Core Team
Dr. Roli Singh, who holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Hindi, was born into a Rajput family in Bhadohi district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Growing up in an environment marked by discrimination against women and children and the harsh effects of gender inequality, she was deeply influenced from an early age and resolved to dedicate her life to their cause.
Before she could even complete high school, her marriage was arranged into a feudal landlord family. This marked the beginning of her struggle — not only did she succeed in preventing her own child marriage, but she also went on to complete her academic journey up to a doctorate. Alongside her literary pursuits in Hindi literature and poetry, she steadily advanced her commitment to social causes. Guided by the belief that one should work directly for those they write for, she fully entered the field of social work, earning recognition and trust at district, state, national, and international levels over the last 32 years.
Since 1993, in collaboration with Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation, she has rescued and rehabilitated nearly 10,000 women and children in adverse circumstances. As Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committees for Varanasi and Bhadohi districts, constituted under the Juvenile Justice Act by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, she has facilitated the rehabilitation of around 2,000 children in the “care and protection” category. Her work has ensured not only their reintegration into the mainstream but also compensation in many cases, in close coordination with government authorities.
Dr. Singh has also made significant interventions in cases of workplace sexual harassment as a member of the PoSH Committees of Varanasi and Bhadohi district administrations, All India Radio & Doordarshan Varanasi, and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith.
At present, as Project Holder of the Child Rights Project, supported by CRY and implemented by the Foundation in Varanasi and Bhadohi districts, she works across 18 settlements to address issues of child protection and education for marginalized children through active community–government coordination. Her exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous awards from government and civil society organizations, including the Red & White Bravery Award, Nari Shakti Puraskar, and Kashi Gaurav Award, among others.
Dr. Rolee Singh
Programme Director
Rajeev Kumar Singh, a postgraduate in Social Work with a specialization in Family and Child Welfare, and holding a Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, has been actively engaged for the past 35 years in the field of child rights—particularly child safety and protection—as well as women’s empowerment. Through his organization, Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation, he has been continuously working on ground-level implementation issues, advocacy, and policy interventions in active collaboration with communities and government authorities. His work spans not only Varanasi and the seven districts of the Vindhyachal division but also the state capital Lucknow and Sitapur district.
In the areas of health, nutrition, education, protection, and innovation, he has made significant contributions as a member of various state, divisional, and district-level government committees, such as the District Education Committee, District Health Committee, District Nutrition Committee, District Child Protection Committee, Special Juvenile Police Unit, and District Innovation Committee. Through these roles, he has initiated numerous measures to ensure the safety and development of children, youth, and women.
Through his many innovative interventions, he has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of underprivileged children, linking them to education and reintegrating them into the mainstream of society. For these efforts, he has been honored and awarded by the government and various civil society organizations on several occasions. Prominent among these recognitions are the Red & White Bravery Gold Award, Kashi Ratna, Kashi Gaurav, Kabir Samajik Sauhard Samman, and Setu Samajik Sarokar Samman.
Rajeev Kumar Singh
Chief Executive
A commerce graduate and postgraduate in Social Work, Diksha Singh has been serving as the Project Manager for the CRY-supported Child Rights Project at Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation for the past three years. Prior to this, she worked in the same organization as a Block Resource Person in the Mid-Day Meal Fortification Program implemented in government primary and upper primary schools of Varanasi district, supported by the World Food Programme.
Over the past eight years, she has introduced several innovations on issues related to children’s safety, education, and nutrition. Leading the teams in Varanasi and Bhadohi districts, she has been working to integrate children from marginalized communities into the mainstream of society through her effective leadership, capacity-building training, and liaison with government authorities.
For her extra ordinary work she has been honored by Varanasi District and Police Administration Hindustan Media Ventures Limited etc.
Diksha Singh
Project Manager
Chandraballi Chaubey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (B.Com) and has completed a Computer DTP course as well as the Entrepreneurship Development Programme from the Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. He has over 25 years of experience in Financial Management, Accounting, and Administration. In 2016, he was honored with the Best Finance Management Award by Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation, Varanasi.
Since April 2000, he has been serving as Senior Accountant and Finance Officer at Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation. During this period, he has worked on various Donars including SIFPSA, Plan India, Save the Children, World Food Programme, Child Rights & You and Azim Premji Foundation. His responsibilities include Salary Management, Leave Records, TDS, EPF, ESI, FCRA Returns and Audit coordination. His efficiency, integrity and adherence to financial discipline have played a key role in strengthening the organization’s financial management.
Chandrabali Chaubey
Sr. Accounts Officer
Dr. Yamini Saini is a public health professional with a Master’s in Public Health (IIPH Gandhinagar) and a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (Government Dental College, Siddhpur). She has extensive experience in program management, research, and capacity building in the public health domain. She has worked with leading organizations such as Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins University (in partnership with AIIMS), the National Health Mission Gujarat, and the World Health Organization.
Her professional expertise includes comprehensive primary healthcare services, program monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder training, emergency response, health program planning, and community awareness. She is proficient in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, data collection, and data analysis using tools such as SPSS, Jamovi, and Taguette.
Dr. Saini has been honored with the P&G Scholarship and has made significant contributions to public health service delivery through several projects, including strengthening Health and Wellness Centres, outbreak surveillance during COVID-19, and conducting public health research. Her leadership skills, analytical ability, and commitment to evidence-based program implementation have made her contributions in the field highly impactful.
At present, she is working as a Programme Manager at Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation in the Adolescent Development Project supported by the Azim Premji Foundation. She leads interventions in 15 urban settlements of Varanasi, addressing issues related to adolescent girls’ health, nutrition, education, safety, life skills, and skill development, through active coordination between the community and government.
Dr. Yamini Saini
Project Manager