Female entrepreneurship is vital for our future. Many female entrepreneurs have made sizeable impacts, transforming the fields of healthcare, branding, social services, etc. Maharashtra notably has the highest number of female entrepreneurs in India, and one of the most prolific among them being Renuka Kad- a social entrepreneur, advocate, researcher, trainer, counselor, and Writer. Renuka Kad has been tirelessly working and contributing for the past 2 decades towards women’s empowerment and upliftment, as part of various organizations in Maharashtra. She is currently associated with two organizations in Mumbai- Vikas Adhyayan Kendra and Community Development Trust. She is the Regional Head for Western India in Vikas Adhyayan Kendra which deals with human rights research, training, and advocacy she works for the Community Development Trust for rural health to raise awareness of menstrual hygiene among girls and women.
Her Background:
Renuka Kad has always had a zest for learning. She completed her schooling at Municipal Corporation School. After completing her diploma in human rights, she not only pursued a PG Diploma in Human Rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights, Delhi in 2005 while working in the city but also got a Masters in Social Work from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. With her keen to learn, grow and give back spirit, Renuka has dedicated her life to raising awareness for women’s rights.
Her work and contributions:
Renuka worked as a Centre Coordinator in the Childline Project of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development till 2006. But her work as a Counsellor for a Women’s Cell across Aurangabad enabled her to help victims of domestic violence. Renuka also hopes to draw light to the issue of rights and safety of single women parents like widows, unmarried and deserted women. She adds that despite these women accounting for 31% of the total population, legal rights are not given to them, and this vital issue is neglected.
Reflecting back on her childhood she says, “I have seen my mother’s struggle of being a single parent since childhood. This has motivated me to work against this severe injustice in society and the courage to deal with threats, abuses, violence, and other such experiences.” Being the State Coordinator of the Drafting Committee of Single Women Policy, Renuka got the chance to tackle this crucial issue. Through her hard work and commitment, also she could submit the first draft of the Single Women Policy on 7th Jan 2020 to the State Government of Maharashtra. Because her work has made a sizeable difference in 22 districts of Maharashtra. And has been massively appreciated.
Besides Renuka’s aforementioned roles, and her work with two organizations in Mumbai – Vikas Adhyayan Kendra and Community Development Trust, she also works directly in the field of Cyber Crime against women and children, LGBTQI+ rights of transgender women. It is due to her intervention and advocacy with the Government of Maharashtra that on 9th June 2020 the Government of Maharashtra formed the first “Transgender Welfare Board“. Her involvement with the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation for the employment of the transgender community under the smart city project is a step further in this direction.
Other contributions and memberships:
Renuka is a truly selfless and dynamic induvial with an incomparable commitment to social reform. In addition to her previously mentioned work, she is also actively involved with the Fisherfolk Community in Maharashtra, helping them secure their rights of livelihood. It is her initiative that led to the formation of the Devgard Macchmari Mahila Sanghatan, i.e., the forum created by the Sindhudurg fisher women for their rights.
In 2016 she was invited to present a research paper at the BRICS Summit in Goa regarding the Right to Food- Public Food distribution. And has been channeling her efforts in this field since then. She persistently continued these efforts of creating access to food to the deprived during the lockdown by distributing food kits and ready-to-cook food for marginal community members, transgender, and sex worker women across Maharashtra with the support of donors and friends. At present, she is the representative and Member of FIAN – Food First Information and also Action Research, a network that works across 67 countries. She is also a member of the Asia Pacific Research Network and Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders.
Writing
Renuka has traveled extensively to work for the deprived community. Through her writing, she conveys the various issues that she has encountered during her immense experience and raise awareness for them. She is a well-known issue-based writer. But her recent book “Lockdown Dairy” which focuses on the impact of the lockdown on many sectors is quite popular. She authored many more books and also articles in print and electronic media.
Awards and Recognition
Many awards have been conferred on Renuka for her immense commitment to social work. Some of these awards include:
- LokmatSakhiSanman 2018 for her contribution towards women and child development work (Lokmat Group).
- Sakal Award for her contribution to the social work field (Sakal Group).
- Nationalist Congress Party 2018 award for her contribution towards women and child development work
- MGM Saksham Sanman 2019 for her contribution towards women and child development work.
- Manushyabal Vikas Lokseva Academy’s State Level Award Nariratn Gaurav Puraskar 2020
- Perfect Achiever Award October 2020
- Corona Warrior Award Nov 2020 from Forever Star India Award
- The Real Super Woman Award in Nov 2020 from Forever Star India Award
- Saraswati Bai Dadasaheb Phalke Women for Women Achiever Award Dec 2020
- Commonwealth University of Tonga’s Asia Pacific Excellence Award 2020
- IAWA Corona YodhaSanman Jan 2021
- Her ka Hunar Award March 2021
- Rajmata JijauPurskar by Avishkar Foundation 2021
- Women Dedication Award by JCD Vidyapeeth Sirsa, Haryana 2021
- Rajasthan Media’s Remarkable Women Award 2021
- Nirvan Foundation’s International ICON Award 2021
- National Human Right Organizations Indian ICON Award 2021
- KTK Foundation Bharat Ratna Award 2021
- Foxcules Research & Marketing Pvt Ltd., Daily hunt, and The Chronicle’s India
- Prime Award 2021 for Cyber World and Children Security.
- Billeninum Divas Award in 2021
Her Message to aspirants
According to her, no one can stop you from achieving your goal if you have a strong desire to pursue it. She adds “In life, everything we think actually matters. If we are seeking success, we need to have successful, inspiring, and motivating thoughts in our minds“. Quoting Walt Disney “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,” she says that she lives her life by this statement. As long as we strive hard to attain our goals, we shall achieve success.
Very nice