About UNSED
Our Mission
The UNSED Foundation works to enable vulnerable communities across India to build sustainable and self-reliant futures by expanding access to livelihoods, education, and health services, while creating pathways through enhanced opportunities and livelihood financing that support long-term economic stability and dignity.
We focus on supporting people engaged in unorganised and informal sectors and their families to strengthen their income security, build resilience, and access better livelihood opportunities, enabling them to lead stable and self-reliant lives.
Alongside livelihoods, we promote holistic well-being by improving access to education and essential health services, including menstrual health initiatives such as DigniCare, ensuring the availability of safe and affordable sanitary pads and fostering dignity, awareness, and long-term community well-being.
Our Team
-
Shiv Kumar is a Ford Fellow (2014) and a social impact leader with over 20 years of experience in women’s economic empowerment, gender equity, and community development across India. He has worked with government departments, international organizations, and grassroots institutions to lead livelihood and social inclusion programs for ultra-poor households, indigenous communities, and vulnerable women, including survivors of human trafficking. His expertise includes strategic partnerships, philanthropy, entrepreneurship promotion, and impact-driven community development. Through his leadership at UNSED Foundation, he is committed to building sustainable and inclusive pathways for social change.
Co-Founder and Board Director
-
Arnab Mandal is a development practitioner with experience working in Eastern India and extensive grassroots and institutional expertise across North Bihar and North Bengal. His work spans Public Health Promotion, WASH, Livelihood, and Social Protection, gained through international NGOs and government organizations. His field focus includes livelihood security, safe migration, and protection for vulnerable communities in border regions and tea garden economies. At UNSED, he leads program strategy and partnerships to build integrated pathways out of poverty, grounded in years of direct work with ultra-poor households, youth, and women’s collectives.
Co-Founder and Board Director
-
Alexander Payne is a USA-based marketing professional and founder of Hello Mammoth, where he works with small businesses and nonprofit organizations on strategy, storytelling, and brand development. With over a decade of experience across industries including healthcare and community-based organizations, he focuses on helping teams communicate their work clearly and effectively. Much of his work is centered on supporting mission-driven efforts, with an emphasis on community impact, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.
Chief Technology Officer
International Board of Advisors
-
Rebeca Harcharik brings over 25 years of dedicated service in nonprofit organizations and educational institutions focused on young children and families. She currently serves as a Family Educator with Catholic Charities Denver, USA.
Rebeca spent 9 years with Compassion International as a Child Survival Program Technical Advisor, where she guided maternal-child health and early childhood development programming for vulnerable families across multiple countries. She has extensive experience supporting low-income families and advising stakeholders on strategies to empower families, strengthen parenting, and address community needs.
Her career spans program development and advisory roles across the United States and globally, advancing initiatives that promote self-sustainability, maternal child health, and access to quality education.
Rebeca holds a B.A. in International Relations, an M.A. in Child Development, and a certificate in Maternal Child Health. She is passionate about equipping individuals and communities to reach their full potential through education, resilience-building, and sustainable family support systems.
Family Educator - Catholic Charities of Denver
-
Hom But is a seasoned development and project management professional, he brings over a decade of experience advancing community development, vocational training, and youth empowerment initiatives across Cambodia. As General Manager of Raytecs Co., Limited, he leads strategic planning and oversees programs centered on inclusive business development, sustainability, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
His career spans a range of leadership roles, including General Manager, Program Manager, and Project Manager, where he has successfully managed complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives in partnership with government agencies, NGOs, and private sector organizations. His work consistently focuses on strengthening vocational pathways, supporting labor market integration, and expanding opportunities for vulnerable communities.
With a foundation in community development, he has developed deep expertise in program design, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building. He has also contributed to research and training efforts, including curriculum development and technical skills training tailored to marginalized groups.
He holds a Master’s degree in Development Management from Norton University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, along with additional certifications in leadership, social accountability, and child protection.
General Manager - Raytecs Co., Limited
-
Mukui Mbindyo is a fundraising strategist and partnerships advisor with over a decade of experience helping mission-driven organizations unlock resources, build strong partnerships, and expand their impact across Africa. She has worked with organizations advancing education, livelihoods, and inclusive economic opportunity, helping secure millions of dollars in support from bilateral agencies, corporate foundations, and global philanthropic partners. Her work has contributed to multi-year funding, program expansion, stronger internal systems, and growth into new markets and communities.
Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and relationship-building. Over the years, she has helped build fundraising and partnership functions from the ground up — shaping theories of change, donor engagement strategies, grant proposals, stewardship systems, and impact frameworks. Mukui brings a practical, thoughtful perspective to helping organizations grow sustainably while widening opportunity for underserved communities.
Fundraising Strategist & Partnership Advisor
-
Erica Sacchi Zanotti is a Brazilian social impact leader with over 10 years of experience in gender equity, women’s economic empowerment, community development, and strategic philanthropy. She has led programs focused on entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and social inclusion across vulnerable territories in Brazil, including work with refugee women and underserved communities in the Amazon region. She was a Ford fellow in the year 2014. Her expertise includes grantmaking, partnership management, participatory learning methodologies, and impact strategy.
Social Impact Leader
Indian Board of Advisors
-
Dr. Vaibhav R. Deogirkar, Chairman of Dev Desh Pratishthan, is a Mumbai-based doctor and social reformer leading initiatives like Cancer Mukt Bharat. Former Medical Director, Ghatkopar Hindu Sabha Hospital, he is a recipient of the Maharashtra ICON Award and CM-honored Social Justice Award 2024 for 25+ years of community health service.
His contributions have been recognized with over 15 honors, including the Maharashtra ICON Award 2019, SAKAL IDOLS of Maharashtra 2022 – Healthcare & Wellness, Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Social Justice Award 2024 conferred by Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, Golden Humanity Award 2025 as Health Warrior, and the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Distinguished Medical Service & Community Welfare Award 2026. In 2025, Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis honored him for remarkable healthcare work with Mumbai Dabbawalas.
Chairman of Dev Desh Pratishthan
The Story of UNSED
The UNSED Foundation was born out of real, on-the-ground experience in some of the most vulnerable regions of eastern India.
In 2017, a couple traveled from the United States to North Bihar and North Bengal, where they lived and worked alongside local social worker Shiv Shankar Kumar. Through field visits in villages and tea garden communities, they saw firsthand the challenges people faced: chronic poverty, lack of stable livelihoods, limited access to education and healthcare, and the constant threat of displacement from flooding.
They also observed the risks tied to migration in border regions, where many individuals, especially women and youth, were vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.
During this time, development practitioner Arnab Mandal joined the work, bringing additional experience in community development across the region. Together, they recognized that these issues were deeply connected and could not be solved in isolation.
Over the next several years, through continued collaboration, global development work, and ongoing conversations with community leaders, the idea for a more structured, long-term solution began to take shape.
That vision became UNSED Foundation, an organization designed to help vulnerable communities build sustainable livelihoods, access essential services, and protect themselves from exploitation.
Our Corporate Partners
Invest in Sustainable Change
Every contribution helps provide access to livelihoods, education, healthcare awareness, and protection for individuals at risk. Your support allows communities to move from survival to stability.