DLR Prerna

Core Staff

Ashesh Rai is the first employee of DLR Prerna and administrator and finance manager. Besides his office engagement, he is engaged in community work specialising on micro-finance and self help groups. He has also held the position of treasurer of Darjeeling NGO Network for 3 terms. At present he is focussing his intervention on issues of solid waste management and is part of the Zero Waste Himalaya Group.

www.discoverashesh.blogspot.in

Sailesh Sharma brings 5 years of experience working with Project SERVE, WWF Darjeeling working with afforestation and apiary projects in the Darjeeling Hills; 5 years with SAICON Tea, a consultancy group on organic small farmers’ tea and 4 years with Tea Promoters India as Project Manager of Mineral Spring small farmers tea project. At DLR Prerna he was a team member working with 5 communities to strengthen civil societies for conservation in the Singalila National Park fringe with a Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund grant and the pilot Human Wildlife Conflict project supported by Rufford Small Grants Foundation. He is an accredited organic farming inspector with Institute fur Marketecology India. He is understudying with Rico (www.i-permaculture.org) as a permaculture practitioner and trainer.

www.simplysailesh.blogspot.in

Rohin Dsouza has been with DLR Prerna since inception.

Permanent Address :
Nirvana, 7 Kutchery Road, Darjeeling – 734101.
West Bengal, India.
rohindsouza@gmail.com, photorohin.blogspot.in

Programme Manager: Community groups strengthening; Organic farming promotion and marketing; Promotion of Participatory Planning; Community based tourism promotion; Organizing training programmes on ecology, permaculture and organic farming.

Organic Auditor for Institute For Marketecology (IMO CONTROL PRIVATE LIMITED), Bangalore. Visiting lecturer at Salisan College Sonada- (Travel and Tourism and Environmental Science)

Study on “Abundance and diversity of avifauna at Singalila national park and establishing Community based bird monitoring”. Small grant from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),Bangalore.

Consultation Experiences :
Organic farming training to partner farmers of Anugyalaya DDSSS, Atree and Tea Promoters of India Pvt. Ltd.
Appreciative Participator Planning and Action workshop to the community leaders of all the tea gardens under Tea Promoters of India Pvt. Ltd
Reproductive health training to paramedics working under Chai Project, Mercy Corps.
Wetland construction for Wildlife SOS, Bangalore, at Hampi.
Garden design for JIVA ashram at Vrindavan.
Trainings undergone
Diploma in Organic Farming,
Home Study Course in Ornithology
Biodiversity Management and Climate Change, Katmandu, Nepal. By- ICIMOD
Community Based Tourism, Sikkim. By- ICIMOD and ECOSS
Permaculture Design Course. Kalimpong. By- Richard Zook, Certified Permacultural Instructor and Practitioner
Civil Defense basic course . Kalimpong By- Civil Defence Department Govt. Of West Bengal.
Training Programme on BIO-DYNAMIC AGRICULTURE Bio-Dynamic Association of India & The New Zealand Australia Bio-Dynamic Outreach Kodaikanal, TamilNadu.
Adult Learning Methods. Kalimpong, CRS Kolkata
Training of trainers program on Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action. Kalimpong ICIMOD and ECOSS
Do No Harm (Workshop on Group Formation), Siliguri. CRS
Conservation Biology Course, Darjeeling & Guwahati. ATREE
Second National Level workshop on Organisational Development and Strategic Planning, Warangal, A.P. CARITAS India
Organisational Management Workshop, Kolkata.
Workshop on Sustainable Management of Natural Resource to Improve Food & Livelihood Security, Siliguri. Development Research Communication and Service Centre
Financial Management & Proposal Writing, Darjeeling NGO Network, Darjeeling.
Natural Resource Management, I.G.S.S.S.
Integrated Development Course, Mumbai. CARITAS India
Development Dynamics Course, Banaras, U.P. CARITAS India
Workshop on group theatre and street play, Darjeeling Diocesean Communication
Papers presented:
Rural Development through Rural tourism, Thinking away from mass tourism, UGC sponsored state level programme at Salesian college Sonada, Darjeeling, 2nd August 2008.
Analysis of “Fair-trade Labeling Organization International” – Darjeeling Tea, UGC sponsored National level Seminar at Salesian college Sonada, Darjeeling, 7-8th August 2009 .

www.photorohin.blogspot.in

Roshan P Rai has special interest on participatory governance, Roshan’s intervention focus in DLR Prerna has revolved around inclusion of tea workers in fair-trade movements, forest villagers’ in conservation efforts, strengthening small farmer collectives. This experience has enabled him to facilitate organisational development processes for NGOs like strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, social analysis and effective communication. Between 2001 and 2006 he was seconded to Anugyalaya DDSSS as its first director.
Urban waste is another interest which has seen him involved with the Darjeeling Municipality and Educational Institutions.
His role in documentation has enabled him to write as well as teach in colleges and universities.

www.beautifuldarjeelinghills.wordpress.com