Founder/Managing Trustee
Sudha is a gold Medalist both in her undergraduate degree and her Master’s Degree where she majored in Zoology with specialization in Marine Biology. Seventeen years later she secured a place in the Centre for Ecological Sciences in the ’ Institute of Eminence’ Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore where from she secured a PhD for research in the area of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution.
Sudha then joined the (Vikram Sarabhai) Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, a ‘Centre of Excellence’ under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, working in the area of Environment Education and Education for Sustainable Development, as a Project Associate at their Southern Regional Centre to coordinate ‘Environment Quality Monitoring Program’ empowering college students and teachers for local level planning and development.
Three years later Sudha joined “The Valley School”, Krishnamurti Foundation India, Bangalore, and enjoyed teaching the Sciences including Environmental Science for over 20 years at the Middle and High School level. She initiated the Individualized Learning & Mixed Age Group Program in the Junior & Middle school and was responsible for curriculum development (middle & Jnr. School Science) & Teacher-Mentoring.
While being a Teacher, engaging children in outdoor biodiversity studies in areas near the Koundinya Wild Life Sanctuary, she got engaged in habitat restoration with people participation, and with UNDP GEF/SGP funding carried out a scientific documentation of the biodiversity in the area and established a Germ Plasm Bank working especially on increasing the populations of endangered species through both in-situ and ex-situ conservation.
These efforts brought Sudha so close to the tribal communities that it led to her establishing schools for tribal children in over 6 villages in the Baireddipalli & V.Kota mandals.
And with this was born the Kaigal Education and Environment Program (KEEP).
Working since the year 2000 with tribal and other marginalized communities she felt the urgent need for them to be engaged in sustainable livelihoods and hence established a ‘Self Help Group’ which now bears the stamp of Kaigal Trust empowering women and youth in different aspects related to running a business.
Through KEEP, Sudha has been living her dream of biodiversity conservation, providing education to first generation school goers in remote tribal villages and sustainable livelihood for the women and youth of the marginalised section of the rural society.