Paru Desai Yusuf

Social Impact Communications and Strategy Consultant

Paru Desai Yusuf is a strategist and communications consultant to global non-profits and international organizations. For over 20 years her work has focused on building the capacity and scale of small organizations in order to drive sustainable impact and change, particularly in the areas of education, girls and youth development, economic empowerment and innovative social venture models. She is a Board Member and Partner at SV2, Firelight Foundation, and Accountability Counsel.   She has held numerous board and advisory roles with US and internationally focused non-profits.  

Paru is also a co-director of a partnership between GOAL! and Mathare Youth Sports Association to design a Girls' Program focusing on education and economic empowerment for girls in the Mathare slums, Nairobi and co-founded Imuka, LLC a Tanzania-based traditional music group to empower the singers and their communities through their music. Her interest in education also included work with SecretBuilders, a Silicon Valley based start-up, an award winning online virtual community which combines gaming with learning to provide a unique environment for children to explore literature through gaming. Paru's career in international development began at the World Bank in Washington DC where she focused on gender issues for over 6 years. Paru has a BA in Chemistry from NC State University and a MA in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University.