Sadhana NJ

Project Associate, NHA

Sadhana is an economics graduate and has extensive experience in the international development sector. She began her career at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia, where she worked on a pioneering project aimed at designing a targeted and flexible microcredit tool for rural micro-entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu. Her work spanned field team management, research design, survey development, and stakeholder engagement — giving her firsthand insight into how low-income households navigate risk and make financial decisions. Seeking to understand financial inclusion through the lens of private capital, she transitioned into the blended finance space as an analyst at KOIS. Here, she supported a range of blended finance initiatives focused on climate resilience, gender equity, and sustainable livelihoods spanning across South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Sadhana sees economics as a structured way to understand human behaviour, relationships, and communities — and is interested in using this lens to design more inclusive, effective solutions. She completed her Integrated Masters in Development Studies from IIT Madras with a minor in International Relations in 2023.