Volunteer Python Backend Developer to Help End Generational Poverty with RightWalk Foundation

This is an opportunity to work with an Ashoka Fellow

Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs that have been taken through a rigorous selection process, testing the quality of their ideas and character, to become part of the Ashoka Fellowship and Network. Ashoka Fellows take on the challenges of building innovative system change ideas to make and spread social impact in a world wrought with challenges. They refuse to let the ‘impossible’ stand in their way to creating a better world.

This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity

About The Affiliated Organization

RightWalk Foundation – Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Policy Founding Vision: RightWalk Foundation was founded with a bold vision to break the cycle of generational poverty, dismantle deep-rooted inequalities, and empower vulnerable families toward a future of dignity and opportunity. Its founder, Ashoka Fellow Samina Bano, left a successful consulting career driven by the belief that systemic change is the cornerstone of an equitable society. Instead of relying on short-term charity, she sought to reform public policy itself, recognizing that real change comes from fixing systems rather than patchwork aid. This conviction guided RightWalk’s early efforts in 2014 to unlock a key provision of India’s Right to Education Act – guaranteeing free private-school seats for children from marginalized communities – thereby opening the doors of quality schooling to the poorest communities and demonstrating that when policies truly work for those who need them most, entire generations can escape poverty.

RightWalk’s efforts are aimed at those segments of society most in need of support – primarily children, youth, and families from marginalized, economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The foundation began by focusing on children from underprivileged communities lacking access to quality education, and it has since expanded to empower disadvantaged youth through skill training and apprenticeships, as well as to address the health needs of at-risk children. These are the people who often fall through the cracks of India’s development: families living in poverty, communities struggling to claim their basic entitlements, and others facing systemic barriers to education or employment. By concentrating on such vulnerable groups, RightWalk has directly improved over 1.3 million lives so far, and it aspires to uplift 50 million people by 2030 through its initiatives.

In essence, the organization serves society’s most disadvantaged citizens, ensuring they are no longer left behind but can participate in opportunities for a better future. RightWalk bridges the gap between policy and people by actively turning social welfare laws into on-the-ground change. The foundation partners with government agencies and communities to design solutions, provide technical support, and drive the implementation of policies so that benefits reach their intended recipients. For example, in Uttar Pradesh, RightWalk combined advocacy, legal action, and a digital admissions portal to enforce the Right to Education Act, enrolling over 800,000 previously excluded children in private schools and removing bureaucratic hurdles (like distance limits) that had impeded access. Similarly, it launched Uttar Pradesh’s first statewide apprenticeship program unit to connect youth with on-the-job training, unlocking ₹100 crore (≈$13 million) in government stipends for skill development within 18 months. Now active in multiple regions, RightWalk has replicated this policy-to-impact model elsewhere and even extended it into healthcare by implementing early childhood health screenings under the national RBSK scheme to catch medical issues in disadvantaged children before they escalate.

RightWalk’s work is vital because it tackles poverty and inequality at their roots, creating systemic change rather than temporary relief. By making social policies actually function for marginalized communities, the foundation multiplies the impact of every intervention – for example, each ₹1 spent by RightWalk unlocks around ₹100 of government welfare resources. This leverage and scale mean that sustainable progress becomes possible: when underprivileged children gain entry into mainstream private schools, they learn alongside privileged peers, breaking social barriers and challenging generations of hierarchy and exclusion. Similarly, when youth secure apprenticeships or underserved families gain healthcare access, it transforms individual futures and makes poor households more “sustainable” by ensuring access to education, income opportunities, and health services. RightWalk’s holistic, policy-driven approach ensures that rights and opportunities enshrined in law – from schooling to livelihoods – are actually delivered to those who need them most, turning opportunity into a universal right rather than a privilege.

For more information, please visit https://rightwalk.org/

Job Description

We are building a WhatsApp-based AI assistant that makes complex government portals simple and accessible for citizens. Instead of navigating confusing websites, users—especially those less digitally literate—will be able to complete registration, eKYC, bank detail submission, and access welfare opportunities entirely through natural conversation on WhatsApp in their own language. Our goal is to democratize access to government schemes and services by lowering digital barriers. By combining conversational AI with secure backend integrations, we want every citizen—irrespective of language, literacy, or technical skill—to be able to use critical public services through a familiar and friendly medium. In the long term, this project will empower millions of underserved individuals, making governance more inclusive and people-centric.

Volunteers will directly contribute to building the backend system that powers this assistant. This includes:

• Developing and integrating APIs to handle registration, login, OTP verification, eKYC, and data submission securely.
• Coding in Python to implement workflow logic, state management, and data validation. Using BAML (a new DSL for prompt engineering) to design precise prompts and connect the AI with deterministic backend tools.
• Ensuring multilingual support and robust error handling for users with varying literacy levels.
• Collaborating with the team to design scalable architecture and clean, well-documented code for future deployments.
  
  

This project can directly bridge the gap between citizens and governance. Millions of people today are excluded from welfare benefits simply because they cannot navigate online portals. By volunteering, you will help create the backbone of a system that translates bureaucratic complexity into human conversation. Your technical work will make the chatbot reliable, trustworthy, and scalable—ensuring that even the most digitally marginalized individuals can access essential services with dignity and ease.

Volunteer Logistics

Estimated hours required per week: 40

The estimated duration of the project is: Under 1 month

This position requires being on-site periodically in New Delhi India but also allows for some work to be completed virtually

The office can provide amenities to volunteers such as: Internet, Local travel expenses, Office space

Language Requirements

English

Desired Skills And Experience

Python backend, FastAPI, async, SQLAlchemy, Redis, Playwright, some experience of production grade python oriented system with complete observability.

While for an expert python developer the project would be just for few weeks, we are also open for long term association, as well as for someone who would like to commit less than 40 hours in a week.