Governance

The Raah Health and Social Development Foundation is dedicated to responsible financial management. We strive for openness and honesty internally and toward partners, donors, and members of the public. We uphold applicable financial standards and principles in all aspects of our work. As a Section 8 non-profit company, we are governed by the rigorous standards set out in the Companies Act of 2013. Raah is committed to financial integrity and strives to uphold India’s anti-corruption legislation. 

To ensure accountability and transparency, we perform external audits, internal audits, and make our financial statements available on our website. We have internal policies for procurement, travel, and accounting, designed to foster excellent financial management in procurement of goods and services.

Ethical conduct of research

The Raah Health & Social Development Foundation is committed to conducting research that meets or exceeds Indian and international standards for scientific excellence and ethical conduct of research.

All of our human subjects research undergoes ethical review by an institutional review board recognised under Indian law. In some instances, ethics review in foreign countries may also be required.

To ensure scientific excellence, we publish protocols and statistical analysis plans, and facilitate data sharing. We ensure that randomised trials and field intervention studies are registered in a publicly available registry compliant with the WHO Trial Registration Data Set. We strive to create an environment that promotes the responsible conduct of research through training and organisational values, and have established administrative processes to ensure that, should any breaches of responsible conduct occur, they will be identified, reviewed, and addressed appropriately.

Work Environment

The Raah Health and Social Development Foundation is committed to a work environment in which all employees are treated equally, fairly, and with respect.

Every member of our team is hired through a rigorous selection process. Especially in contexts of complex structural inequality, life opportunities are unequally distributed. To ensure that our team reflects social diversity, we make certain that members of underrepresented groups are overrepresented at the application and screening stages. We extend offers to candidates based on merit, considering existing skills and achievements, personal qualities such as integrity, empathy, and commitment, and potential to contribute.  We invest in building the capabilities of our employees at all levels.

To ensure a positive professional environment, Raah has established internal policies and procedures that provide clear direction and training to ensure professional conduct, respect for diversity, and prevention of harassment, as well as mechanisms for redress, if required.

Our employees are our greatest asset. Raah endeavors to protect employee health, safety, and security against any reasonably foreseeable work-related dangers. Raah offers employee benefits and parental leave policies in accordance with Indian law.