Education

Bachelor's, History, Economics and Philosophy

M.A., Anthropology

Ph.D., Reproductive Health of Women in Rural Rajasthan

Podcasts

31:40

38: What It’s Like Working in a War Zone for an NGO With Deepmala Mahla, Mercy Corps [Main T4C Episode]

Dr. Deepmala Mahla is Country Director in Iraq for the global humanitarian and development NGO, Mercy Corps*. Prior to working in Iraq, Deepmala was Mercy Corps’ Country Director in South Sudan. During her 20 years in international development, Deepmala has worked for a constellation of top NGOs including Marie Stopes..

Career Path

Interview Highlights

“You’re working with a team which is from multiple nationalities and then most of your local staff, remember, they know the context and the problems more than you do.”

Best Career Advice

“Just be open to listen to different perspectives and just open to learn. Second thing is, it is okay to fail and please fail at least once or twice because otherwise you’ll never be able to understand the pain which it brings and the drive.”

Career Challenge

“The biggest challenge which I see is when I’m working in a country where everybody speaks English or I speak the local language, I feel so good that I can speak to everybody in my team, I can motivate them by speaking directly. And in translation, it‘s not the same.”

Skills

Capacity Building, Program Development, International Development, NGOs, Program Evaluation, Proposal Writing, Public Health, Policy, Nonprofits, Rural Development, Strategic Planning, Research, Global Health, International Relations, Human Rights, Project Management, Community Development, Grants, Qualitative Research, Fundraising, Leadership, Reproductive Health, Humanitarian Assistance

Professional Interests

Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Jeff Weiner, World Economic Forum, Department for International Development (DFID), CARE, CSR Jobs, University of Rajasthan