What links a super-specialist doctor in Mizoram, a music teacher in Dubai, a hotel manager in Australia, an Agniveer of the Indian Army, a start-up founder in Manipur, and several thousand young people from across North East India? Most have never met.
Yet they are connected through Sunbird Trust—a civil society organisation that has, over the past decade, built an informal but growing community bound by a shared belief: that durable peace is best achieved through education.
Operating in regions often defined by remoteness, diversity and recurring conflict, Sunbird Trust focuses on districts where schooling systems remain fragile, access is limited, and infrastructure weak.
While parts of the North East have seen rapid development, these gaps continue to fuel unemployment, frustration and, at times, violence. Sunbird Trust was established to intervene in this cycle—not through short-term projects, but through long-term educational partnerships rooted in presence and trust.
Founded in 2014 by Col (Retd) Christopher Rego and his wife Myrna Rego, the organisation emerged from a conviction shaped by years of experience in the region: that quality education, delivered consistently and with respect, could rebuild trust and expand opportunity.
Col Rego’s service in the North East—with the Assam Rifles in Meghalaya and Mizoram, and later with the Border Roads Organisation in Manipur—provided close insight into local realities. Alongside him, Myrna Rego focused on sustained engagement with families and communities. From the outset, however, Sunbird’s growth depended on committed young professionals willing to live and work in the region over the long term.
Sunbird deliberately chose to operate in areas few organisations would—remote villages marked by poor connectivity, fragile security and severely under-resourced schools.
Its work is structured around two core programmes: Access for All, which provides long-term child sponsorships, and the School Transformation Programme, which strengthens schools and hostels through infrastructure upgrades, teacher support, leadership development and governance systems.
Implementation depended on an unusual workforce. Sunbird began attracting young educators and development professionals, including former Teach for India Fellows, who opted for commitment over comfort.
Many moved into isolated villages in their early twenties, often becoming the first outsiders to live there. They navigated unfamiliar languages and deep scepticism, building credibility not through authority but through consistency and daily engagement.
These teams went beyond programme management. They taught classes when teachers were absent, walked hostel children back to distant villages, assisted families during harvests and participated in everyday village life.
Living within communities became Sunbird’s defining approach, ensuring education was contextual and locally owned rather than externally imposed.
As trust deepened, communities reciprocated. Villages donated land for schools and hostels, parents became active partners, and local educators were trained to lead institutions sustainably.
In conflict-affected areas, staff safety was often informally guaranteed by villagers themselves—an indication of the organisation’s perceived neutrality and value.
A consciously inclusive, non-denominational and non-religious ethos has been central to this acceptance.
By focusing solely on education and dignity, and avoiding alignment with any faith or faction, Sunbird Trust has built credibility across ethnic and communal lines. Reflecting this philosophy, all Sunbird-supported institutions include the word “Friendship” in their names, signalling shared spaces that rise above division.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested this model. While many organisations withdrew, Sunbird’s teams remained in remote villages through lockdowns, often facing shortages themselves but supported by local families.
Recognised as a credible grassroots partner, the organisation channelled large-scale corporate relief, distributed food and medical supplies, facilitated more than 26,000 vaccinations and supported district hospitals. The period reshaped how donors and communities viewed Sunbird’s capacity and judgement.
Post-pandemic, the organisation expanded with new CSR partnerships and stronger internal systems. Young leaders moved into senior roles, strengthening accountability while retaining a field-first culture. Leadership transitioned to a professional management structure, marking Sunbird’s evolution into a mature institution.
Today, Sunbird Trust works across Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. It partners with 15 schools and 23 hostels, supports over 12,500 children and has disbursed more than 54,000 scholarships.
The organisation is led by CEO Aliasgar Janjali, a former senior banker and Teach for India Fellow, reflecting its blend of professional governance and grassroots engagement.
Ethnic violence in Manipur in May 2023 posed another test. Sunbird teams evacuated staff where required, delivered relief across camps and ensured educational continuity for more than 300 displaced children, including support for continued studies and skill training outside the state.
The organisation has since expanded into Arunachal Pradesh, supporting six government schools and a Teacher Training Academy in Shi Yomi district near the international border with China. A majority of its 53-member team now works in extremely remote locations, often without electricity or reliable connectivity.
Sunbird’s impact is perhaps most evident in its alumni. Former beneficiaries are now engineers, bankers, educators and community leaders, lifting families out of poverty. Several have returned as full-time team members, while others support the organisation from across India and overseas.
In a region often defined by unrest, Sunbird Trust presents a quieter narrative—one built on classrooms kept open, teachers supported and young professionals who choose to stay. In the long pursuit of peace in the North East, it demonstrates that institutions endure when people commit, and that education, carried patiently, may be the most lasting peacemaker of all.
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