InteGRAL, i.e. Intersectional Gender Research Advocacy and Learning, is a research and consulting firm that focuses on gender, education and livelihoods. We combine lived and observed experiences, theoretical knowledge, as well as high quality research methods to build evidence that draws attention to gender equality. We use feminist methods, which centers the voices of the most marginalized to make interventions work for all. Started in 2020, InteGRAL is based in India and focuses on the Global South

There is so little we know about what our ​students are learning about gender in schools

The Problem...

But whatever they are learning is affecting their choices...

And possibly, others’....

Education is considered one of the most effective ways to achieve gender-equality in the world. However, people display gender biases, despite being ​educated. These biases can result in women being denied equal pay, girls being discouraged from pursuing certain subjects, or increase in violence against ​people of disadvantaged genders.

These biases form over time, and possibly through every day interactions in schools, training programmes, workplaces, or even in public educational spaces ​such as museums or art shows. Any learning experience, needs to be closely evaluated with a gender lens, to assess, if...

...our learning experiences are ​reinforcing harmful gender norms.

Why InteGRAL?

InteGRAL provides research and consulting services with a focus on gender. We work in the area of education, skills and ​other learning experiences to make them more gender sensitive. In the short term, you will gain a team and a way of ​working that aims to create a safe and thriving environment for women and others of marginalized genders while in the ​long term, we will be creating a more gender equal society.

I. Evaluation of education or skill programmes: We use participatory and feminist approaches to provide holistic and utilizable insights to enable funding ​decisions, inform strategy or improve programmes.

II. Gender Audits: A key offering of InteGRAL is to enable organizations to mainstream gender by first conducting gender audits followed by gender action plans. ​We work with you to uncover gender-inequitable practices and to help celebrate the ways in which you might be building a gender-equal future.

III. Knowledge Partners: It is possible that you would need some expertise in considering gender as an integral identity that might influence your services or ​products. We offer need based expertise whether it might be developing leadership programmes for young women entrepreneurs or developing curriculum and ​leadership modules for youth.

IV. Research and Implementation Partners: We conduct detailed and insightful research that can be used as knowledge products. We can help with literature ​reviews, mixed methods research, ethnographic methods and can serve as research implementation agencies. We adhere to strict ethical guidelines throughout ​the research process, and collect quality data using feminist principles.

V. Trainings: Helping teachers, school principals, organizational leaders, designers and others to look at how gender functions in society and shows up in every ​day practices is an offering that can be revelatory and impactful. We use scholarly theories on gender, education, work and society to inform our training material ​and share it with learners in an engaging style to help glean applicable insights.

Clients & Partners

Since 2020, our clients have involved us in research, training programmes, expertise, speaking opportunities and evaluations.

Team

Fiona Vaz

Founder- Director

Fiona is a gender researcher with a focus on education in India. She has worked on all of InteGRAL's projects bringing in her ​knowledge of feminist research methods, adherence to ethical frameworks and creative use of dissemination methods. Prior ​to gender research, Fiona has served as an educator especially for those who are marginalized through organizations like ​Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Teach For India, The Akanksha Foundation, Teach For Malaysia, among others. Fiona has ​an M.A. in Education, Gender and International Development from Institute of Education, UCL and an M.A. in Psychology from ​Mumbai University. She was a Chevening Scholar in the year 2018-19.

Aurelie Faugier

Consultant

Passionate about unlocking individuals and organizations’ potential, Aurelie brings 17 years of experience, including over ten ​years in international development. She has lived and worked in Europe, India, and Uganda. Aurélie has solid expertise in ​designing and implementing strategies within impact driven organizations. For 2 years, as Managing Director of a Ugandan ​social business (KadAfrica) assisting young women in rural areas to achieve economic independence, Aurélie notably led the ​revision of the M&E plan and impact measurement tools, and the publication of the first impact report in 5 years.

A consultant since late 2021, Aurelie participated in Start Network programme evaluation. More recently, she designed the ​M&E tools and ran a programme evaluation for both Elevated Minds - a youth mentoring organization - and Assopreneur·e - an ​organization empowering impact driven individuals to launch a social business. Through her experiences, Aurélie has gained ​enhanced thematic expertise in gender, women economic empowerment and impact measurement and management. Having ​always worked with multicultural teams, she easily adapts to different contexts, teams, and organizations.

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Dr Shalini Bhorkar

Advisor to InteGRAL; Research Fellow: Center for Research into the Education of ​Marginalized Children and Young Adults (CREMCYA), and M.A Module Convener, ​St Mary’s University, UK

Shalini brings her experience of teaching children and adults in diverse contexts; and critical insights of education quality and equity in low and middle ​income countries to advise InteGRAL on design and delivery of research, professional development programmes among others. Shalini has worked across ​India, Japan, Hong Kong and the UK and holds a Doctorate in Education and International Development from University College London.

In the past, InteGRAL was also supported by Rizki Amalia Affiat and Peny Rahmadhani in Indonesia on several projects with an Asia focus especially for ​FES- Asia, Gender Justice Hub- Nepal, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Same Skies Malaysia and Indonesia and Indonesia Mengajar. We were also supported by ​Mohona Chatterjee and Shalini Nair on feminist evaluations and research and by Rachna Shanbog on gender audits.

Feminal- a feminist reading circle, supported by InteGRAL

The objective of feminal is to create a community that is aware of historical feminist struggles through reading and engaging with key feminist literature so that one can continue creating a gender transformative world in an informed way.

Book List

1. The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir (1949)
2. The Dialectic of Sex- The Case for feminist revolution- Shulamith Firestone (1970)
   
3. Feminist Theory, from Margins to Center, bell hooks (1984)
   
4. Gender Trouble, Judith Butler (1990)
   
5. Gender and Nation, Nira Yuval-Davis (1993/ 1997)
   
6. Masculinities, R.W. Connell (1995)
   
7. Feminism Without Borders, Chandra Talpade Mohanty (2003)
   

8. Writing Caste Writing Gender, Sharmila Rege (2006)

9. Seeing like a feminist, Nivedita Menon (2012)

10. Do Muslim Women Need Saving, Lila Abu-Lughod (2013)

Additional Info

Discussions take place on Monday evenings at 7 and 8.15 pm IST. You pay as you like. Please email us to participate in the next book reading at hello@integral-asia.org

Let's talk

Research, Evaluations, Training in Gender and Education

Regd Address: OFFICE:C/o Vivek Namdeorao Bakre,13/b-2, Vishaka Society Survey No. - 9, Karve Nagar, Pune MH 411052

CIN: U80903PN2012NPL145284

Email: hello@integral-asia.org

All images on this website were clicked with consent for wider use. Photographs by Roxanne Rozario.