LeadHERship 2025 | Two-Day National Women NGO Conclave

8-9 October 2025 | Jamia Hamdard Convention, New Delhi

The Two-Day National Women NGO Conclave – LeadHERship 2025, held on 8–9 October 2025 at Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, jointly organized by The Women Education and Empowerment Trust (TWEET) and Jamia Hamdard, brought together women leaders, academicians, policymakers, and civil society representatives to reimagine women-led development and inclusive governance.

The inaugural session set a strong tone for collaboration and inclusivity. Speakers, including Ms. Prachi Kaul, Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam, Prof. (Dr.) Reshma Nasreen, and Ms. Rahmathunnissa A, underscored the critical role of NGOs in empowering women, bridging policy gaps, and ensuring access to opportunities.

Across multiple technical sessions, experts and practitioners explored the evolving landscape of women-led civil society organizations:

• Civil Society’s Role: Discussions led by Dr. Indu Prakash Singh, Prof. Arvinder Ansari, and Ms. Farah Sheroz emphasized innovation, collaboration, and sustainability in NGO work.
• Women Leadership in NGOs: Chaired by Prof. Neelam Sukhramani, this session highlighted empathy-driven leadership, challenges of representation, and the importance of creating more women leaders, with inspiring insights from Ms. Hena Parveen and Ms. Shaista Rafat.
• • Best Practices: Women-led organizations such as WINGS, Model Village Trust, SEWA, Society for Bright Future, and Girl Up India showcased transformative models in entrepreneurship, health, education, and youth leadership.
    • Adv. Faritha J, Vice President of the Women’s Initiative to Nurture Growth of Society (WINGS), Kerala, shared the organization’s multidimensional work in women’s entrepreneurship, legal awareness, and self-help group formation. Dr. Habeebul Rahiman V.M, General Secretary of the Model Village Trust (MVT), Delhi, spoke about their adoption of 43 villages across eight states and implementation of health, education, and livelihood programs for women. Ms. Kriti Agarwal, representing the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad, showcased SEWA’s nation-wide initiatives empowering informal women workers through livelihoods, social security, and leadership training. Adv. Huma Begum, Women’s Coordinator at the Society for Bright Future (SBF), Delhi, emphasized gender-sensitive disaster response and the role of women volunteers in emergency relief. Ms. Asya Sumair from Girl Up India, Delhi, presented youth-led efforts promoting gender justice, mental health awareness, and menstrual hygiene through campaigns like Project SURKH.
• Fundraising and Governance: Sessions chaired by Prof. Afshar Alam and Adv. Sarvar Raza addressed financial sustainability, compliance, and transparency. Speakers like Mr. Robin Thomas, Mr. Sajid M., CA Gulzar Karishma Malik, and Mr. Noufal P.K. highlighted CSR partnerships, branding, and governance as key enablers of trust and long-term impact.
• Reinventing Women-Led NGOs: Led by Ms. Rahmathunnissa A, the concluding technical session featured leaders like Ms. Abha Rani, Ms. Samina Bano, Adv. Sana Siddiqui, and Ms. Gargi Rawat, focusing on financial inclusion, education, constitutional rights, and media advocacy as tools for transformation.

The valedictory session, graced by Mr. T. Arif Ali (Chairman, Vision 2026) and Ms. Abha Rani (CMD, NMDFC), reaffirmed the importance of collaboration, networking, and staying aligned with government schemes to reach grassroots beneficiaries. Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam lauded the conclave’s success in creating an interdisciplinary platform for dialogue.

Concluding with Dr. Sharnas Muthu’s words — “LeadHERship 2025 is just a beginning” — the conclave marked a collective commitment to advancing gender equity, strengthening women-led NGOs, and fostering inclusive nation-building.

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