MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Traversing Funding Hurdles for Community Adaptation
This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights two mentees and a mentor focused on overcoming funding hurdles. Meet Mentee Tanvi Sule + Areli Ariana Balderrama and Mentor Sushila Pandit!
Mentor Sushila Pandit is a climate & resilience professional with over 14 years of experience in climate change, disaster risk management, and building resilience. Her core area of expertise lies in the intersectional approach to vulnerability reduction & climate resilience, people-centered locally-led adaptation, promoting indigenous & local knowledge, forecast-based anticipatory action, nature-based solutions, participatory approach for knowledge co-creation and integration of gender & social inclusion on the work she does. Sushila is doing her PhD in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent and is also a PlanAdapt Fellow from Nepal, based in Canterbury, UK.
Mentee Tanvi Sule has eight years of experience in the environmental sector through education, volunteering, and work. Tanvi’s interests lie in nature-positive solutions focusing on policy, finance, community development, and carbon markets, cultivated from personal experience and work in the non-profit sector. She currently works as a Planning Fellow at The Land Conservancy, developing open space and recreation plans, environmental resource inventory, and grant applications. She is exploring domestic and international climate adaptation and mitigation opportunities through the ASAP Mentorship Program.
Mentee Areli Ariana Balderrama Areli and Tanvi discussed community climate adaptation and finance, focusing on planning and funding.
Sushila supported Areli and Tanvi’s professional development through eLearning courses, certifications, and conference information. Sushila and Tanvi have also discussed REDD + sector, policy implementation challenges, and career avenues, which have provided Tanvi clarity in her career goals. Areli
The group weighed the shortcomings in funding and the prevalent challenges encountered in community development. By sharing their field experiences, they have improved their professional expertise.
Fun Facts about the Mentee and Mentor
Tanvi speaks three and a half languages (she hopes to finish learning French and try Spanish). When she’s not at her desk, Tanvi enjoys traveling, reading, and hiking (she always ends up looking for birds instead of watching her path).
Sushila loves to draw and paint, and although a beginner, it helps her release stress. She loves to spend time in nature. She loves to talk and discuss ideas with people from various backgrounds and develop new concepts.