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Joy Pathaw

India, 2020
Executive Member, Grassroot
Joy Pathaw is a Khasi woman from the State of Meghalaya in the North Eastern Region of India. Raised by her mother, Joy is the fifth of six children. She is an executive member of Grassroot, an indigenous people’s rights organization working on issues related to gender, livelihood, and entrepreneurship.
Joy also works as Meghalaya State Programme Co-ordinator with the National Mental Health Programme. In this position, Joy is making mental health care accessible to indigenous communities in all 11 districts of the state.
She also serves as a member of the Board of Studies of the Social Work Department at Martin Luther Christian University in Meghalaya where she contributes to the development of the curriculum and field activities. She is a firm believer in being self-reliant and aims to be a voice for and with her community.