Saathi Fellowship
The SevaPremi Saathi Fellowship trains the next generation of community leaders. 500 hours of fieldwork over 3-6 months. No tuition fees. A fellowship stipend tied to real outcomes. At the end, you become the authorised Saathi for an area of ~10,000 residents.
A Saathi is the official, verified ground-leader for one defined area. Vertical-agnostic — they shepherd any problem in their area, not just one cause.
Verify problems on the ground
Turn community signals into trustworthy public records.
Recruit Changeleaders
Find and onboard the people who will lead Mission Circles in your area.
Connect stakeholders
RWAs, panchayat, local government, NGOs, schools, hospitals — bring them to the table.
Train new volunteers
Apprentice the next cohort of Saathis. Saathis multiply Saathis.
Surface inspirations
Capture what already works in your area so other localities can learn.
Anchor a monthly area review
Convene the Local Leaders Forum to keep work honest and accountable.
Be the human face of SevaPremi
When someone in your area needs SevaPremi, they look for you.
A 6-week structured curriculum runs alongside live fieldwork. Online modules plus two in-person weekends.
| Week | Topic | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SevaPremi philosophy + Charter close-reading | Online + cohort discussion |
| 2 | Three-layer model (Intent / Trust / Action) and the CTA Engine in plain language | Online |
| 3 | Distress-content protocol + mandatory-reporter handoff (POCSO + helplines) | In-person weekend 1 |
| 4 | Mediation and conflict resolution; reformed-actor pathway | Online |
| 5 | Solution Template authoring + Beneficiary Voice gate | Online + paired-author exercise |
| 6 | Mission Circle launch; P-P-N-C governance; capstone | In-person weekend 2 |
The fellowship pays a stipend tied to verified outcomes — like an academic fellowship, not a salary. Money flows because the work happens, not for showing up.
Stipend band: published once Cohort #1 is finalised. Outcome-tied across the categories below.
| Outcome | Counts toward stipend |
|---|---|
| Verified problems published in your area | ₹X-Y |
| Mission Circles anchored to a Solution Template | ₹X-Y |
| Stakeholders activated and accountable on at least one mission | ₹X-Y |
| SevaPremi members enrolled in your area | ₹X-Y |
| Next-cohort apprentices trained to readiness | ₹X-Y |
Funded from the SevaPremi Foundation budget. Paid as honorarium under Section 8 permitted activities.
Six weighted factors. Public, not discretionary. We are inviting you to do hard work, not selling you a course.
Stage 1
Written application
Tell us your area, your time, and why you're applying.
Stage 2
1:1 conversation
A current Saathi or Steward speaks with you for 45 minutes.
Stage 3
Area visit
We meet you on your ground — or do a video walkthrough for distance candidates.
Stage 4
Cohort orientation
If matched, you join the next cohort and the curriculum begins.
Cohort #1 is the first 10 Saathis. Saathis multiply Saathis through apprenticeship — every trained Saathi recruits and co-trains one to three more. Cohorts run rolling, every 8-10 weeks. We form Cohort #1 once we have 30+ qualified expressions of interest.
Pilot localities (you don't have to be in one)
We don't pre-allocate areas. Saathis bring their own ground. The list below is context for where Cohort #1 conversations are starting first.
We are inspired by the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University. We chose a different shape because the people we want as Saathis cannot pay 8 lakh and should not have to.
| Program | Tuition fee | Stipend | Duration | What you become | Who owns the ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SevaPremi Saathi Fellowship | 0 | Outcome-tied stipend | 3-6 months · 500 hrs | Authorised Saathi | You — for an area of ~10,000 |
| Young India Fellowship | ~8 lakh | None | 12 months | Postgraduate diploma | Open |
| Teach for India | 0 | Salary | 24 months | Teacher in a low-income school | School-assigned |
| Gandhi Fellowship | 0 | Stipend | 24 months | Education systems leader | Block-assigned |
This fellowship is for you if…
This fellowship is not for you if…
Saathi is rung 1 of a public, merit-earned ladder. Every promotion needs evidence — missions led, outcomes verified, cohort feedback, Local Leaders Forum endorsement. No founder appointments, ever.
Saathi — locality-embedded, cohort-trained.
Senior Saathi — mentors, runs a sub-locality. ≥6 months active + verified impact.
Anchor — multi-locality coordinator. ≥12 months + ≥3 missions led + cohort co-trainer.
Regional Anchor — state-level. ≥24 months + ≥2 emergent sites blooming under your work.
Locality Steward / Solution Steward — 2-year terms, renewable, revocable by Saathi vote at the relevant scope.
Every cohort has a Saathi Care pod — an editorial-mandated monthly check-in, a quarterly retreat budget, and a sabbatical right after 12 months sustained. A Saathi declaring burnout pauses without any platform-status loss; the network covers their area through a peer buddy. We mean this.
Express interest
This is not the application. It tells us you'd like to be considered for Cohort #1. We'll reach out within 7 days for a first conversation.