Ayesha Marfatia
Ayesha Marfatia was previously an editorial associate at India Development Review. At IDR, in addition to writing, editing, and handling research-driven reports, she also supported 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
February 23, 2021
Reflections on our well-being journey through the pandemic
A glimpse into the well-being practices we tried to follow through our time working from home, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 25, 2021
Spotted: Nonprofit CEO at Republic Day parade
What would the annual Republic Day festivities look like, from the perspective of the CEO of a nonprofit?
October 1, 2020
“You cannot bypass the power of communities”
Reflecting on BRAC’s work in education, Erum Mariam emphasises that communities are the real drivers of change.
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.
July 20, 2020
Bizsplaining: Mansplaining for nonprofits
Here's what to do the next time someone condescendingly tells you to 'pivot' your programme.
July 3, 2020
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.
May 29, 2020
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.
April 30, 2020
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.
April 27, 2020
Day 1 vs day 30 in quarantine
The evolution (or devolution) of your habits over a month of working from home.
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.
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.
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.
November 7, 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.
November 5, 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?
October 7, 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.
June 27, 2019
“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.
May 20, 2019
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.
April 15, 2019
“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.
February 4, 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.
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.
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.
November 12, 2018
7 of your nonprofit colleagues we met on Tinder
You'll definitely swipe right on number 5.
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.
September 6, 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.