This International Women’s Day, we want to appreciate and celebrate our #WomenAtPrerana. In this interview, Aruna Katkar, our Project Manager of the Night Care Center Program shares about her leadership journey, what makes her passionate towards social work and her thoughts on supporting her female peers.

What is your personal story? How did you reach the leadership position that you have?

My first stint with social work was as a volunteer in a youth group in Jogeshwari, where I lived earlier. This group was managed by an NGO called Yuva based out of Mumbai. It gave me the opportunity to work for community development through activities like street plays, awareness sessions, etc. I really enjoyed volunteering there and it sparked in me an interest towards social work. I went on to do my Diploma in Social Work from Maharashtra Vidyapeeth. It was a one-year program and I learnt a lot because of this education. I learnt about the theoretical and ethical aspects of social work which continue to guide me even today. I was then hired by a Child rights-based organization after I completed my field work with them. It was through this organization that I conducted a visit to the Prerana Night Care Center in Kamathipura one evening with a colleague. This was the first time that I was exposed to the community and their challenges. I was left with only one thought – that Prerana does challenging work and I can contribute to it. So, I called up the Prerana office and enquired about the vacancies. Eventually, I joined in as the Outreach Coordinator in 2004 for the Educational Support Program (ESP) in the FR Center. After 3 months of joining Prerana, a need arose in the Kamathipura NCC and I was shifted there immediately. I was enjoying my work and was focusing on learning and contributing to the organization. In 2008, I decided to pursue my Master’s in Social Work and this decision helped me learn more about a subject I cared deeply for. In due course of time, I became the Project Coordinator for the Falkland Road Center and eventually became the Project Manager 4 years ago.

This entire journey helped me reach where I am today. When I joined Prerana, I was shy and hesitant but my biggest strength was my determination to learn and grow. I learnt from my teammates and supervisors. Our monthly staff meetings at Prerana were like staff training sessions for me. I have always learnt a lot from these meetings and I continue to do so even today. I think it is fair to say that I reached where I am today with the help of my team.

You have worked with Prerana for 17 years. What have been your personal achievements within the organization?

I have changed tremendously since I first joined the organization. The most important change in me is that I have recognised how to turn my weaknesses into my strengths. When I joined Prerana, I would always talk less, stay calm and listen more. At that time, I thought this was a weakness that I need to change but I now realise that it can prove to be a very big strength in the kind of work I do. In case of any emergency, I am able to patiently take my time and solve the problem instead of getting agitated. When I look at myself as a Project Manager, I feel proud of who I have become. If someone asks me to share more about our program and its objectives, I can do so without hesitation, But, 17 years back, I don’t think I could have done this. Today, I can interact with all kinds of stakeholders including government officials and senior authority figures. I am happy that I feel confident to take charge of any challenge that comes my way.

Another important personal achievement for me has been to be able to draw boundaries professionally. I used to struggle with this earlier but I now understand the importance of professional boundaries as a team leader.

Lastly, I also consider the wellbeing of our children as an achievement for me. When I see a child putting on weight after getting access to nutritious food at our Centers, I feel proud.

What has been the most challenging experience for you while doing your work?

Our Night Care Center (NCC) in Falkland Road was in the 1^st Lane in Khetwadi but over a period of time, we faced a lot of challenges with the location. Initially we got a place in the local municipal school premises and the NCC was functioning well from there. But then, we received a notice from BMC to move out of the space at the earliest. It is crucial that the NCC
is close to the red light area so that women can come and drop/pick up their children. If it is too far away, the pimps and brothel keepers will not allow the women to go. Since the inception of the NCC in Falkland road, we worked towards the enrollment of children in the school, ensured that they continued their education and worked with the school teachers as well. The government school in that area mostly comprised of children from our centers. So, when we were asked to vacate the current premises we spoke to the school and the BMC authorities to make sure that the location of our center was within the community. This entire period of negotiations and conversations was very challenging for me. I used to go to the Ward office and the BMC Office and speak to them about why our center was so important for the children. It was critical for me to communicate that the center was ensuring their right to development, participation and protection. We also had to educate the officials about the safety concerns of children living in the brothels so that they were aware about the importance of our Centers.  

Eventually we got the 3^rd floor in the same government school that we were speaking with. This was a good space for the children since there was security and it was within the community area too. This was a huge victory for me.

Another challenging experience was when we rescued a one-year-old girl whose mother had left her with the brothel keeper. The brothel keeper had kept her as a pawn and this was brought to our attention by one of our children from the Night Care Centers. We went to the police station immediately and gave them all the relevant information. We also explained to them the importance of rescuing the child without any delay. The girl was then admitted into a Children’s Home. When I look back at this rescue, I realize that this incident was a turning point in my career in social work. It helped me build faith in what I was doing.

What is the best way that women can support other women to grow?

Personally, I think women can help each other by sharing knowledge. I remember that my colleagues and seniors pushed me to do my Master’s in Social Work while I was working at Prerana. That is what drove me to enroll for the course in the first place. Eventually I did the same thing for my colleagues. One of my colleagues has not only completed a degree in social work but has also gone ahead and done a course on Child Protection. I feel contented when I see women around me do well. All of us in the team think about each other and want everyone to grow. I remember when I was pushing my colleague to do her degree, I promised her that I would help her make her notes and I kept my promise. We used to work for 8 hours and then discuss about our studies for an hour on workdays.

On International Women’s Day, we want to ask you what you think is one of the most important steps to take for the goal of gender equality?

In today’s world, everyone knows that gender equality is important but nonetheless the rate at which we are making progress to achieve this goal continues to be slow. It is taking a long time to see small changes in the world. Maybe the impact of our efforts is slow because of our culture and our traditions. Maybe this is what slows us down.

I think family’s support is crucial for a woman to be able to do well. She might be facing a lot of challenges in the outside world but if she is supported by her family, it will definitely help her to face these challenges in a better way. I know this because my family was always very supportive and it helped me focus. I remember when I was about to get married, I told my partner the details of my job in the red-light areas and added that we can only go ahead if he is comfortable with that. He agreed.

Sometimes our own family and friends might pull us back. We might take 5 steps ahead but they might push us back 4 steps. The truth is that this battle is like stretching a rubber band. Every time you stop stretching it, it feels like it is going back to its original shape. But after a few times, you’ll see that it is already a lot more stretched than what it was initially!

How did COVID-19 affect your work and were there any challenges that you faced because you were a woman working during the pandemic?

With respect to our Night Care Centers, it was definitely challenging to close the Center because so many children depended on it as a safe place. But the mothers had wanted to take the children back to their homes in the beginning because they thought it was going to be a matter of a few weeks. But, when they saw that it was longer than what they anticipated, they started worrying about their children and requested us to re-open the centers again. We discussed about the protocols and planned to reopen keeping the safety of our children in mind. There was a protocol for every single activity, every medical engagement and for every part of the day. This helped us stay safe and we knew exactly what needed to be done. As a team, we were constantly in touch during the lockdown. There was not a single day where we did not speak to each other.

At a personal level, it was definitely a challenging time. I was pregnant and working. It was difficult to work in the house because everyone was at home and there was not enough space for me be able to work peacefully. Nonetheless, I managed to attend meetings and fix a time for my work. My team cooperated with me in terms of setting the time for the meeting during the lockdown and that really helped me balance my life better.