Rachita Vora
Rachita is co-founder and director at IDR. Before this, she led the Dasra Girl Alliance, an INR 250 crore multi-stakeholder platform that sought to improve maternal, adolescent and child health outcomes in India. She has over a decade of experience, having led teams in the areas of financial inclusion, public health and CSR, and functions across strategy, business development, and communications. Rachita has an MBA from Judge Business School at Cambridge University and a BA in History from Yale University.
Articles by Rachita Vora
January 11, 2021
This nonprofit life Ep 12 | Team morale
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
December 10, 2020
“Discomfort is a proxy for progress”
Jacqueline Novogratz on how social entrepreneurs can navigate the tensions and complexities of working in social impact.
October 12, 2020
This nonprofit life Ep 11 | A game of Monopoly
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector (adapted for the FCRA Act, 2020).
September 24, 2020
“I’m giving you an opportunity to change India”
Shaheen Mistri, founder of Teach For India, on what it takes to build a strong brand, beyond the social sector.
September 16, 2020
Where does the water in a well come from?
In the water sector, the focus on fixing demand and supply is taking us away from the real problem: Unnoticed groundwater dependencies in ever-expanding urban India.
July 15, 2020
This is the most opportune time for impact investing
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will see significant changes in how impact investing is approached. The crisis has also thrown up questions around the right form of capital and the right time to invest.
July 6, 2020
This nonprofit life Ep 10 | “We need to embrace digital”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector (adapted for the times of COVID-19).
May 14, 2020
Fixing the trust deficit in our sector
The COVID-19 crisis offers us a unique opportunity to reframe the power equation between civil society, government, and the markets. To do so, we must first rebrand our sector.
April 1, 2020
This nonprofit life Ep 9 | “In captivity”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector (adapted for the times of COVID-19).
April 1, 2020
COVID-19 and lessons from Kerala
A series of measures undertaken in the 1990s are now paying off as Kerala strives to quell the spread of COVID-19.
March 19, 2020
“Biodiversity may be the most critical science for our survival”
How we can solve for the climate crisis in India, and why the National Biodiversity Mission is crucial.
March 18, 2020
Check yourself, before you wreck yourself
The first in a series of articles dedicated to exploring the relationship between inner well-being for social change in the context of India, as well as other countries in the majority world.
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.
February 6, 2020
“Philanthropy is not only for the wealthy”
Kumari Shibulal shares lessons from two decades of taking a hands-on approach to her philanthropy.
November 11, 2019
This nonprofit life Ep 8 | Nonprofit snakes and ladders
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
October 24, 2019
India has a groundwater problem
Despite being the lifeline of India’s water supplies, groundwater is overlooked by policy makers and users alike.
October 21, 2019
Stardom by association
Have you found your connection to Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee as yet?
October 10, 2019
IDR Interviews | Dr Vandana Shiva
World-renowned scientist and biodiversity expert shares invaluable wisdom on the overlaps between indigenous and scientific knowledge, and how both can shape national and global policy.
August 12, 2019
This nonprofit life Ep 7 | “You’ve got the job!”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
July 29, 2019
This nonprofit life Ep 6 | “Capacity building”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
June 13, 2019
IDR Interviews | Shantha Sinha
Life and leadership lessons shared by a visionary anti-child labour activist, on changing social norms at scale, building inclusive movements, and taking on the establishment.
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.
March 21, 2019
IDR Interviews | Lalsu Nogoti
The remarkable story of an Adivasi lawyer and social activist who has led peoples’ movements against state development policies, and sought redress for human rights violations of his people in conflict-ridden regions of Maharashtra.
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.
February 4, 2019
This nonprofit life Ep 5 | Panel discussions
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
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.
August 30, 2018
Dr H. Sudarshan on getting it right with Ayushman Bharat
There are valuable lessons that state level universal health coverage schemes have to offer to Ayushman Bharat, particularly in light of its scheduled launch this September.
August 17, 2018
Nine things we learned from Kamla Bhasin
Invaluable lessons on topics ranging from social movements, to feminism, to Bollywood lyrics.
July 12, 2018
IDR Interviews | Sujata Khandekar
For three decades, CORO has been at the forefront of grassroots leadership. Sujata Khandekar shares what she has learnt and unlearnt about the process of empowerment within marginalised communities, and what it takes to be truly participatory.
June 18, 2018
This nonprofit life Ep 4 | “Mr Shah was planning on funding you…”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
May 10, 2018
IDR Interviews | Kamla Bhasin
Development feminist activist, poet, author and social scientist, Kamla Bhasin, distils close to 50 years of experience and wisdom from being at the forefront of India’s grassroots feminist movement.
March 26, 2018
This Nonprofit Life Ep 3| “You’re hired.”
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
February 26, 2018
9 superpowers you wish you had at a development conference
Conferences—we can’t live with or without them. But what if we had superpowers to help us get through the most annoying parts?
January 29, 2018
This nonprofit life Ep 2
A cartoon series that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.
January 22, 2018
This nonprofit life Ep 1
We introduce a new format in our humour section: a cartoon that captures the joys and travails of life in the development sector.