Could the above “valid” statements be challenged for Merit?
As individuals and organizations passionately lead their missions and goals, very often, many valuable opportunities that lie dormant within the focused pursuits - get missed. Reflecting on the 24 years of academic and 15 years of professional endeavors I identify many “Missed Opportunities”.
Missed Opportunities …. to Do More!! Be More!! Achieve More!!
“Laser like focus brings success!” This was my guiding north star steering me through the 24 years of formal academic life course. While focusing on the sensitive estimations in laboratories, during the analytical phase of my PhD, I used to recall the smiling faces of children residing in the harsh urban slums - my research community work location. These kids never missed an opportunity to giggle - uncontrollably … against all odds! The very young mothers (many of them teenagers), participants of the health communication sessions I used to anchor, just like their very young kids, were experts in recognizing missed opportunities! During those sessions I used to focus on discussing Vitamin A deficiency (VADD) disorders, a persistent problem in India and other developing countries - my very serious doctoral research subject. These young women, often the most overburdened members, would somehow spot and use an opportunity to laugh, gossip and have fun during our intense discussions together!
I strive to identify and address the “Missed Opportunities” for value-adds to the missions that dedicated passionate individuals and organizations pursue globally. “Missed Opportunities - One Too Many!!!” is the mission that I have strived to work towards during the course of my professional experience in Consulting, Trainings, Capacity Building, M&E Design Frameworks, Impact Assessment, Skilling, Women Empowerment, Adolescent, Mothers and Young Child Welfare program design-implementation and Research, within the sustainability landscape in Corporate (CSR), Government and Not for profit organizations.
Glimpses of these assignments-Case studies below…
A unique entry point to high risk communities for Nutrition, Health, WATSAN and Early Years Development.
Extrapolating the ASER approach and philosophy for participatory actionable evidence for health sector in India.
Channelising skills of trained local women, field staff of a child development reserach project for health, nutrition, immunization, WATSAN.
Addressing Early Years Nutrition and Development as a potential skilling stream. Design, delivery and assessment of a new vertical within the existing infrastructure for skilling programs.
Ideating workshops to address MIYCN, WATSAN and ECD for collaborative co-creation with MSSRF.
Designed the program addressing the Missed Opportunity to engage and involve mothers/families in the crèche program run by JSS in Chhattisgarh.
Identifying the “Missed Opportunity” within the collective time of these youth workshops. I designed assessment workshops that generated block level report cards on actionable evidence around MCHN, MIYCN, WATSAN and Early Years Development.
Designed participatory rapid assessments embedding them in implementation programs. Thereby addressing the “Missed Opportunity” to communicate child survival messages while collecting monitoring data.
Designed workshops for local level frontline workers of literacy programs and college students from Lady Irwin College and SNDT Mumbai to seize the “Missed Opportunity” of delivering MCHN and WATSAN messages and creating stories and poems around the issues for Health Communication.
Led development of physical and digital games as energizers within trainings to deliver messages around child health, hygiene, WATSAN, nutrition and development thereby seizing the “Missed Opportunity” within training programs.
Designed MIYCN program model within the financial literacy programs established by Buzz India, Karnataka.
Development of a program to involve mothers of vulnerable children from underprivileged communities attending preschools. To engage them in child health, WATSAN and ECD issues.
Led the design and delivery of programs to impart MCHN, MIYCN and WATSAN messages to preschool teachers in underprivileged communities in Bihar, Gujarat and Delhi.
Designed a MIYCN program involving men being ambassadors of Early Years nutrition, health and WATSAN, reaching out to young mothers and adolescent girls in rural communities.
During this Fellowship, I presented the case for “Missed Opportunities” at School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) - Columbia University and designed a segment accentuating co-creation of global solutions.
Was nominated to attend the first cohort of AMEX India Leadership Academy. As an alumna, I addressed the participants on “Missed Opportunities” for collective thinking and co-creating solutions.