Our Team
OUR TEAM
- All
- Head office
- Mumbai
- Ahmedabad
- Bangalore
- Chennai
- Delhi
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
- Kolkata
- Pune
- Varanasi
Sophia Ashley Falcao – Sr Program Manager
Sophia Falcao is a strong contributor to the Make-A-Wish program. As one of the organization earliest employees, she spent a considerable amount of time working directly with the founder. As a result, she understands the philosophy and ethics of the founder, and is able to ensure that they remain constant. For the last 12 years, she has excelled in her role by making children smile. Her experience in the social sector is backed by a BSW background and 11 years at Saathi as a program coordinator, focusing on sheltering and training runaway girls. Her family’s ethos of social contribution ignited her passion to build a career in the social sector. Outside work, she finds joy in singing, adding melody to her life’s purpose.
Bhakti Lad – Operations Manager
In her role as Operations Manager, Bhakti is the link between the Chapters, the Head Office and other stakeholders. Bhakti facilitates donor reports, collates valuable data with her strong multi-tasking skills. Bhakti has a positive approach with a willing attitude. She is committed to fostering a positive work environment and emphasizes team coordination and harmony. Her prior experience includes a decade-long corporate background at Kotak Mahindra, Vissco, followed by social sector experience at Muskan Foundation, transitioned to Make-A-Wish in 2016, drawn by her affinity for children’s welfare. Bhakti, a culinary enthusiast specializing in non-vegetarian dishes
Ranjana Jaiswar – Program Accounts Associate
After her Master’s in Commerce, as a fresher, Ranjan Jaiswar joined Make-A-Wish. She was the first intern at the foundation, in the Mumbai chapter program and has since dedicated nine years to the organization. During her tenure, she has worked with various aspects, wish granting, data management and finance. Presently, she oversees the program accounts of all 11 chapters of Make-A-Wish India. In her role she coordinates with the vendors and manages the accounts for the wish gifts through which she is connected to every child’s wish being fulfilled. When she’s not working, Ranjana enjoys designing mehendi and loves delighting children with her artistry.
Sara Sigwan –Accounts & Admin Coordinator
Sara chose Make-A-Wish for her love of working with children. With a B.Com in accountancy, her background aligns with her mathematical interests. Drawing from previous work experience in a similar capacity, she brings proficiency to her role. Outside her professional pursuits, she finds joy in Bollywood-style dance, her favorite, and has showcased her talent in various events. With her professional and her personal interests, she enriches the team dynamic.
Komal Chalke - Mumbai
Komal Chalke, has been with the Mumbai Chapter for seven years. Transitioning from human resources to program she supports the wish verification process and wish granting. Her desire to help critically ill children fuels her drive. She is a strong support and handles coordinating the wish journey, the wish registry, and wish vendors with equal ease. When she’s not working, Komal pursues many hobbies; an avid lover of dance, she not only enjoys dancing, but also choreography, and nurtures a keen interest in graphic design and web design.
Riddhi Kadam - Program Accounts Coordinator
Riddhi a Commerce Graduate with a knack for accounts, gained experience in different companies’ accounts departments. In 2019, while job searching, she was made aware of Make-A-Wish India through a relative. On joining the foundation, she found joy in working for critically ill children and fulfilling their wishes. Currently she manages a dual role assisting with the wish-program and with supporting the program accounts function, and she finds a way to balance the two duties well..
Yogendra Yadav - Delhi
Yogendra has 17 years of experience in the social sector, spanning startups, education, and healthcare, particularly in HIV and cancer care. With a Master’s in Sociology and a PG Diploma in Public Health and GNM, he joined Make-A-Wish India in 2023. Alongside his professional endeavors, Yogendra is a passionate travel enthusiast, who favors mountainous landscapes. His adventurous spirit extends to bike rides across India with friends. He fosters openness and values interpersonal interactions in his line of work.
Mr. A.B. Bosco - Bangalore
At 74, Mr. Bosco’s life is a testament to selfless service and dedication, evident in his passion for working with our wish children. Initially hesitant about joining the foundation, his perspective changed upon understanding the profound impact of fulfilling the wishes of critically ill children, and he joined Make-A-Wish India in 2019. Beyond his contributions to the foundation, he enjoys writing articles for church magazines and teaching his grandchildren Kannada. His discreet acts of kindness, performed without seeking recognition, embody the foundation’s core values of selfless giving.
Sharan A - Bangalore
Sharan is completing her B. Com degree in her final year at St. Joseph University. She joined Make-A-Wish Foundation in her 2nd year, aiming to improve society. Despite experience in banking and telecom, working at an NGO brings great fulfilment. Sharan likes to dance as a hobby and stress relief; she excels in all cultural arts like singing, skits, and has won multiple dance contests. Sharan resides with her devoted mother, a cook, and her talented makeup artist sister who encourage her efforts to create positive change.
Sanjay K - Bangalore
Sanjay, embodies the spirit of giving and community service. Completing his B. Com degree at St. Joseph’s College, Sanjay has balanced his academic pursuits with meaningful volunteer work. Before his role at Make-A-Wish Foundation, he contributed to organizations supporting physically challenged individuals, demonstrating his willingness to assist those in need. Besides education and work, Sanjay has an immense passion for sports, particularly excelling in cricket. Through his many activities, Sanjay has demonstrated his value as a contributor to both his academic and larger communities.
Patlola Naresh Reddy - Hyderabad
Naresh had nearly a decade of volunteering experience, he initiated his journey during college, deeply touched by children’s challenges while volunteering at MNJ for Palliative Care. His involvement in wish fulfillment began with wish child Santosh, who desired to watch a Prabhas movie at the theater. He formally joined Make-A-Wish India in 2022. Naresh holds an MSc in Organic Chemistry and demonstrates unwavering commitment to social welfare. His vibrant personality is evident in his diverse interests, including singing, dancing, and painting.
Neelima Gaikwad - Pune
Neelima, has dedicated 19 years of experience in social services, including 5 years with Make-A-Wish India. She discovered her passion through assisting her aunt, a nurse, during cancer camps. With a background in social work, she has actively contributed to areas of women empowerment and counseling. Outside of work, Neelima cherishes time with her family and enjoys traveling. Notably, she’s a district-level cricket player, holds a black belt in karate, and has represented Maharashtra.
Neda Saba - Chennai
Neda, was drawn to Make-A-Wish India by her passion for making a difference. With eight years of invaluable experience in the organization and a master’s degree in social work, she brings a unique blend of compassion and strength to her role. Having honed her media skills at CNN and The Hindu, her journalism background enriches her storytelling abilities, furthering her advocacy for social causes. Outside of work, Neda is a dedicated gym enthusiast and district-level powerlifter, likes to travel and also has the thrill of a zodiac sign guessing game, adding an element of fun to her already dynamic persona.
Sahana Sen - Kolkata
Despite having worked in NGOs for the past 24 years, Sahana hadn’t heard of any NGO with a concept of wish granting similar to Make-A-Wish in India. That uniqueness drew her to the organization in 2015, and seeing her past experience, Make-A-Wish instantly welcomed her. She had worked in Tagore Society for Rural Development and Hope Foundation prior to this role. When she’s not working, Sahana likes listening to Rabindra Sangeet, which is the collection of songs composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
Prosenjit Singh - Kolkata
From a unique interest in taming birds to playing mobile games when bored, Prosenjit, a Bachelor of Arts in the Bengali language, shows a diverse spectrum of skills. He joined Make-A-Wish straight from his college through his NGO connects. He was in contact with the Kolkata coordinator, during his education. When she suggested Make-A-Wish to him post his graduation in 2018, he astutely said yes to an interview and has been here since. In his words, his time in the cause has taught him a lot about all the backgrounds various people come from.
Bhaskar Pandey - Varanasi
Bhaskar, a graduate of MSW from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, joined Make-A-Wish India in June 2022, becoming one of the first members of the Kashi chapter. He leverages his decade-long expertise in the social sector. Previously, he served as a Block Coordinator at Care India and as a cluster coordinator at Tata Trust. Apart from his social work, he nurtures a passion for poetry writing and harbors a dream project aimed at empowering the marginalized community in Bihar.
Shishir Anand - Varanasi
Shishir is a strong support to the Varanasi chapter of Make-A-Wish India. Following his Bachelor in Arts degree, he pursued postgraduation in Social Work from BHU in 2021. Previously, he interned with UNICEF, where he supported the District Monitor Coordinator in conducting surveys for vaccination programs during the pandemic. Shishir’s dedication to serving children’s interests drives his professional pursuits. Alongside his work, he finds joy in sharing his passion for art with our wish children.