HPT Staff

Fr. Rocky Banz has been the founder trustee of the Health Promotion Trust since 2009. He has a BA in Economics and History (University of Mumbai), an MSW from the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, (University of Mumbai), and a Diploma in Social Development. He completed a “Community-Based AIDS Prevention Strategies” study programme in Bangkok, Thailand, and another study programme, “Role of Women in the Non-formal Urban Sector” in Israel.

Since 1992, Fr. Rocky has held the following leadership positions in the Archdiocese of Bombay: director of Social Work; founder, managing trustee and director of the Centre for Social Action; and founder and secretary general of the Justice and Peace Commission. He was also the founder, managing trustee, and director of the Western Region Social Service Forum, Mumbai; a governing body member of Family Service Centre, Colaba; founder and director of Sarvodaya – Capacity Building Centre, Goregaon, and a governing body member of our Lady’s Home, Dadar.

Fr. Rocky was the parish priest of Our Lady of Glory Church, Byculla from June 2009 to May 2015, was the parish priest of St. Joseph Church, Vikhroli (West) from June 2015 to May 2019 and is currently the parish priest of Our Lady of Victories Church.

Sharon Rodrigues has a BA in History from Sophia College (University of Mumbai), and an MSW from the the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan (University of Mumbai). She also has a Bachelor’s in Law (LLB) from Siddharth College of Law (University of Mumbai). Sharon has registered for her doctoral studies on the “Role of Church Based organizations in the Bombay Archdiocese in Women Empowerment.

Sharon’s experience in social work spans a decade, during which she has been actively involved in spreading knowledge and awareness of gender-based violence and gender discrimination. She began her career as a senior social worker at the Centre for Social Action, Archdicoese of Bombay. From 2009 to 2011, she was a visiting faculty member at the College of Social Work, where she taught the Legal Literacy course to third year BSW students. Sharon collaborated with the College of Social Work as the course coordinator for the Human Rights series of courses at the Indira Gandhi Open University. From 2005 to 2014, she was a field work instructor for BSW and MSW students at the College of Social Work. She was a legal consultant to CHIRAG, a Field Action project of the College of Social Work. CHIRAG provides services to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Sharon has contributed her services to two research projects: “Taking Stock of Lives,” a project of the Archdiocese of Bombay, and “Chin Refugees in Delhi,” a project of the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Since 2010, Sharon has been a program consultant to Premdarshan Community Service Centre of St. Joseph Church, Juhu. She is also the centre’s legal advisor.

Sharon joined the Health Promotion Trust (HPT) in 2011, and is presently HPT’s senior social worker. She coordinates HPT’s preventive health care programme, and works with various community centers in Mumbai to design effective outreach strategies for preventive health care. She also coordinates the Permanent Deacons’ social ministry projects, implemented in collaboration with HPT. In 2012, she visited the diocese of Stuttgart, Germany, where she reviewed future collaborative projects with the permanent deacons of the Stuttgart diocese. She recently wrote a handbook, titled “Creating Hope and Health for the Girl Child.”

Diana E. Fernandes has a BA in English Literature and Economics from Birla College (University of Mumbai), and completed a Para-professional Social worker’s Diploma course through the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan. She has completed the MSW, Delhi specialization in Women & Child Development.

Diana also completed a certificate course on Religious Dialogue through the Archdiocesan Commission, and attended a Capacity-Building course conducted by the Centre for Social Action, Mumbai. She completed a two-year preventive health care training programme through the Sanjeevani Foundation, and studied German and Mandarin Language at Birla College, Mumbai (UGC). she has gone through Diet & Nutrition course through Tulip International, Dadar.   

Diana’s social work career includes six years at Sanjeevani Foundation, a community-based organization of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Kalyan (West). She taught Economics, Computer and Business Studies at the National Institute of Open Schooling for Drop out Students from 2007 to 2013 as a part time worker. She spent One year working with poor and marginalized women in the Nehru Nagar slum through the Damini project of the OJUS Medical Institute, Juhu as a Project coordinator from 2013 to 2014. She also worked as a research assistant for three years in a project conducted by PUKAR (Partner of Urban Knowledge Action and Research) and supported by the Ratan Tata Trust .

Diana joined HPT in 2014 as a coordinator of North Zone centre Raigad District and conducts training sessions in Marathi in the Raigad district and also some of the Mumbai centre. 

Diana enjoys creative arts, travelling, and photography, as well as listening to, and learning from the experiences of people she meets.