ABOUT

Poonam Prasad and Divya Shriram are passionate social entrepreneurs with more than two decades of experience in the education space. They founded Dipam Foundation in 2009 to provide early childhood education in Delhi’s urban slum areas. By establishing “balwadis” (pre-schools) in local community spaces and extensively training teachers and parents recruited from the same areas, Poonam and Divya have ensured that even the most economically vulnerable continue to receive early child-care and development.  

Prior to Dipam Foundation, Poonam and Divya founded Little Minds, a first-of-its-kind toddlers' school for one and a half year olds in Delhi. Launched in 2000, Little Minds introduced a new early education model to the city by focusing on all-round active learning for babies, toddlers, and pre-school aged children.

Poonam and Divya also hold extensive experience in curriculum development, helping create the entire syllabus for balwadis run by the Servants of People's Society at Lajpat Bhavan.

In addition, Poonam has compiled various workbooks for pre-schoolers, which have been widely adopted amongst Delhi's balwadis. Poonam has practiced counseling with children and their families. 

Divya has worked as a volunteer at one of India’s largest home-based palliative care organizations for underprivileged patients with cancer. She knows basic Braille and has transcribed children's books into Braille as well.

Poonam completed Psychology Honours from Sophia College and holds a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from University of Mumbai, Kalina. Divya is a graduate of Economics from St. Xavier’s (1988), Mumbai with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from Sophia Polytechnic (1990). She also holds a Nursery Teachers Training diploma from Delhi Polytechnic (1997) and is currently studying for a Diploma in Psychological Counselling.

DIPAM FOUNDATION

New Delhi | 2017