She began volunteering at a neighbourhood non profit- Latika Roy Foundation, Dehradun, where she developed a keen interest in the field while working with children with special needs. Within a few months, she was employed as a project coordinator - managing events and activities at one of the organisation’s evening activity centres - Latika Vihar. Her passion to bring about positive changes in the
quality of life of people around her has only grown with the years. Joshi left for her postgraduate studies in Conflict Resolution from Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. During her stay, she interned at the Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition, where she had to opportunity to meet, interact and work for refugee communities resettling in New Zealand from war-torn countries affected by immense conflict such as DR Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Colombia, Burundi, Cameroon, Eritrea, Kurdish, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, and Uganda. The organisation primarily focused on advocacy of smaller organisations working for refugees in the Auckland region through building leadership programs, training models and taking up research work for resettling communities to develop a healthy resettlement process. The experience helped Ms. Joshi build a stronger foundation and strengthened her determination to strive for the betterment of humankind and work towards a more ethical and just society. She returned to India post-studies and continued working in different organisations at various capacities. After almost 8 years of exposure in the field, she conceptualised SAHAS- Sustainable Action for Himalayas, based in Dehradun, India to maximise her potential, expand her ideas in the field and apply her knowledge as a social worker to instigate change in the state of Uttarakhand. Child welfare is the primary field of focus, but the scope of SAHAS extends beyond to social welfare, environmental conservation and livelihood generation in the state of Uttarakhand. In a country like India, where it is impossible to prioritise one cause over another, it is imperative to apply a multi-sectored approach in tackling the social issues that surround us. Through SAHAS, she aims to work towards the multi-faceted issues surrounding the underprivileged communities in the urban as well as rural parts of Uttarakhand and push the communities- the culture and crafts of Uttarakhand for better representation on a national platform. Since it’s inception in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SAHAS has reached out to over 700 underprivileged children and well over 400 households residing in the urban slums of Dehradun with basic necessities like dry rations, sanitation kits, medical supplies, clothing, footwear, stationery and educational materials and other basic necessities in these trying times along with imparting moral education and instilling environmental conservation among these kids from an early age. SAHAS has also been actively involved in associating with various departments and agencies to mobilise essentials such as masks, sanitisers, medical aids, rations, clothing etc., to hilly regions of Uttarakhand during the Chamoli disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic as relief aid. In the past one year, SAHAS has also successfully planted well over 200 tree saplings of fruit and evergreen trees such as bamboo, Ashoka, neem, litchi, Amla, Jamun, etc. Our kids have also been involved in various activities on Environmental awareness and conservation such as clean up drives, awareness rallies, personal hygiene sessions and participated in online programs in association with partner ngos on national level to express their best creative selves. SAHAS aims to provide these children with the necessary means to access a plethora of possibilities and exposure for their holistic growth and development and help them turn into productive members of the society.
