The Purpose that drives GROW
Sandesha and Rajesh Sarkar started GROW Foundation, inspired by their personal journey in transforming their son Jonathan, born three months premature, resulting in vision impairment and severe disabilities.
Sandesha gave up her corporate career, and they worked on transitioning him to a mainstream school, developing his personality and building his talent in singing, music and core fitness.
Together, they transformed personal adversity into a purpose-driven organisation that works amongst children with special needs.
At GROW, we understand the challenges parents face. Children today are experiencing sensory difficulties, motor delays, communication and emotional struggles, with parents unsure of where to begin or how to support them.
Over the years, GROW has supported 100+ children through personalised interventions, real-life learning, and a team of experienced special educators and therapists. Sandesha has built confidence of parents with similar challenges that if she could do it, then together, we can enable significant change in their children as well.
At GROW, we build futures, one child at a time.
Our Vision
Our Mission
We provide personalised interventions to help children with special needs develop core life skills, integrating them with mainstream school and society.
Our Approach
Integrated services under one roof
Affordable and Sustainable support
Experienced Specialists
Structured Interventions
Safe, Warm, Child-Friendly center
Deep collaboration with parents and schools
Our Journey
Operationalised in 2021 with a child development center in Mulund East, Mumbai. In December 2024, GROW set-up a Multi-Speciality Facility with Therapy Services located in Mulund West.
Since inception, GROW Foundation has delivered specialized interventions to 100+ children with special needs and developmental delays, focusing on a holistic “turn-around” through remedial and educational support.
The center provides a comprehensive range of services
Remedial Education & Early Intervention
Strengthening foundational learning for young children with Special Needs.
Parental Support
Offering professional counseling to guide families through developmental challenges.
Assessments
Conducting psychological and developmental evaluations.
Specialized Therapies
Providing expert occupational therapy and speech therapy.
By partnering with schools, Corporate CSR teams, and medical professionals, GROW continues to build a stronger, inclusive future for children through mainstream integration
Impact Timeline
The Heart of GROW — Our Founders
Sandesha Sarkar
Sandesha Sarkar has first-hand experience in dealing with the challenges associated with special needs, disabilities and developmental delays
She invested over 23 years of her life in shaping up her son, who was born extreme early – three months premature, resulting in vision impairment and severe multiple disabilities. Sandesha took this as a challenge and sacrificed her corporate career for her son. Over the years, she helped him transition from a special needs school to a mainstream school. Working on his skills to bring out his potential, she achieved a major turnaround by developing his talents in singing, music and core fitness.
During her Corporate career, she was associated with MNCs such as Citigroup, Crompton Greaves and DHL in the Human Resources Function.
She co-founded GROW Foundation, a non-profit organization, to enable children with special needs not miss out on timely interventions and make it accessible, affordable and sustainable for parents. She drives the overall management at GROW Foundation involving Center Management, Parents’ interaction, Quality of Staff Delivery, Fund Raising and Corporate Partnership.
A source of inspiration for many mothers, she has been actively counseling parents on how to understand and deal with their child’s special needs. Certified in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Learning Disability, Sandesha works relentlessly in educating and encouraging parents facing similar challenges, spreading the message that if she could do it, then together, they can achieve the same turnaround for other children as well.
Rajesh Sarkar
Rajesh Sarkar, is a distinguished HR and culture transformation leader with over two decades of experience driving organizational excellence. Throughout his career, he has led human resources practices for premier global corporations, including Deloitte, ING, and Thomson Reuters. His expertise lies in building cultures of inclusion and high performance – values that are now the bedrock of GROW’s institutional mission.
While his professional background is rooted in corporate strategy, his commitment to the special needs community is deeply personal. As a father, he has stood alongside Sandesha in navigating their child’s developmental challenges, providing the stability and vision required to turn obstacles into opportunities. This dual perspective allows him to structure GROW as a sustainable, mission-driven organization.
At GROW, Rajesh provides governance, sustainability, visibility and strategic support. He ensures the organization remains a credible and compliant pillar of the community, while advocating for the long-term visibility of children with special needs. Rajesh ensures that GROW is equipped to create lasting, systemic change for families everywhere.
Our Team
Our team is a dedicated group of seasoned Special Educators, Therapists, and Psychologists who combine remedial and therapy expertise with compassionate, evidence-based care to support children with diverse developmental and psychological needs.
