Episode 2: Menstrual Hygiene in South Asia: In conversation with Tanya Mahajan, Director of International Programs at the Pad Project

Tanya has over 10 years of experience in market development of health products and services in low-income settings. She has led research and program evaluations on the intersection of health, gender and WASH through her work at PATH and Development Solutions. Show More

Tanya is the co-chair of the Menstrual Health supplies workstream at the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and the co-founder of the Menstrual Health Alliance India and has done extensive work on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) research and advocacy in India and globally. Her work on MHH has spanned user and supply side research on the market landscape, advocacy on harmonization of product standards, technical support for program design and implementation and mentorship to start-ups in the MHH eco-system. Tanya holds a Bachelors in Economics and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Finance. She is currently the Director of International Programs at the Pad Project.

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Episode 3: Running a business like a BOSS: In conversation with Rayman Kaur Mathoda, a multi-time CEO, social entrepreneur, and independent board director

Rayman Mathoda is an Indian American Queer multi-time CEO, social entrepreneur, and independent board director. She is also on the chair of Desi-Rainbow and Allies and helps spread awareness and to support LGBTQ+ South Asian Americans and their families and communities. Show More

She has successfully led and transformed 5 different companies in the last 10 years, 2 of which were subsequently sold to Fortune 500 buyers (Fidelity National Financial & Goldman Sachs). Experience ranges across multiple industry sectors with 25 years of experience in the fintech/proptech/banking and healthcare/life sciences sectors.

She is a social entrepreneur and business builder who co-founded a portfolio of 'biotech for emerging markets' businesses delivering world class genomics, synthetic biology, and clinical solutions affordably at scale to India and emerging markets in Asia, the middle East, and Africa. Companies created includes Medgenome, Agrigenome, Maggenome, Saksin, Theragen, and AntlerA.

She has done her A.B. Honors from Princeton University and a M.B.A. with Distinction from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

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Episode 4: Rice – Intersection of Food Security, Gender & Climate in South India, In conversation with paddy farmers in India

I love Rice. I am South Asian. It’s a staple for me. It’s my go-to comfort food.Show More

Did you know that nearly 2.5 billion people depend on Rice as their primary food, and hundreds of millions spend more than half their incomes on rice to feed their families?

I did not know that.

I also did not know that more than two-thirds of the world’s rice production comes from small farming families in developing countries, with women farming alongside men. I also learned that Rice is one of the most water and fertilizer-intensive crops and causes significant greenhouse gas emissions.

With all these inter-connected learnings and my love of Rice ---- it’s only evident that Rice farming would be an exciting topic for me, Anvi Fenn, to include in my Evergreen Story’s Ecofeminist Podcast.

The word “farmer” has been gender-biased because agricultural work performed by Indian women is seen as an extension of their household work. But this is changing, especially in Rice farming, as I learned during my visit to paddy fields in Kerala, India, which provide raw material to my father’s agri-food business.

Also, Rice does not need to be causing significant harm to our planet if farmed sustainably. This entirely relies on the education of farmers to make appropriate decisions for sustainable rice farming.

And we know from evidence that including women in these climate-related decisions promotes sustainable practices. But farming women need more access to technical knowledge and support services if rice production is to be increased sustainably.

And ensuring sustainable Rice production is key to food security for mine and future generations.

I can’t imagine a world without my go-to comfort food.

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Episode 5: Climate Action through Communication: In conversation with Amanda Newseiwant, a United Nations Youth Representative

Amanda Nesheiwat currently works as the Deputy Director of Sustainability and Community Outreach for Hudson County Improvement Authority in New Jersey. She is a community organizer and environmental activist and is passionate about sustainable development and implementing local solutions to climate change. Amanda is a United Nations Youth Representative for the Humanitarian Focus Foundation and was trained by Al Gore’s Climate Reality team to effectively present information about climate change as a Climate Reality Leader. She is an Adjunct Professor at Ramapo College and teaches World Sustainability. Amanda is a recipient of the United Nations ATOP Peace Award for her work in raising awareness about environmental issues and was chosen as one of the top 50 Most Influential People of Hudson County, NJ. She has also received the North Jersey Young Environmental Innovator Award and was “Woman of the Year” in Hudson County, NJ in 2018. Amanda has a Tedx talk about her work titled “How I Became a Change Agent”. She has a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and has completed the Harvard Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program with Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2021.

Episode 6: Understanding the fear of transgenders in Iran: In conversation with Faegheh Shirazi, a renowned author and advocate for Iranian transgender rights

Faegheh Shirazi, also known as Fawn Aunty, my great aunt, is a professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, at the University of Texas at Austin. Show More

A renowned author, Fawn Aunty is an advocate for Iranian transgender rights and has written many research papers on Transexual Identity in Iran as well as the Politics and policy of transexuls in Iran.

She earned a PHD in textile and clothing (particularly the Islamic veil (hijab).

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Episode 7: Bridging the Gap: In conversation with Aanya Wig, a gender activist and youth leader

Aanya is a recent graduate from LSR. She is a SUSI scholar, being one of the four girls nominated to represent India. She is also the Co Founder of Covid Fighters India, one of the biggest Covid Relief initiatives in the country which came up during the second wave. A TEDx speaker, Aanya was recently selected as one of the top LinkedIn Voices for Social Impact. Show More

She is the co-founder of Girl Up Rise, a UN foundation collaboration to empower women across the world. A student-led organization, this venture was ideated in October, 2019 with the single aim of being the change that we wanted to see. We’re inspiring a generation of girls to be a force for gender equality and social change.

In atmospheres of palpable uncertainties, it becomes imperative that we voice our opinions and stand our ground. GirlUp Rise is one such platform that facilitates expression of identities and reclamation of physical and metaphorical spaces. It aims at pushing forth for gender equality by enabling girls with adequate resources to initiate movements of change.

She is also a member of the WICCI Anti Sexual Harassment Council Delhi.

She has worked as a journalist with The Quint and was the Campus Coordinator with The Jurni.

She is the founding project head of Aghaaz, a student led social entrepreneurship project to empower women by providing them vocational skills and an economic independence while following the sustainable development goals. She was also the Volunteer Coordinator for Pratisandhi, a student led NGO to create sexual health and awareness.

Aanya is passionate about driving change and hardworking. She wishes to see a world where Gender Equality is a reality.

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Episode 8: Girls First: In conversation with Isha Verma, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning | Girls First Fund

As the inaugural MEL Director, Isha steers the Girls First Fund to capture impact and strategically inform effective grantmaking. The research and learning conducted under her direction and in partnership with the GFF grantees will capture how GFF’s grantees are tackling child marriage and gender inequality in their communities.Show More

Having worked at the intersection of monitoring and evaluation and women’s health and rights at both grantmaking and implementing organizations, Isha brings an ability to measure the impact of a large Collaborative that funds small grassroots-led organizations. Prior to working on the Girls First Fund at Geneva Global, Isha worked with large humanitarian organizations such as Relief International, Plan International, and Americares, as well as the Packard Foundation’s SRHR Program. She has also consulted for IYAFP, an entirely local and volunteer-led network of young leaders working on women’s health globally. While her expertise is monitoring and evaluation, she has also held roles in operations and communications. She therefore employs a lens that looks at data capture and analysis as part of a holistic process responsible to multiple stakeholders.

Isha has worked extensively in India, Ethiopia, and Liberia, and has also worked in Tanzania, Nepal, and the Philippines while supporting other global portfolios. She holds a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Evaluation and Measurement of Global Health Systems and Development from Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA.

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Episode 9: Water-Gender Nexus - Impact of Climate Change on Women: In conversation with Dr. Swati Hegde Sustainability Research Specialist

Dr. Swati Hegde is a sustainability research specialist with expertise in the areas of waste to value added products, food-water-energy systems, bioplastics, renewable fuels, microplastic pollution in water, and water-gender nexus. Dr. Hegde holds a PhD in Sustainability from the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester, New York. She holds a Master's degree in Industrial Biotechnology from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal. In her previous roles, Dr. Hegde worked as Senior Academic Research Coordinator for the Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gender and Water, and as an Assistant Professor of Biotechnology in India. She has over ten years of multidisciplinary experience in applied scientific research, teaching, science communication, environmental impact assessment, and sustainability. As a FCL Guru at TERI, she aspires to empower the younger generation with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to solve the climate crisis.

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