Sujoy Roy: Amplifying Community Voices Through Public Health and Social Change

With 26 years of grassroots experience, Sujoy Roy has worked across disaster response, women’s voices, affordable healthcare, child safety, environmental sustainability, and drowning prevention, believing that lasting change begins when communities themselves are heard.

When somebody in the neighbourhood fell sick, young Sujoy Roy was often the first person people called. Long before becoming a public health professional, he had already become the unofficial first responder in his family and locality. Whether accompanying someone to a hospital or helping neighbours during emergencies, these experiences shaped his understanding of compassion and service.

Today, with more than 26 years of experience in public health, advocacy, and social development, Sujoy Roy has built his career around one simple belief: lasting change begins when communities are heard.

Much of his professional journey has been shaped through his long association with Child in Need Institute (CINI), where he has spent over two decades working with communities across health, child rights, advocacy, and social development. This long-term engagement strengthened his belief that sustainable development requires trust, patience, and community participation.

A defining moment in his life came during the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Responding to one of the largest water-related disasters in modern history, he travelled to Tamil Nadu as part of a relief team and reached affected communities shortly after the disaster. Serving as a relief team leader, he spent more than a month supporting relief and recovery efforts among families who had lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones.

The experience profoundly influenced his understanding of disasters, resilience, and preparedness. Years later, these lessons would shape his work in community resilience, child safety, and drowning prevention.

Among his most notable contributions has been his work to amplify women’s voices. He conceptualized and led the ‘What Women Want’ movement in West Bengal, helping create a platform through which thousands of women shared their healthcare needs, expectations, and priorities.

For Sujoy, advocacy is not about speaking for communities but creating opportunities for communities to speak for themselves. He has also contributed to youth participation initiatives and community engagement efforts that connect people’s experiences with policy discussions.

His work later expanded into child safety and drowning prevention. Witnessing the devastating impact of drowning on vulnerable families motivated him to promote community-based approaches focused on awareness, rescue and resuscitation skills, child supervision, and local action.

His efforts have contributed to training thousands of community members and frontline workers in life-saving skills, reinforcing his belief that communities themselves can become the first line of protection for children.

His work has received international recognition. In 2023, he was selected as one of twelve participants globally for the Bloomberg Emerging Drowning Prevention Leadership Programme. He has also participated in two United Nations General Assembly engagements, bringing community experiences from India into international discussions on youth participation and public health.

Beyond his professional work, Sujoy established ‘Egaro Takay Daktarbabu’, an initiative aimed at making healthcare more affordable for ordinary families. The number ’11’ is dedicated to his mother, Namita Roy, while ‘Daktarbabu’ honours his mentor and godfather whose guidance influenced his journey in public service.

Sujoy is also deeply committed to environmental sustainability. Though born and brought up in Tollygunge, Kolkata, he has developed a green space at his home with more than sixty varieties of trees and plants, including coconut, mango, jamun, and flowering species. He has adopted solar energy and uses an electric two-wheeler as part of his effort to reduce his environmental footprint. He believes that climate change, public health, and community resilience are closely connected.

As a husband and father of two children, Sujoy believes every parent shares the same aspiration: to see their children grow up safely, healthily, and with opportunities to thrive. His experiences as a father have further strengthened his commitment to building safer and more child-friendly communities.

Asked what guides his work, Sujoy often says, ‘Communities already have the strength and wisdom to solve many of their own problems. Our responsibility is to listen, stand beside them, and help their voices reach those who make decisions.’

Today, Sujoy Roy continues to amplify community voices, strengthen local leadership, and promote healthier, safer, and more sustainable societies. His vision remains clear: to build communities where every voice matters, every woman is heard, every child is safe, and every person has the opportunity to live with dignity, health, and hope.