Our Story
It began with a Girl named Nirasha, a name that means “hopelessness.”
She introduced herself during a field visit to a KGBV school. Her name stayed with us. So did her spirit.
Despite everything working against her, poverty, gender norms, systemic gaps, Nirasha showed up every day, eager to learn. That moment sparked a question that stayed with us.
What if every Girl could own her education and her future?
Co-founders Ananya Tiwari and Vaibhav Kumar came from different disciplines like neuroscience, engineering, psychology but shared one belief: transformation begins when we stop designing for communities and start building with them.
So in 2018, SwaTaleem was born as a blend of Sanskrit and Arabic meaning “owning your education.”
The name combines two words — “Swa,” meaning self in Sanskrit, and “Taleem,” meaning education in Arabic — symbolizing the idea that true learning begins when one takes ownership of their own education.
Our Values
Rooted in humility. Driven by integrity. Guided by those we serve.
Excellence with Humility
We’re proud of our work but never above learning.
We recognise that there is no single, universal solution to the challenges within the ecosystem. Our work is shaped by listening closely, respecting diverse contexts, and continuously learning from the communities and systems we engage with.
Collaborative Mutual Transformation
We see ourselves as co-voyagers and not rescuers
We do not see ourselves as problem solvers for the people out there, instead we strongly believe in building partnerships and growing together in the ecosystems we work in. It’s a partnership of equals, without compromising on the ethos of the organization.
Education for Constitutional Values
We believe education is a pathway to living with dignity.
Education is not a reproductive tool limited to literacy. Instead education is a transformative tool to help us live our lives with dignity. The pillars of education are defined as Freedom, Equality, Justice and Fraternity (स्वतंत्रता, समता, न्याय एवं बंधुता)