SNEHA is a leading non-governmental organisation committed to advancing health equity among urban poor communities, especially women and children. Founded with a vision to bridge the health equity gap, SNEHA goes beyond simply addressing illnesses — it champions a comprehensive continuum of care approach. This approach focuses on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCH+A), recognising that supporting health across these life stages breaks the intergenerational cycle of poor health.
Over nearly a decade, SNEHA has impacted the lives of over 187,000 pregnant women and many more children across vulnerable urban settlements. Its programmes strengthen community capacities while collaborating closely with public health and safety systems to ensure quality service delivery. SNEHA’s work spans enhancing maternal and newborn healthcare, improving institutional delivery rates, ensuring full immunisation, preventing and treating malnutrition, and educating adolescents on nutrition, reproductive health, and gender equity.
Meet the team
SNEHA, on LinkedIn
Vanessa D'Souza, CEO
Sushmita Das, Director - MEL
Sangeetha Vadanan, Associate Director - Fundraising & Communications
The team members
A unique factor in SNEHA’s model is its dual focus on empowering communities and strengthening public systems. Community mobilisation builds knowledge, changes harmful behaviours, and promotes optimal use of available health resources. Simultaneously, SNEHA partners with municipal health systems and public facilities to improve co-ordination and quality of healthcare services, making sustainable impact possible at scale.
Gender equity is a key cross-cutting theme embedded across all SNEHA programmes, recognising its critical role in health inequities. The organisation also confronts gender-based violence holistically through prevention, legal, and mental health services integrated with healthcare.
SNEHA’s commitment to evidence-based practice is seen through rigorous research, monitoring, evaluation, and impact mapping activities. These efforts enable refinement of programmes and contribute to policy advocacy grounded in data and field realities. Recent expansions include nurse-aide training programs empowering young women with healthcare skills and palliative care interventions allowing communities to better manage life-limiting illnesses compassionately.
Recognised for its innovative, community-grounded approach, SNEHA is transforming not only individual lives but also public health systems in urban India. It continues to work courageously towards health equity, dignity, and justice for marginalized populations, impacting thousands annually and inspiring other organisations across India and beyond.
