Hi there! My name is Tejal Desai, and I am a Kiva Fellow Alumnus from its 16th class of fellows.
I hail from the Bay Area, and have a background in non-profit fundraising. I spent 3.5 years at an amazing, ground-breaking financial services nonprofit called EARN, and helped co-found an organization called Combat Against Cancer. I developed a major crush on Kiva as soon as I learned about the organization following my college graduation, and dreamt of being a part of the fellows program. I applied after years of building skills and working for an awesome org, and as soon as I got in, I was shocked, a bit nervous, curious, and pumped!
I spent almost 4 months in Sierra Leone, West Africa, for my fellowship, which was a mind-blowing, challenging, fun ride. I would highly recommend the program, and if you’re interested in applying but need a bit more insight, let me know! I’d be happy to help.
This journey would not have been possible (and not nearly as enjoyable) without the support of my family and friends. All the emails, comments, words of encouragement, donations, and love really kept me going. Thanks for being a part of this adventure.
Contact: tejal [dot] desai [@] fellows [dot] kiva.org
congratulations teju and we all are very proud of you……….. and your work…… since the time you went to England for you first fellowship…. and also proud of your dad and family for supporting you fully at each stage.
So excited for you, this is truly an amazing thing you are doing.