Jaisankar (Jai) Sarma, Ph.D., is the vice president of programs for Hope Walks. In this position, he leads program strategy for the 16 countries where Hope Walks operates in Latin America and Africa. The position provides him an opportunity to serve some of the most vulnerable children in the world and further strengthen its ministry.
Jai is a passionate follower of Christ, whose life mission is to serve the poor. He is committed to a holistic understanding of mission, which breaks down the divisions between physical, social, and spiritual aspects of life and instead sees them as a coherent whole.
Having lived and worked in four field-based positions and visited programs in more than 50 countries, he brings deep experience in field programming and program delivery. He has a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the Middlesex University in London and the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, UK.
His experience includes that of being a project manager at the grassroots level, being a country director, leading global field operations, and serving in other senior leadership positions at World Vision International.
He has been married to his wife, Saro, for the past 34 years and they have two adult children who live on the East Coast. He enjoys working out, reading non-fiction, and teaching international development as an adjunct faculty in Christian colleges.