Poonam was born in Nasik and came to Mumbai to study at The Kamala Mehta Special School for Blind girls at Dadar. After passing the HSC exam, Poonam wanted to do something different like her other visually impaired teachers who have done significant work in different fields by helping others. She completed her Bachelors in Social Work from Nirmala Niketan in 2003, and then went on to do a Masters in Social work specializing in Family And Child Welfare, from TISS in 2005.

Poonam was always interested in working in the field of disability and so began her work at Cheshire home focusing on the community based rehabilitation of the persons with disability. After this, she joined Anubhav Mumbai, working with youth on generating awareness on social issues.

Poonam joined us a year and a half ago as an Assistant Trainer. She has a deep desire to reach out to children who are deprived of guidance and support for their emotional needs through Dreamcatchers' unique work. She believes that the work will give them a platform for personal growth, offer opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings. In her work to date at Dreamcatchers, Poonam has seen that the work help children meet their longing for peace, love and happiness within. She has watched them learn from each other by listening to each other and finding new possibilities for the future.

In exploring Dreamcatchers' work, Poonam recognizes that she has begun a new life journey. "Unconditional support and the absolute acceptance at Dreamcatchers along with the team spirit," says Poonam "gives me the confidence and courage to move forward with her work each day."

Exposure to different tools and techniques has helped Poonam to realize the relevance the work has in a visually impaired person’s life. It has motivated her to implement the work in the same field. Poonam finds learning opportunities each day at Dreamcatchers and the exploration of its unique work gives her a sense of possibility, hope and happiness.