Ayesha Marfatia

Ayesha is an editorial associate at India Development Review. At IDR, in addition to writing, editing, and handling research driven reports, she also supports the team with website management and digital marketing. Her work has been featured on The Wire, Scroll.in, and Quartz India. Ayesha holds a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Articles by Ayesha Marfatia

Swachh Bharat sign

Water & Sanitation

August 20, 2020

The writing on the wall

by Ayesha Marfatia | 1 min read

The good place_everything is fine_nonprofit humour

August 10, 2020

A post-pandemic utopia

Imagine everything is back to normal. There is no lockdown, quarantine, or COVID-19. We are finally in The Good Place.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Saahil Kejriwal | 1 min read

Mark Cuban making a funny face_nonprofit humour

Bizsplaining: Mansplaining for nonprofits

Here's what to do the next time someone condescendingly tells you to 'pivot' your programme.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 1 min read

A road closed with a diversion sign

Philanthropy & CSR

Is PM-CARES diverting money away from nonprofits?

A breakdown of CSR spends during COVID-19: Where they’re going, who they’re from, and which sectors they’re going towards.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 3 min read

Damage after a cyclone in Odisha - Parij Borgohain, Pexels_edit

Climate change, disasters, and what philanthropy can do

If we don’t invest in building community resilience, climate change and natural disasters will undo what development work has achieved so far.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 5 min read

Vijay Mahajan illustration

IDR Interviews | Vijay Mahajan

Known for his pathbreaking work in the development sector, Vijay Mahajan talks about inequality, the direction our society is headed in, and how the ‘idea of India’ cannot be realised by the state alone.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Smarinita Shetty | 8 min read

Day 1 vs day 30 in quarantine

The evolution (or devolution) of your habits over a month of working from home.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Krishna Kejriwal | 1 min read

Dr John Oommen-illustration

February 13, 2020

IDR Interviews | Dr John Oommen

A physician and public health specialist, Dr John Oommen shares insights from more than three decades of working on community health among Adivasi peoples, and reflects on why we need to rethink the dominant development paradigm.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Rachita Vora | 10 min read

People fallling into a net Illustration_mental health

Philanthropy & CSR

November 28, 2019

Mental health in India: Underserved and underfunded

Harsh and Raj Mariwala on taking a rights-based approach to funding mental health, the challenges of working with a range of stakeholders, and what philanthropy in India needs to do differently.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Sneha Philip | 6 min read

November 25, 2019

Talk development to me

We tried to imagine what people outside the sector might say if they had to talk about their jobs the way people in the social sector do.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Saahil Kejriwal | 1 min read

Illustration of Deep Joshi, PRADAN_Aditya Krishnamurthy

November 07, 2019

IDR Interviews | Deep Joshi

Recognised for bringing cadres of young professionals into grassroots development, Deep Joshi reflects on why we need to build a more fraternal society and implores us to reconsider how we respond to development challenges.

by Sneha Philip, Ayesha Marfatia | 6 min read

Suspending bridge in a forest_Pxhere

November 05, 2019

Bridging the last mile connectivity gap

What challenges do policies and programmes face in reaching every last person, and how can they be addressed?

by Ayesha Marfatia | 5 min read

People talking to each other and not understanding

October 07, 2019

Are millennials also ruining language now?

If you’re left feeling confused and excluded by the strange, new lingo that the millennials in your office are speaking, we have the perfect guide for you.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 1 min read

Anju Gupta

"An 'us versus them' approach won’t work"

How can the state address violence against women? How can you transform cultures and subcultures within an institution? IPS Officer Anju Gupta shares insights from three decades of working in the civil services.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Sneha Philip | 5 min read

Water & Sanitation

A pinch of salt

Manguben Khera is a small farmer, practicing subsistence farming on her 5-acre plot, growing bajri, ringan, papdi, and gawar.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 1 min read

Daenerys Targaryen Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones characters, re-imagined (no finale spoilers)

We found a surprising number of parallels between Westeros and the social sector, and with the series coming to an end, we thought we'd assign the characters some new roles.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Lamya Karachiwala, Saahil Kejriwal | 1 min read

The Big Bang Theory Howard-Bernadette-watching-TV

“There’s a TV show for that”

With Netflix and Amazon Prime churning out more shows than you could ever possibly watch, we decided to shortlist a few for you, depending on your mood after a long day of work.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Rachita Vora | 2 min read

beedi

Advocacy & Government

February 04, 2019

Guerrilla advocacy: Lessons for civil society

Drawing from his success as an anti-tobacco activist, Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital talks about the strategic choices one needs to make while advocating with the government, and the ingenuity required to change policy.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Rachita Vora | 6 min read

Mental-health-brain graphic

January 16, 2019

Mental health at work

Creating workplaces that support the mental well-being of all staff—from frontline workers to senior management—is critical. Here are some practices that nonprofits follow.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 3 min read

An official taking some details from 2 villagers

November 14, 2018

India's first comprehensive tribal health report

The report is the culmination of years of study by an expert committee, which examined how tribal communities in India suffer from inequity in healthcare, and how this gap can be bridged.

by Ayesha Marfatia | 4 min read

A man in the field

November 12, 2018

7 of your nonprofit colleagues we met on Tinder

You'll definitely swipe right on number 5.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Saahil Kejriwal | 1 min read

Simpsons GIF

September 24, 2018

How to ace your nonprofit job interview

Job interviews can be nerve wracking, particularly if you're unsure of what to expect. But we've got you covered—here are some tips to keep in mind before that next job interview.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Saahil Kejriwal | 1 min read

September 06, 2018

IDR Interviews | Dr Armida Fernandez

Neonatologist turned entrepreneur, Dr Fernandez shares her experiences with founder transition, and working with the urban poor. She also discusses the lack of information, resources and access to quality health services in this interview with IDR.

by Ayesha Marfatia, Rachita Vora | 8 min read

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