Dr. Medha Samant
In this episode, our guest Dr. Medha Samant discusses the history and implementation of Annapurna Pariwar, a group of five developmental organizations working in India since 1993. Its goal and mission is to empower poor women and their families related to their finances, education, and health. Dr. Samant describes how she optimizes social workers’ skill sets in service to the mission and how she overcame institutional resistance to microfinance efforts to empower the poor.
Medha Purao Samant, PhD, is the founder and director of Annapurna Pariwar, a conglomerate of five sister organizations working in the slums of Pune and Mumbai, India, with the objective of empowering the poor by providing a comprehensive solution to poverty. Leaving aside a comfortable job of 13 years at Bank of India, Dr. Samant decided to devote her life to uplifting poor and downtrodden slum women. Dr. Samant has been recognized by many organizations and schools for her work. Some of her most recent awards include the 2017 Women Super Achiever Award by World HRD Congress, sponsored by Femina, and the 2017 Pune NGO’s Leadership Award by World HRD Forum.
Interviewer: Gokul Mandayam, PhD
