New Delhi, Mar 17th: Marking International Women’s Day under this year’s theme #GiveToGain, PVR NEST and CREA came together to bring attention to safety, sanitation and dignity through cinema and dialogue reinforcing the belief that when we invest in women’s rights, communities gain strength.
For over two decades, PVR NEST has worked as a committed city partner addressing safety, protection and risk among migrant women and girls across 35 urban slum communities, impacting over one million lives. Through safe sanitation centres such as Garima Grih and Pink Cnetres, PVR NEST focuses on building spaces that restore dignity and reduce vulnerability.
CREA, an international feminist human rights organisation based in the Global South, brings over 25 years of experience advancing gender equality and reproductive freedoms.
The International Women’s Month celebration and gathering brought together over 100 development professionals, educators, students and grassroots leaders for reflection and dialogue. At the centre of the programme was a screening of the award-winning Hindi film Guthlee Laddoo. The film has received notable recognition for its socially impactful storytelling.
The panel discussion that followed brought powerful real-world perspectives. Ms Shaheen Qamar from Plan India spoke about the need for gender-transformative ecosystems that enable adolescent girls to move confidently into education and livelihoods. Ms Manisha Mashaal, an eminent lawyer, shared her lived experience of caste-based discrimination and reflected on her journey as a first-generation learner, breaking the barriers of gender inequality.
Ms Rajalakshmi Narayanan, WASH Lead, PVR NEST, highlighted how inclusive sanitation design, risk mapping and WASH Champions across PVR NEST centres reduce vulnerability for migrant women and girls. Ms Kavita, PVR NEST’s Wash Champion and Center Incharge, offered on-ground insights into how simple hygiene conversations often evolve into spaces of confidence-building for women in underserved communities.
Ms Deepa Menon, Founder-PVR NEST and Sr. Vice President-Corporate Communications, PVR INOX Limited, said, “Cinema opens our hearts to realities that data alone cannot capture. In PVR NEST’s work across 35 urban slum communities, we see every day that access to safe sanitation is directly linked to safety, education, protection, and economic participation for women and girls. International Women’s Day and its theme #GiveToGain is a reminder that when we invest in women’s dignity and protection, the entire city moves forward.”
Ms Anuradha Chatterji, Executive Director, CREA, said, “The spirit of #GiveToGain reminds us that when we centre dignity and rights in urban systems, everyone benefits. Sanitation is not merely a service, it is a question of power, safety and inclusion. If cities are designed keeping the realities of marginalized women and sanitation workers at the forefront, we do not just improve infrastructure; we strengthen democracy and justice at the local level. This program was organized under our Gender and WASH Program supported by Gates Foundation where we undertook an analysis of the sanitation sector to understand the barriers, bottlenecks and opportunities for gender inclusivity.”
The gathering reaffirmed a shared commitment by PVR NEST and CREA to advance dignity-centred, inclusive sanitation systems where infrastructure, empathy and community leadership come together to create lasting change.
