Our organization is named after a girl named Nomi, whom the founders met while traveling in Cambodia. By the time Nomi was eight years old, she had been previously trafficked by her stepfather and suffered unthinkable abuse. Nomi Network was founded to be the network behind Nomi, providing a future for thousands of other women and girls like her.
Today, Nomi is a resilient young woman who radiates warmth despite the trauma she has faced. Nomi inspires us to keep fighting for a world where every woman and girl can know her full potential.
Pramod Kumar Singh
Trustee
Trustee
Nazarene Marbaniang David
Trustee
Trustee
Kumkum Pal
Country Program Director
Country Program Director
George Ittyerah
Director Strategy and Expansion
Director Strategy and Expansion
Mithleshwar Gupta
Country Finance Director
Country Finance Director
Fazlur Rahman Gulfam
Senior Manager, Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Senior Manager, Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
I still remember stepping off the overnight train in Forbesganj, a small town near the Nepal border in one of India’s poorest states.
I had travelled more than fifteen hours from Kolkata with two oversized suitcases, not speaking the local language and knowing almost no one. The station was nearly empty because it was the day of Holi. I stood alone on the platform wondering if anyone was coming to meet me.
That was my first introduction to Bihar.
A few days later, eighteen women walked into a small training room.
They did not arrive as a community.
Some came because someone told them to.
Some came because they were curious.
Others were simply testing whether this program would be any different from the many that had come before.
The local staff quietly warned me not to expect much.
“They’ll probably drop out.”
Instead of asking how to motivate them, I began watching.
I watched who arrived early.
Who encouraged another woman.
Who hesitated before picking up a pencil.
Who quietly stood apart because of caste.
Who returned the next day.
Who encouraged another woman.
Who hesitated before picking up a pencil.
Who quietly stood apart because of caste.
Who returned the next day.
Over the following weeks, I realized something that would reshape everything I would build.
The women were not measuring the quality of the curriculum.
They were measuring us.
Would we return?
Would we keep our promises?
Would everyone be treated with dignity?
Would the rules stay the same tomorrow?
Would we keep our promises?
Would everyone be treated with dignity?
Would the rules stay the same tomorrow?
Trust came before transformation.
As trust grew, something remarkable happened.
Women who had arrived alone began arriving together.
Laughter replaced silence.
Attendance stayed high.
The training room became more than a classroom. It became a place where women could safely imagine a different future.
That experience changed me.
I came to India believing I was bringing a training program.
I left understanding that lasting change is not built through curriculum alone. It is built by creating the conditions where people can trust, belong, learn, and eventually lead.
That realization became the foundation of everything we have built at Nomi Network India.
Today, every program, every partnership, and every framework we design begins with the same question I first learned from those eighteen women:
What conditions allow people to own their future—not just participate in a program?
Best Regards,
Supei Liu.
Supei Liu.
“I aspire to be a Police Officer and I want to prevent child marriages in our society. I will do what I want to do and am not afraid of anyone. Everyone is a human being and the most they can do is say things. I am not afraid to do what I know is right.”
– Tasleema, West Bengal, Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program
“These topics that are considered a taboo in our community are relevant for our future and health. I do believe I have the confidence to even talk about reproductive rights and health amidst people and I am not ashamed of it but rather I find it courageous.”
– Sonalika, Odisha, Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program
“In the beginning, I was nervous to migrate to Bangalore. However, our trainers and managers were constantly present to provide us with the support.”
– Pramita Oram
“I am happy to be independent and to be able to support my brother; this is the first time I have my own money. This has certainly changed my life for the better.”
– Sanjogita, Odisha
“I imagine a world where other women in my community become confident in themselves and their skills, like me.”
– Aashvi, a Nomi Network India Program Graduate