The Sahayak Trust believes that education can transform lives and livelihoods – most of all for the poorest and most disadvantaged. It makes relevant education accessible at the doorstep of people, particularly the rural poor, at each stage from childhood to adulthood, through both the formal education system and through enhancing knowledge and skills in vital areas such as nutrition and health.
Learning ignites opportunities for a better future.
Empowering communities with practical knowledge and tools.
Bringing vital knowledge directly to remote communities.
Altruistic Service
High Integrity
Empowerment through Knowledge
Self reliance and Sustainability
To provide life- and livelihood-enhancing education in the fields of Health & Nutrition, Agriculture, Livelihood, and Ecology.
Promote the importance of dietary diversity to ensure essential nutrients for good immunity and overall health. Encourage self-reliant and sustainable production of diverse, nutritious, and toxin-free vegetables and fruits through organic kitchen gardens or designated farm spaces. Strengthen school, college, and community-based education to improve nutrition and health outcomes.
Our approach is grounded in values that ensure learning is hands-on,
scalable, impactful, and builds long-term community ownership.
Empowering rural communities through knowledge on nutrition , health, farming livelihoods and ecology
Curriculum Design
Capacity Building
Learning Programs
Knowledge Sharing
True change begins when knowledge, dignity, and compassion reach the grassroots. At Sahayak, our journey is rooted in the belief that communities have the strength to uplift themselves—when they’re trusted, trained, and supported
Founder & Managing Trustee, The Sahayak Trust
Meet our dedicated individuals committed to education and community empowerment
Dilnavaz Variava is one of the first graduates of IIM Ahmedabad and has served as a director of several companies. Since 1973, she has been a pioneering voice in environmental conservation, serving as CEO of WWF India, Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society for 20 years, and a member of key national committees including the National Committee for Environmental Planning & Coordination, the National Conservation Strategy Committee, and the National Board for Wildlife. She chaired the Working Group on Ecological Foundations for Sustainable Agriculture for the Government of Maharashtra. Currently, she is President of an educational trust running schools for over 3,500 rural children. Dilnavaz has retired from business to fully dedicate herself to these causes.
Dilnavaz Variava
Founder & Managing Trustee
Firdaus holds a B.Com from Mumbai University and an MBA in Marketing from The College of William & Mary’s Mason School of Business. He is a Trustee of two educational trusts that run schools and vocational training programs in Nashik District, Maharashtra. He also serves as Vice-Chairman of Bharat Floorings and Tiles, a heritage company founded during the Swadeshi movement, known for its artisanal and custom-made floorings. A long-time advocate of organic food, fitness, and sustainability, Firdaus is passionate about healthy living, and enjoys cycling and hiking as part of his lifestyle.
Firdaus Variava
Trustee
Naira Jeejebhoy holds an LL.B. from Mumbai and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School. She is an independent legal counsel, enrolled with both the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa and the New York State Bar. Naira primarily practices on the Original Side of the Bombay High Court, with a focus on domestic and international arbitration. At Columbia, she served as Vice President of the International Arbitration Association and Editor of the American Review of International Arbitration. She is also a Trustee of an educational trust running schools and vocational training programs in Deolali, Nashik district, Maharashtra.
Naira Jejeebhoy
Trustee
Nidhi holds a degree in Economics (Hons.) from Shri Ram College of Commerce and an MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. She spent over a decade at Aon (formerly Hewitt Associates), followed by a leadership role in HR at Teach for India, where she was instrumental in recruiting and placing the organization’s first cohort of Fellows. She is currently the Co-Founder of Peel-Works Pvt. Ltd., a grocery-focused B2B e-commerce company, blending technology and supply chain innovation to empower small retailers.
Nidhi Variava
Trustee
Jehangir has done Bachelors in Arts from Columbia University, USA; LLB from Mumbai University. He is a Solicitor and Counsel at Bomaby High Court, Special Counsel on Panel of liquidators and an arbitrator. He is a trustee of several charitable trusts.
Jehangir Jejeebhoy
Member
Dr. Rupal Dalal (MD, FAAP, IBCLC) is a renowned pediatrician and public health expert in maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. She is Associate Professor (Adjunct) at CTARA, IIT Bombay, Founding Medical Director of the Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH), and Project Leader of the Health Spoken Tutorial initiative at IIT Bombay. With over 15 years of field experience, she has worked extensively in urban slums and rural/tribal areas to prevent malnutrition. She trains UNICEF fellows, mentors nutrition research across India, and advocates for breastfeeding support, early childhood development, and community-based behaviour change through training and counselling.
Dr. Rupal Dalal
Member
Dr. Gogulwar is a medical doctor (MBBS, Nagpur University) with over 35 years of experience in the health sector. He has served as a trustee of Kailash Health Foundation, Mumbai and SEARCH, Gadchiroli, and coordinated several health action committees. Since 2010, he has been the Convener of Aamhi Aamchya Aarogyasathi (AAA), an NGO working in 200+ tribal and rural villages and 45 slums across Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Nagpur. He trained 120 women health workers through the Ambuja Cement Foundation and helped form 70 adolescent girls’ groups in Kurkheda Taluka. He was also an invited member of the State NABARD Committee in 1996. His contributions have been recognized with the M.B. Gandhi Trust Puraskar (2000) and the Lifetime Achievement Award by IMA Nagpur (2010).
Dr. Satish Gogulwar
Member
Ms.Madan holds a Master’s in Economics and a Post Graduate Diploma from IIFT, New Delhi. She began her career in international marketing, managing operations across the Middle East, Far East, Europe, and Sri Lanka. After two decades in the corporate sector, she transitioned to the development sector, joining BNHS and later leading the Light of Life Trust in the field of education. Passionate about scaling sustainable social models, she has taught Social Entrepreneurship at TISS and continues to advocate for development solutions rooted in sustainability and community impact.
Ruby Madan
Member
Rajesh KR is a development professional with over two decades of leadership experience in India’s social sector. A Master of Social Work, he has led large-scale initiatives in health, nutrition, livelihoods and skill development, impacting adolescents, women and marginalised communities. His work emphasises community engagement, measurable outcomes and sustainable systems-building.Since 2019, he has led The Sahayak Trust, advancing nutrition-sensitive agriculture, anaemia reduction and education-led empowerment. Under his leadership, the Trust has expanded institutional partnerships and university collaborations. Rajesh specialises in capacity building, research-driven programme design and strategic execution, bridging grassroots realities with scalable impact that strengthen field implementation and enhance the organisation’s role as a leading institution in nutrition education
Rajesh KR
Director
Join us in transforming lives with Education, Skill Development, and Better Nutrition for all.
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