About Us

Who We Are

Winner of the Atlantic Council’s 2020 Distinguished Leadership Awards, The Azadi Project provides leadership skills and psychosocial support to women from some of the world’s most conflict-affected regions and marginalized communities in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Through the 5 years of our journey we have expanded our work to support, women and youth from marginalized communities in India.

Theory of change

Our Theory of change revolves around empowering women and youth from conflict-affected and marginalized communities. By providing comprehensive leadership skills and psycho-social support, women and youth can emerge as influential leaders within their communities. Our theory is based on the transformative impact of skill-building and mental health support in not only promoting personal development but also impacting positive change. Through targeted programs and interventions, we aim to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create sustainable pathways to women and youth empowerment, ultimately building stronger, inclusive, and more resilient communities.

How we challenge the deep rooted issues:

Provide safe spaces
Nurture women and youth leaders
Provide psychosocial support
Spread gender sensitization
Provide professional skills
Create opportunities for employment

Members of The Board

ARUNA RAO

CO-FOUNDER OF GENDER AT WORK

ARUNA RAO

CO-FOUNDER OF GENDER AT WORK

is the Co-Founder of Gender at Work, a transnational network of individuals and organizations that build knowledge and practice to end discrimination against women and advance cultures of equality. She is an expert in the field of gender and development with over 30 years of experience in pioneering new approaches to gender and institutional change. She has consulted widely with a range of government, academic and development agencies. She sits on many other Boards and is the Chair of the Board for Oxfam International and Nobel Women’s Initiative.

CASEY STAVROPOULOS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF J P MORGAN CHASE & CO.

CASEY STAVROPOULOS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF J P MORGAN CHASE & CO.

SORAYA CHEMALY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE REPRESENTATION PROJECT.

SORAYA CHEMALY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE REPRESENTATION PROJECT.

is currently the Executive Director of The Representation Project. An award-winning author and activist, she writes and speaks frequently on topics related to gender norms, inclusivity, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, and technology. The former director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and political participation.

RAM RAMGOPAL

DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE EDITOR AT CNN

RAM RAMGOPAL

DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE EDITOR AT CNN

Our Team

Priyali Sur

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Priyali Sur

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Priyali Sur is the Founder and the Executive Director of The Azadi Project. She has built and implemented leadership training, job skills, and mental health support programs for refugee and marginalized women globally across Europe, Africa, and South Asia, helping refugees and migrants from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Niger, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. Priyali is also an award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with extensive experience reporting on social justice and gender issues in South Asia and Africa and the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East. She is a former news anchor for CNN-IBN in India and her work has been published in CNN, NPR, PBS, and The Guardian, among other international media outlets. She was born in India and is currently based in New Delhi.

Shreyas Jayakumar

COO & Head- Strategic Communications

Shreyas Jayakumar

COO & Head- Strategic Communications

Shreyas is a communications specialist with a successful track record in building strategic relationships, developing sustained internal/external communications campaigns, and managing CSR programs. In her extensive experience of 16+ years across sectors, she has worked in large corporations, agencies, and non-profits. In her spare time, Shreyas advises NGOs on their brand communication strategies, teaches sustainability and impact investing to post-graduate students, and volunteers for causes related to animal welfare and gender equality.

Namrata Kilpady

SENIOR ADVISER

Namrata Kilpady

SENIOR ADVISER

She is the Campaigns Director at Purpose India. In her sixth year as a campaigning leader and mentor, Namrata has guided teams in India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa in building citizen-led movements that are led by women and marginalized communities. Some of the impactful campaigns she has strategized for include "#DignityInFloods Making Pads Accessible in Flood relief camps" (Assam), "#WomComMatters Making the Women's Commission functional for DV Survivors" (Telangana), and "#AllShadesAreLovely Unilever: Rename Fair & Lovely and make it inclusive"

Kaynat Salmani

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

Kaynat Salmani

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

Kaynat is the Senior Program Manager at The Azadi Project with a vision of purpose and clarity. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master’s degree in social work. She believes in the rights-based approach focused on human development. She has accrued 7 years of administrative, direct practice, and research experience in child protection, and women’s empowerment.
Kaynat’s passion to serve humanity stems from her childhood experience growing up in Delhi. Her passion for children and women’s empowerment was ignited in refugee camps in Delhi, where she met women and children fleeing conflict in their own country. Their hope and determination motivated her to serve children and women worldwide. Now, she brings a unique blend of passion, compassion, and strategy as Program Manager.

Shivana Gull

Program Coordinator and Center Manager

Shivana Gull

Program Coordinator and Center Manager

Shivana, originally from Kashmir, leads the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) program at The Azadi Project. With a Master’s in Human Rights, she is deeply committed to the welfare of women and children. She works closely with a community of 50+ women, providing support, advocacy, and pathways to healing. Passionate about human rights, she strives to create safe and empowering spaces for those in need.

Chaity Puja Sarkar

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH MANAGER

Chaity Puja Sarkar

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH MANAGER

Chaity is a communications and outreach specialist with a strong focus on digital advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic partnerships. At The Azadi Project, she leads communications efforts, crafting impactful campaigns, managing social media strategy, and expanding the organization’s reach. She specializes in storytelling for social change, amplifying narratives on gender justice, refugee rights, and community resilience. With expertise in media engagement, content strategy, and partnerships, she drives visibility and engagement for key programs while fostering connections that support long-term impact.

Kashifa Qadir

Psychologist

Kashifa Qadir

Psychologist

A young professional and psychology major, Kashifa is a trauma informed psychologist. She works alongside our participants, listen to their story and supports their journey of healing

Ankita Dan

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Ankita Dan

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Ankita is an intersectional feminist who questions the deep-rooted patriarchal tendencies in society and tends to see the world from an inherent sense of empathy, vehemently standing against all forms of human rights violations. She is a Political Science graduate from Indraprastha College from Women, University of Delhi. Having indulged with a great deal of political literature, especially those of intersectional feminists and marginal voices, right from her childhood fueled her inherent passion for social change and shaped her professional drive towards the field of human rights. She is also an ardent defender of animal rights. Ankita aspires to contribute to a more gender-equal, inclusive and just world.

Azadi Alumni

Kerem Gil

Harshvardhan

Aya

Alumni, Interns and Volunteers

Aishwarya Nagdev

INTERN

Aishwarya Nagdev

INTERN

A Sociology major from Hindu College, University of Delhi with a profound interest in research and academics. Passionate about gender justice, social inclusion, democratization of institutions, empowerment of various marginalized sections of society, and social equity. Seeks to do this through community engagement, ground-level interaction, policy and stakeholder deliberation.

Jyotsna Bhardwaj

VOLUNTEER

Jyotsna Bhardwaj

VOLUNTEER

Jyotsna is a freelance journalist who identifies as a feminist at her core. She has authored features for the Kashmir Observer newspaper for more than two years. She joined The Azadi Project in an effort to contribute to the advancement of society.

Harshvardhan

ALUMNI

Kashifa Qadir

VOLUNTEER

Riyana

Volunteer

Gowri Abhinanda

ALUMNI

Gowri Abhinanda

ALUMNI

Gowri is a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying Political Science and Journalism. She has worked in the youth advocacy non-profit world since eighth grade, mostly in youth-led gun violence prevention spaces focused on building intersectional solutions and community awareness. Her growing interests lie in thinking critically about systems and power structures that enable continued exploitative inequities in society and how to work against such dynamics to empower our youth. Outside these spaces, Gowri finds engaging in narrative writing, poetry, and travel to be deeply meaningful as she believes it helps connect individuals across different walks of life through a shared feeling or experience.

Maggie Jones

ALUMNI

Maggie Jones

ALUMNI

Anvi

ALUMNI

Risa Sone

ALUMNI

Vaishnavi Singh

ALUMNI

Kerem Gil

ALUMNI

Kerem Gil

ALUMNI

Kerem is an artist and activist. She is a passionate advocate against gender-based violence. She is also a defender of animal rights. Further, she aspires to contribute to a more gender-equal, inclusive and just world

Lluis Dalmau

FOUNDING MEMBER (VOLUNTEER)

Lluis Dalmau

FOUNDING MEMBER (VOLUNTEER)

Lluis Dalmau is an economics and finance professional, currently working as an Analyst at the International Monetary Fund, supporting the monitoring and stabilization of Central Africa. He was a founding member of The Azadi Project and continues to provide voluntary support.

Georgia

INTERN

Saumya

ALUMNI

About us

Who We Are

Theory of change

How we challenge the deep rooted issues:

Members of The Board

Our Team

Azadi Alumni

Kerem Gil

Harshvardhan

Aya

Alumni, Interns and Volunteers

Harshvardhan

Kashifa Qadir

Riyana

Anvi

Risa Sone

Vaishnavi Singh

Georgia

Saumya

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Contacts

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Contacts