Janice Orrell
           Emeritus Professor
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Janice Orrell is an Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Higher Education at Flinders University. During her time in India (1984–1987), she worked on women’s literacy programs in remote villages near Dindigul and contributed to the development of the Kodaikanal Grihini women’s non-formal education program for young women from Dalit and Tribal communities in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu. The Grihini program has now been running for 40 years and has educated more than 2,000 young women. Since returning to Australia, Janice has continued to support the program through research, evaluation and development projects with Flinders University academics, including recent research examining the long-term impact of Grihini education on women, their families and communities, which has been published as a focus book.
Linda Chalmers
        Cultural Anthropologist
Linda is a Cultural Anthropologist and served as a senior manager with Oxfam Fair Trade where she worked with many women's groups in India including St. Mary’s Mahila Shikshan Kendra. St. Mary’s is a fair-trade artisan group empowering women by working to combat the problem of unemployment and unfair pay in Ahmedabad through government-recognized two-year courses. Linda is a former Board member of Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand and served with the World Fair Trade Organisation. She is currently a Board member of the Pomona Railway Station Gallery, Queensland.
Norman Habel
       Environmental Theologian
Norman Habel is an Australian of Wendish heritage. He grew up on a farm, became a Lutheran Pastor and spent fifteen years in America as a Biblical scholar. He spent four years as principal of Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu. Â When he returned to Australia taught Religion Studies at the University of South Australia and became the author of numerous books specialising in the Book of Job. In recent years he has cooperated with First Nations leaders to develop a hermeneutic for decolonising Biblical narratives. While ion India friends gave him US $4,000 to use in helping those in need. He gave the money to his wife Janice, who used it to help initiate the Grihini Women. He also evaluated an attempt to establish a village health and health education program run by Grihini students and graduates and made a film about the program.
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Jim Chalmers
          Cultural Anthropologist
Jim is a Cultural Anthropologist and an adjunct Associate Professor in the College of Business, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences at Flinders University. He is a former country office and regional human development specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, where he led their flagship product the Human Development Report. For Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, the report is titled Developing Education From Within. Communities as Critical Agents of Change. For Grihini, he adapted the UNDP framework for a co-authored book that explores the impact of social education on gender inequalities where women’s lives are damaged by discrimination, marginalisation and deprivation
Ramanathan
       Public Health Specialist
Rama is a public health specialist with a particular interest in international development and the social determinants of health along with expertise in stakeholder engagement and management. His portfolios in health have been in primary prevention, aged care, rural health, cancer, intergovernmental relations, clinician engagement and most recently palliative care. During this time, remaining curious, being able to work with ambiguity, learning through doing and valuing many perspectives are the mindsets which have helped him remain positive and motivated in a constantly reforming Australian public health system. Living in India, the US, Singapore and Australia has encouraged him to also create and facilitate an active support network for improving settlement experiences and employment opportunities of skilled migrants to South Australia.
Udoy Saikia
            Sociologist Professor
Professor Udoy Saikia is a Social Demographer with postgraduate qualifications from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Flinders University, specialising in population, human wellbeing and sustainable development. He has published more than 50 scholarly works, secured over AUD $1.5 million in research funding, supervised 25 PhD students and received several awards for teaching, research and leadership. He has also held leadership roles with the Australian Population Association and contributed to international UN development research. Most recently, Professor Saikia co-led a wellbeing impact study of Grihini graduates in five remote Palani Hills communities, published by Routledge in 2025 as Empowering Marginalised Women in Remote Indian Villages, alongside Jim Chalmers, Dency Michael and Janice Orrell.
Melville Simonsz
        CPA and Certified Internal Auditor
Melville Simonsz is a Certified Practicing Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor with over 29 years of experience in the Australian not-for-profit sector. He lives in Cooranbong, NSW, a small rural town near the city of Newcastle. He was born in Sri Lanka and have been living in Australia for 40 years. Melville is a retired but not tired auditor, engaged in the Not for Profit (NFP) sector on a voluntary basis. He has been involved in the financial reviews of the Kodai Grihini Program since 2023 when is first visited the program  He describes it as a brilliant low-budget, high impact program. Since August 2020, he has served as the Project Finance Consultant for the ADRA South Pacific Regional Office, where he provides remote accounting support to in-country teams.Â
Muthal Palaniappan
     Web Developer | Software Consultant
Muthal is a Software Engineer and an IT Techie who loves to work with computers and solves problems. She is  a passionate Web Designer, Front-End Developer and with experience in web development, software quality assurance and creating practical digital solutions. She enjoys turning ideas and client requirements into professional, responsive and user-friendly websites, taking projects from planning and design through development, testing, deployment and ongoing maintenance. She has developed strong skills in understanding client needs, solving problems, creating digital content and delivering functional online solutions. She is a quick learner who enjoys exploring new technologies, developing my skills and taking on new challenges. She brings a combination of creativity, technical capability, attention to detail, communication and a genuine commitment to delivering quality work.
Team Members - PMG (Aus)
PROJECT MANAGEMENT GROUPÂ - AUSTRALIA
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