It is with tremendous gratitude for her time and service that we announce the departure of Rita Sarin from her role as Global Vice President and Country Director of The Hunger Project-India.
Rita joined THP-India in October 2000 with the launch of the Women and Panchayati Raj campaign — a campaign that brought together The Hunger Project and a vast national network of community-based organizations, each committed to strengthening the capacity of rural women to be elected to village councils (gram panchayats). She has been a mainstay of India’s women’s rights movement since the 1980s, when she was part of the team that built India’s first women’s NGO, the Centre for Women and Development Studies.
In her career, Rita has led and mentored more than 100 organizations implementing strategies to empower women in local governance and been widely recognized for her work putting social and gender justice at the center of policy-making. She is a recipient of many awards, including: ‘25 Women of Excellence’ by the FICCI; ‘Women Leadership Achievement Award’, ‘Women of Pure Strength’ by Vodafone Foundation; ‘Iconic leader in nurturing culture and ecosystem for relevant innovation in developing countries’; ‘Phenomenal She’ by the Indian National Bar Association; and the ‘Devi Award’ by the New Indian Express.
Of her time with The Hunger Project, Rita Sarin said, “It has been an honor to serve the millions of people who participate actively in the work of The Hunger Project for the last 22 years.”
“On behalf of the Global Board, I’d like to thank Rita for her decades of impact,” says Board Chair Sheree Stomberg. “Her strength and wisdom as Country Director for The Hunger Project-India has elevated the voices of thousands of women throughout India into positions of agency and leadership.”
“Rita Sarin is recognized worldwide as a powerful advocate for women’s rights,” says President and CEO Tim Prewitt. “It has been an honor to work with her and I am grateful for all she has done with The Hunger Project over the last 22 years. ”
“Rita Sarin is recognized worldwide as a powerful advocate for women’s rights. It has been an honor to work with her and I am grateful for all she has done with The Hunger Project over the last 22 years.”
“On behalf of the Global Board, I’d like to thank Rita for her decades of impact. Her strength and wisdom as Country Director for The Hunger Project-India has elevated the voices of thousands of women throughout India into positions of agency and leadership.”
Effective immediately, we have begun the process of identifying THP-India’s new leadership. While the search is underway, THP-India’s Finance Director Paritosh Sasmal will serve as Interim Director.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank Rita for her exemplary contributions to THP-India’s vision and mission, and to the larger global quest for gender justice, a key component in the sustainable end of hunger.
