Karthick Sakthivel

A Chemical Engineer by training, Karthick possesses over four years of experience working with NGOs and bridging high-level planning with grassroots climate action, particularly in navigating the complexities of rural development. He is the Co-Founder of Uyirmei Mato Foundation and an SBI Youth for India alumni. His systems-thinking approach bridges technical knowledge with grassroots implementation. He has designed watershed projects in Manipur, built community based water stewardship models in Odisha and revived rainwater harvesting systems in Sikkim. He is currently focused on regenerative livelihoods and empowering youth in Sikkim and in the Eastern Himalayas. His background spans managing field operations, adapting institutional project financing, and co-designing regenerative, permaculture-based landscapes that honor our connection to the Earth. By prioritising deep ecological observation, he focuses on identifying systemic gaps in public infrastructure and designing closed-loop solutions that turn environmental vulnerabilities into resilient livelihoods.

Karthick’s project, the Youth-Led Ecological Stewardship Network, mobilizes local youth across 7 wards in a rain-shadow Gram Panchayat in South Sikkim to restore ecosystems and build climate resilience. The initiative trains youth in grassroots data collection to strengthen the local ecological databank on water resources, fallow land, and biodiversity. Using this data, the network implements local solutions like rooftop rainwater harvesting, desilting recharge trenches, and transitioning uncultivated land into productive agroforestry systems. Additionally, the project promotes community-centered eco-tourism to create a conscious, closed-loop revenue stream for the village.