In 2024, World Pulse’s Powershift Inclusive Excellence group (PIE) welcomed five new members. Community-led, PIE is one of two governing bodies at World Pulse and represents community voices. The group guides key aspects of World Pulse’s future as a social network platform leader for inclusivity and shifting power to underrepresented voices.

The new members represent voices from the World Pulse community across a variety of regions, areas of expertise, and skills.

The new members of PIE include:

Basudha Modak: Basudha is South-Africa based electronics engineer and educator and the founder/director of Storm In a TeaCup Reskilling and Support Foundation. She is the winner of Mrs. Gaia International South Africa 2020, and was named by the Asia Africa Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top 40 Global Indians of 2020. As a mother of a neurodivergent child, she is an advocate for children on the spectrum. Basudha is from Tripura, India, and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. A World Pulse Digital Ambassador, Basudha has been awarded a World Pulse Spirit Award in 2021, and she was recognized as one of World Pulse’s Top 50 Voices Rising to Watch in 2022.

Eunice Owino: A multifaceted leader in the EdTech, Gender, WASH, and Social Enterprise Development sector, Eunice is currently based in Kenya. She is a Partnership Specialist and Women Empowerment Practitioner with over 20 years of professional experience serving in both government and non-governmental organizations. She has over 9 years of partnerships-based programming competencies with excellent collaborative communication skills focusing on building relationships and promoting synergy among partners to drive positive change. Eunice is a co-founder of the Centre for Women Empowerment and Technology (CWE-TECH).

Martha Elena Llano Serna: Martha is a Colombian photographer, graphic designer, and environmentalist. She loves to communicate about endangered species, ecosystems, and people. She spearheaded an environmental movement led by women to restore forests, protect land cover, and restore the earth to balance. An accomplished World Pulse leader and storyteller, she joined the platform in 2008.

Sharmin Prince: Sharmin is based in the US and grew up in Guyana. She is a luminary in the field of advocacy and nonprofit management. She has curated groundbreaking self-discovery programs for survivors of gender-based violence and contributed to the organizational development of multiple nonprofits. Sharmin has facilitated the training of combat veterans as program facilitators, while addressing moral injury. She has a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Nyack College and a Master of Science in Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Her expertise has been pivotal in mentoring NGOs from South America to Africa, advocating for gender equality, and pioneering initiatives to foster hope and resilience among the most vulnerable.

Urmila Chanam: Based in India, Urmila is a menstrual health and hygiene activist and the founder of Breaking the Silence Worldwide Foundation, a nonprofit that works on education, advocacy, and campaigns to change the way society perceives menstruation and how adolescent girls and women experience menstruation — with pride, privacy, and support. An anthropologist by education and social behavior change, knowledge management, and digital storytelling expert by training, Urmila has 15 years’ experience in the social development sector. A World Pulse community member since 2010 and a domestic violence survivor, she lives in Bengaluru in southern India with her daughter.

Basudha, Eunice, Martha, and Sharmin join an established committee of seven leaders from the World Pulse community, most hailing from the Majority World. Those members include: Sherna Alexander Benjamin of Trinidad & Tobago; Paulina Lawsin Nayra of the Philippines; Busayo Obisakin of Nigeria, Arrey-Echi Agbor-Ndakaw of Cameroon, Sally Maforchi Mboumien of Cameroon; Ruth Howard of Jamaica, and Tamarack Verrall of Canada.

Reflecting on her membership at PIE, Urmila says, “When I was selected to be part of Powershift Inclusive Excellence Group (PIE) at World Pulse, I felt like life has come full circle from having been a part of this close knit and diverse sisterhood as a community member for the last 14 years to getting an opportunity to work in its governance and use my experiences as a member to improve the experiences of others.”

Echoing her sentiments, Sharmin Prince adds: “Joining PIE has ignited a sense of purpose within me, and I look forward to fostering meaningful connections and making a positive impact. Through my personal transformative journey, I have been positioned to humbly serve others, armed with humility, empathy, and understanding to make a meaningful impact. I am excited to contribute to the World Pulse community where individuals connect, inspire, and impact each other regardless of their geographical location.”

World Pulse inaugurated its Powershift Inclusive Excellence (PIE) steering committee in December 2020. Community badgeholders are invited to apply during open application periods. Most recently, PIE invited World Pulse Badgeholders to submit an application, and out of 43 applicants, they selected 5 new candidates.

The group includes persons with multiple disabilities and diverse religious beliefs, ages, class backgrounds, and sexualities. PIE’s members hail from conflict zones as well as rural and urban regions in Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe. They are survivors, storytellers, and movement builders.

World Pulse members can connect with PIE members by following their monthly updates and stories on WorldPulse.org.