Dr Carmo Noronha is the secretary of Bethany Society, a nonprofit based in Meghalaya. For almost three decades, he served as the executive director of the organisation, championing inclusive education for people with disabilities; digital literacy programmes; sustainable livelihoods initiatives; and rural development projects.
For his efforts, Dr Carmo has been recognised with the Social Work Excellence Award conferred by the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) in 2025 and the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities by the President of India in 2018.
In this interview, Dr Carmo speaks about the evolving nonprofit landscape in Meghalaya and the importance of collaborating with the state government to increase impact. He also highlights the need for including disabled people in designing programmes for them and explains why 19th-century teaching methods won’t meet the demands of the education system in the age of artificial intelligence.
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Know more
- Watch this video to learn about the life of a Deaf student who advocates for an inclusive environment for his community.
- Watch Dr Carmo speak about the need for integrating students with disabilities into the mainstream education system.
