From starting off as a mere idea during a casual conversation over coffee in Germany to actually building a team and creating substantial measurable on-ground impact in India, the last 3 years at Badlaav have been quite special. On this momentous occasion, we thought we’d take some time to look back at all the experiences and learnings we’ve gathered along the way. Needless to say, this ‘badlaav’ couldn’t have been possible without all the folx who were involved in transforming this idea into a reality, so let’s hear what our former and current team members have to say about being part of Badlaav:
Monisa Shaikh (ex-Intern)
- What brought you to Badlaav and what was your role?
Instagram led me to Badlaav. I was searching for volunteer opportunities and through a friend discovered Badlaav. I have been fortunate enough to have diverse roles starting for a Volunteer to being an intern and also a part of the core team. - What is your key learning/takeaway when working at Badlaav?
Love, Joy, Acceptance and Passion. Everyone at Badlaav is passionate for the better. I love that. I’ve always felt safe and joyous at every event and activity I’ve been a part of and to see fruits of the labour and embrace it with so much positivity is the best part. - How has working here shaped you?
I’ve definitely become a better person. Have become more kind and accepting towards people and myself. Adopted sustainable menstruation practices and I am not afraid to be free anymore.
Neha (ex-Graphic Designing Intern)
- What brought you to Badlaav and what was your role?
I was looking for an internship and it was my first internship ever. I needed to know how working as a graphic designer could be.
- What is your key learning/takeaway when working at Badlaav?
To always expect the best treatment from your coworkers and to have the best time in team meetings. The team meetings till date is one of the best team meetings I’ve experienced in life. And the way everyone cares for each other, we were a big family. - How has working here shaped you?
Shaped me into a better designer, and also a better individual. I started thinking about menstrual cups and using them when I started working with team Badlaav.
Tanvi Hegade (Intern – Content Writer)
- What brought you to Badlaav and what is your role?
I learned about Badlaav’s work at a plogging event where Radhika had joined us and had spoken briefly about ongoing projects at Badlaav. I subsequently followed their work on social media for about a year, and when they put out a call for interns, I applied for the content writing internship. It’s been about 5 months since, and I’ve been able to contribute to creating content in the form of blogs, social media captions and content and module curricula, while also occasionally stepping in to co-facilitate sessions such as Period pe Charcha, menstrual education sessions for women at labour camps, etc.
- What is your key learning/takeaway when working at Badlaav?
Working at Badlaav has been an experience of rich learning, since I’ve not only got the opportunity to work with a fantastic team that is determined to create change at the grassroot level, but also to expand my own capabilities in the process because there’s so many different ways to contribute to this collective effort, and this exploration is made possible by Radhika and Rosalie’s confidence and encouragement in me. I also appreciate the team effort very much, where everyone is provided the space to offer their perspectives.
- How has working here shaped you?
Thanks to the constructive feedback and supervision by Rosalie, I have gained confidence in my writing. It has helped me understand how social and environmental justice go hand in hand, and learning about the nitty-gritties of what enables this justice and the factors that come in the way. Being part of the Badlaav team is providing me with a direction I’ve been looking for.
Anusha Kapoor (Project Assistant)
- What brought you to Badlaav and what is your role?
I was an undergraduate student when I joined Badlaav as a content writing intern in 2020. I was looking for a way to express myself and the ideas I feel passionately about through the written word. Almost three years later, after having graduated and started a job, I look forward to the time I spend with Team Badlaav, as I continue to contribute to the organization remotely, with whatever I can.
- Key learnings/takeaways when working at Badlaav:
The fact that Badlaav was my first internship makes me incredibly grateful because Radhika and Rosalie have been amazing mentors to me and have since grown to be some of my closest friends. Moreover, our learning curve as an organization has been steep, with us constantly seeking new ways to reach more people and make an impact. This has helped me embody the idea that it is okay to be a beginner at something and that I should be willing to try something new, even if it means failing at it.
Vaishnavi Adhav (Project Assistant – Operations)
- What brought you to Badlaav and what is your role?
As a public health expert I always wanted to work in the core public health domain and Badlaav is doing interesting work in reproductive and sexual health as well as environmental issues which are directly or indirectly related to public health. I am working as a Project Assistant.
- What is your key learning/takeaway when working at Badlaav?
- Always go for the root cause to solve the issues rather than solving them through superficial incidences.
- Public health issues are always a mix of environmental and social issues.
- How has working here shaped you?
Although being a public health expert I was never so worried about environmental issues which can be a great cause of some of the public health issues. Working with Badlaav has made me think about the importance of saving the environment because both public health and environmental issues go hand in hand.
Radhika Dhingra (Co-founder/Director)
- The origin story:
It all started with a very casual coffee conversation during our Uni days in Germany. Hailing from the developing world both, Rosalie and I found Germany to be too perfect and always kept talking about the challenges back home in comparison to the one of the most developed countries that we were now living in. I always wanted to come back and work in India, things worked out in such a way that I decided to do my thesis in Pune and while I was doing my research and looking for job opportunities, I realised that I couldn’t find an organisation that was working with a holistic approach. Being environmental science graduates, Rosalie and I always had conversations around the importance for the governments to act now while also understanding that for countries like ours, we cannot just focus on environmental issues when there are underlying social issues. For instance, we did not want to advocate for a vegan diet when food security was a huge challenge.
I knew I wanted to start my own organisation at some point but it happened earlier than I thought due to our eagerness to create a meaningful impact. We jumped into this without any expertise or experience. The young blood wanted to prove something and we took on all the challenges that came our way. I think our intentions and honesty is what made others believe in us and we soon had a team supporting us when we had zero funds. 😀
These 3 years have been all about figuring things out, from the technicalities of how to structure a project, to collaborations, to writing a proposal, and building a team.
- What has been like to build a team that supports you in your collective vision?
It truly feels like a blessing. Through Badlaav, I met some amazing people who are now some of my closest friends, and even mentors…
- On-ground experiences:
Despite being on-field for 3 years, every time I interact with the communities and people, I learn something new. It could be about different cultures or practices or even different challenges that each individual or community at large face. School sessions are always fun with young girls being hesitant at first to being inquisitive and sharing their period journeys by the end of the sessions.
- Challenges
Apart from funding which we hope gets better with us turning 3 as the rules now allow us to target CSR fundings, the other challenge for me is to explain the work at Badlaav, since we choose to work within the intersection of social and environmental issues. External stakeholders expect us to focus on one thing, and it’s difficult for me to explain why we cannot do that. We have received all the advice and suggestions on how we can work.
Rosalie Shrestha (Co-founder/Asst. Director)
- The origin story:
Badlaav began, as we always like to say, from a series of conversations that Radhika and I shared during our University days. We knew we wanted to do something that brings a change in the society in South Asia. Growing up in a middle class family in Nepal, I was too familiar with the different taboos, hardships, and rampant misinformation. I am grateful to have met with Radhika, with whom I shared a lot of the same ideas and ideals. When Radhika decided to move back home after her Masters, we looked at how we could direct this energy and passion we had, towards something that actually makes a difference. That is how Badlaav was born. We have always kept both Environmental and Social issues at the heart of Badlaav, even at the disapproval of people who saw it as too broad and non-specific. We were all too aware that we can never achieve environmental sustainability without addressing social instability. The last three years have only strengthened our beliefs.
- Glimpses into Years 1, 2 and 3:
Year 1: We were just starting out at the end of 2019. With Project Zero Waste, we were working regularly at Azam Campus. We also welcomed some great people to the team, who joined in out of their own motivation. These people are still in loop with Badlaav after these years and support our work. COVID-19 hit, and in 2020 we had to completely shift our perspective. We gave birth to a whole new project, Project SAKSHAM. The biggest win in year 1, in my opinion, is our first fundraiser which was beyond successful.
Year 2: For the first anniversary, we revamped our logo to the one that we have now, one that symbolises our commitment to environmental and social justice perfectly. 2021 was a year of some strong collaborations such as Good Walk with Good Universe. We also strengthened our organizational structure this year. With COVID-19’s grip loosening, we could also focus more on our on-ground efforts and actually be on the field when working with communities.
Year 3: 2022 I would say has been the best so far. We have grown a lot, and the growth is evident even to us. The collaborations we built in the past years stayed strong and we made a lot more impact. Badlaav Green Solutions – a waste management solution providing initiative was created out of our first ever project – Project Zero Waste. Badlaav visited rural communities and also secured funding from an Australian Impact Charity – I Am Woman Rural India Project. We have a strong team of women, who are competent and motivated and don’t shy away from a challenge. We also finally kickstarted the Community Mobilisation Model, which has been in the works since the end of 2020.
- What has it been like to build a team that supports you in your collective vision?
Exhilarating, blessful, and humbling. I feel grateful to have a team with whom I share similar values. Badlaav has introduced me to a bunch of wonderful people who are amazing at what they do, while also remaining absolutely down to earth.
- On-ground experiences:
Unfortunately, I have been working remotely for all the three years of Badlaav’s operation. It has, however, opened me to a whole new dimension of all that is possible to do while living in a different continent.
- Challenges
The biggest challenge has always been funding. The majority of the Team at Badlaav works on a voluntary basis, which means they can only give partial focus to Badlaav since they are engaged somewhere else for earning a living. While the latter is not a huge issue, we realize that it needs to be more sustainable. Even with that, the impact we have created has been absolutely amazing. Now to imagine how much better it could be, if the focus of our amazing team didn’t need to be diverted. Now that we have finally completed 3 years of operation, we are expanding towards the CSR fundings available for NGOs.
Milestones:
- We completed 3 years and we are now officially eligible for CSR funding (We got the certificate)
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- Our community models in Mangalwar Peth and Janta Vasahat are up and running! Thanks to our respective community mobilisers Anuradha didi and Ashwini didi, we managed to reach out to nearly 300 people in November alone.
Our birth month got off to a busy start with back to back sessions at schools in Pune, corporate engagement activities, mobilising a new community and reaching out to corporates to join us as funding partners. At the turn of the year, one of our aims is to reach out to communities we hadn’t got the chance to interact with yet and to bring to them knowledge that isn’t readily accessible in an attempt to tackle the key issues of period poverty and waste management. Moreover, connecting with boys and men in communities and conducting sessions to address themes such as puberty, menstruation and the male and female reproductive system is in the offing as well.
On this humbling yet proud occasion of our 3rd anniversary, Badlaav extends its gratitude to all those who have made this effort fruitful and have helped us reach out to more and more individuals and communities, thus paving the way for them to lead more empowered lives.
As we pursue our plans in our 4th year, we’d love for you to join us! So write to us if you’re interested in contributing to this effort.