Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2005:

"I started my career with a dream-that I will work for the people and bring about a change in society. I still believe that change is possible. I work hard for that change."

Sandhya Roy

Gonoshasthya Kendra

Sandhya Roy (born 1954) was only 17 when she left home to help soldiers wounded in the 1971 Bangladesh war. The end of the war found Sandhya far too immersed in her work to return home. Instead, she joined Gonoshasthya Kendra (which means people's health center-GK), an NGO working to establish a people-centered health system. For more than 30 years now, she has been challenging gender stereotypes, fighting fundamentalists who wish to keep her down, and working towards her dream of a holistic health system.