About Us

The Eastern Himalayan Foundation (EHF) is dedicated to empowering youth from underserved communities in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong to become changemakers and access higher learning and career opportunities.

Our Team

Mashqura Fareedi

Founder/ Chief Executive Officer

Mashqura is from Darjeeling. Her induction into the development sector was while volunteering for a local organization in Darjeeling in 1997. She pursued her Masters in Social Work from Mumbai University in 2004 and has worked with organizations like Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group, Association for Democratic Reforms, Amnesty International and the Azim Premji Foundation in 18 years of her career. She came back to Darjeeling in 2021 with the objective of working in hills. Through Eastern Himalayan Foundation, she aims to create better oppoortunities of growth and learning to the youth in Darjeeling & Kalimpong, empower them to work on issues relevant to the hills and build resilient youth for resilient futures.

Pallavi Basu

Program Lead

Pallavi is an educationist at heart and mind, specializing in pedagogy, curriculum design, program implementation, student counseling, academic strategy, and operational process optimization. With 12+ years of experience leading large-scale JEE, NEET, and K-8 education programs at Avanti Fellows, Byju’s, Mastree, XSEED, and Teach For India, she has successfully designed and executed teacher training programs, optimized curriculum delivery, and streamlined academic operations to enhance student learning outcomes.

Her expertise lies in building data-driven, scalable education models, ensuring high-impact learning methodologies, strategic stakeholder collaboration, and measurable success. Passionate about bridging educational gaps, she is committed to empowering teachers and learners through structured, outcome-driven strategies that foster long-term academic excellence.

Abhilash Kumai

Sr. Program Manager

Hailing from the picturesque hills of Kalimpong, Abhilash is deeply passionate about education and people development. With a background in Sociology from Calcutta University, Abhilash began his journey in the development sector in 2016 through the Teach For India Fellowship, an experience that underscored the transformative power of education.

Over the years, he has taken on diverse roles—including teacher, coach, manager, consultant, and trainer—each contributing to their approach to empowering individuals and teams. After five years of working in classrooms and leadership, their curiosity led them to explore new landscapes in education, particularly in the ed-tech space. Their work has taken them across Northeast India, where they have collaborated closely with schools, teachers, and education leaders.

Additionally, he has had the privilege of working alongside the Education Department of Sikkim, supporting the implementation of key educational initiatives on the ground. Through these experiences, Abhilash remains committed to driving meaningful change in the education sector.

Mesang Sherpa

Program Manager

Mesang Sherpa hails from Darjeeling. She holds a B.Com degree from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and an M.A. Development degree from Azim Premji University. She has worked as a fellow for a non-profit called Vidhya Vahini and was a teacher educator at Sai Gurukul Academy, Pakyong, Sikkim. Since 2019 till present, she has been working with a non-profit organization named Pokhrama Foundation, where she worked as an educator (Math, coding and English). She has also conducted research on the topic of ‘community ownership and management of tea estate’ in Darjeeling. Above all, she is very passionate about working with and for the community that she comes from.

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Pratik Dahal

Program Manager

Pratik Dahal has a degree in Political Science from St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling and M.A. degree in Natural Resources and Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He has worked with organizations like Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) in Gujarat and Rajasthan and has been involved with Ashoka's Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Darjeeling and in Guwahati. He has done a research on the topic "Studying the changing availability pattern of the wild edibles and its relationship with the people, in Darjeeling Himalayas." Pratik is highly motivated to contribute towards the well being of the society.

Ekansh Prasad

Program Manager

Azar Ali Ansari

Accounts & Admin Officer

Azar Ali Ansari, born and brought up in Darjeeling, is a dedicated finance professional with a strong academic and professional background in accounting and financial management. He completed his schooling at Rama Krishna Siksha Parisad Boys H.S. School and pursued a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling. He further earned a Master of Commerce (M.Com) from IGNOU.

Professionally, Azar gained valuable experience as an Accounts and Audit Associate at Aman Chandulal & Co. (Chartered Accountant Firm) from 2021 to 2024, where he honed his skills in accounting, auditing, and financial management. Currently, he serves as the Accounts & Admin Officer at Eastern Himalayan Foundation, contributing to the organization’s financial and administrative operations.

Brihat Rai

Communications Associate

Brihat Rai is a photographer based out of Kalimpong, India. He uses photography as a medium to explore personal narratives and understand how they fit into the larger context of the society.
He is an alumnus of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Bangladesh and has a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of North Bengal, India.
He co-founded The Confluence Collective, a space dedicated to community building through visual and oral storytelling, dialogue and engagement; collectively bringing together arts practitioners and researchers in the Darjeeling - Sikkim Himalayas.