Vidyuth Sreenivasan
Client: ASAR Social Impact Advisors
2022
The confluence of Household Air Pollution (HAP) and poor air quality presents significant health hazards, especially impacting women and children in low-income households across India. As the principal investigator on this project, funded by USAID, I worked with a team of consultants and employees at ASAR Social Impact Advisors. Our focus was on comprehensively understanding women's access to clean energy in both urban slums and rural villages.
Working collaboratively with civil society organizations, the research team met with marginalized communities to unearth critical insights. The data gathered unveiled systemic bottlenecks hindering access to clean fuel, particularly for women in vulnerable settings. An initiative has already been implemented in the state of Tamil Nadu: the introduction of smaller-sized fuel cylinders at a more affordable cost, specifically benefitting migrant and daily wage workers.
Our findings are detailed in the report, 'Barriers to access, adoption and sustained use of cleaner fuels among low-income households: An exploratory study from Delhi and Jharkhand, India' (Sreenivasan, V., Saigal, N., & Shrivastava, S., 2023), published by Asar Social Impact Advisors. This program serves as a critical step towards addressing the health disparities exacerbated by household air pollution and advocating for tangible solutions benefiting vulnerable populations. The full report can be accessed here.
Client: ASAR Social Impact Advisors
2019
As a consultant with ASAR Social Impact Advisors, I played a pivotal role in negotiating the research brief with Dalberg India and spearheading the design of a transformative research study. This initiative aimed to address the pressing issue of air pollution and its profound impact on mothers in India. I designed the research and facilitated group discussions in three cities, engaging directly with mothers to gain insights into their concerns regarding air pollution.
The findings from the project served as a catalyst for a grassroots citizens movement, aptly named 'Warrior Moms’. This movement emerged as a powerful force, driven by the passionate voices of mothers committed to advocating for clean air. The direct engagement with affected communities laid the foundation for a compelling campaign, with Warrior Moms fearlessly taking their concerns to policymakers.
This citizen-led movement has proven to be instrumental in bringing about tangible change, urging policymakers to take decisive action against air pollution. The journey from negotiating research parameters to the initiation of Warrior Moms stands as a testament to the transformative potential of collaborative research and the real-world impact it can have on advocacy and policy change