Naseem Shaikh is an expert with over two decades of experience in organizing rural grassroots women to build their economic, social and political competencies and move from the margin to the mainstream. After the massive earthquake in 1993, Naseem took up an enormous challenge of bringing out 500 rural women in as many villages to act as interlocutors between the Government and affected communities. After completion of the recovery effort, she persisted and redesigned grassroots women’s roles as leaders and planners in a large UNDP supported project. In the last few years, Naseem is now an active global leader in the GROOTS International and Huairou Commission global network of grassroots women’s organizations of which Swayam Shikshan Prayog is an active member.