Nagma Bhadana

Nagma is a dedicated youth community worker from the Van Gujjar pastoralist community in the Gaidikhatta, Shyampur range of Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Holding a B.Sc. and currently pursuing her B.Ed., she is actively engaged in indigenous community empowerment, women’s rights, and education. As an education coordinator for the Van Gujjar Tribal Youth Organization, she has established six forest-based education centers, facilitating government school enrollment for local children. Her work also extends to organizing women’s self-help groups (SHGs), setting up sewing centers, and documenting forest rights. Nagma is a strong advocate for community-based leadership and believes that traditional indigenous knowledge is vital to sustainable climate solutions. She is passionate about empowering youth and women to drive positive change while preserving the natural resources and cultural heritage of her community.

In her NYCC project, the "Soota Conservation Project," Nagma focuses on the restoration and construction of traditional "Sootas", which are small, hand-dug water harvesting systems in the lower Himalayan regions. Through this initiative, she aims to address forest water scarcity while documenting and promoting the unique ecological practices of the Van Gujjar community.