monday evening.

Manisha Patil

With a vast experience in training- corporate and academic and first-hand engagement in various social projects in Mumbai and Pune, Manisha comes to Poveda to steer the mentor program for children from grades 8 up. This program helps these youngsters become more focussed on their academic, career and personal goals and determine a trajectory that will enable them to succeed and make their dreams a reality.

Janardan Hosmani

This man with an infectious smile has experience in the development sector. Although difficult, he was determined to complete his graduation and did so! Janardhan teaches sports to the boys at the orphanage in Nasrapur. So determined is he that even on a cold winter morning of 10 degrees, he rides over an hour to be with the kids at 7! He is an example to the boys of how to remain calm and unaffected in the midst of the negativity that surrounds us.