Bijay Kumar is a strong advocate of shifting power from the international system to community-led capacities.Bijay is from Odisha, one of the mineral rich as well as the most disaster-prone regions in India. From his younger years, Bijay was exposed to social inequalities and discrimination. During his childhood, Bijay used to join his civil servant father, vising the tribal communities exploited by the mining industries. After the end of his higher studies in the UK, Bijay was fortunate to receive a sponsorship to visit 14 African countries in 6 years. This experience strengthened his faith in humanity and the power of local wisdom. Bijay’s foundation work in humanitarianism started during the Odisha Super Cyclone 1999. Since then, Bijay has been leading and managing civil society organisations and networks across Africa, Europe, South Asia & Southeast Asia