Alumni Gather in New Delhi
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, GEST alumni from India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal gathered at the Icelandic Embassy in New Delhi for an engaging alumni network event. This meeting reinforced the GRÓ GEST programme’s commitment to fostering a vibrant alumni community through ongoing initiatives that support connections and collaboration among former students. Alumni activities provide essential opportunities to connect, collaborate, share experiences, and find encouragement as former fellows continue their work on gender equality and social justice.
The event began with a welcome address by the Icelandic Ambassador to India, Benedikt Höskuldsson. The Ambassador emphasized the critical importance of integrating gender equality perspectives into responses to today’s most pressing challenge—climate change. His words underscored the interconnectedness of gender justice and environmental resilience, setting a meaningful tone for the discussions that followed.
In total, 17 alumni attended the meeting. Of these, 13 were present in person, traveling from India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal and representing sectors such as government, international and local NGOs, and academia. Among them was Chinenye Anekwe, a 2018 GEST alumna from Nigeria and fully funded GRÓ alumni staff member at the UNESCO India office. Additionally, four alumni joined the event virtually: three from South Asia and Kunzes Dolma, a former GRÓ Geothermal Programme fellow from the Himalayas dedicated to advancing gender equality in her community. The event was chaired by Dr. Irma Erlingsdóttir, Director of GRÓ GEST and Professor at the University of Iceland, and Dr. Giti Chandra, Lecturer and Senior Researcher at GRÓ GEST.
The gathering provided a dynamic platform for alumni to reconnect, foster new connections across cohorts, and share the challenges, insights, and professional impact of their GRO GEST experiences. Six alumni presented on their current projects and achievements: Nirmala Mahajan, Sandani Abeyawardana, Radhika Modi, Aditi Rindani, Hameeda Syed, and Chinenye Anekwe. Nirmala spoke passionately about the importance of documenting women’s stories to foster solidarity, while Sandani discussed her work with the UNDP on addressing sexism embedded in laws, inviting future collaboration on this issue.
Sandani Abeyawardana, Sri Lanka
Radhika’s campaign to bring “period positivity” into workplaces sparked an animated discussion about menstrual health as a crucial aspect of gender inclusivity. Aditi and Hameeda both shared powerful contributions from their respective media projects; Aditi's podcast, Worth Asking, explores women in politics, while Hameeda’s work focuses on cyber safety and promoting empathy in digital spaces. Chinenye highlighted her MENtality project, which aims to engage men in gender-based violence prevention—a unique and impactful angle in the field of masculinity studies.These presentations showcased the diverse ways in which alumni are advancing GEST’s core mission, applying the skills they honed in the programme to drive social change.
The discussions that followed were filled with energy and enthusiasm, leading to new ideas, partnerships, and future collaborations. After the presentations, alumni posted notes about their future projects, sparking further discussions and connections that will help strengthen their initiatives. During the final session, Dr. Erlingsdóttir introduced the GRO GEST alumni strategy, and the group collaborated to set priorities for the South Asian alumni network. Plans included establishing a WhatsApp group and brainstorming initiatives like organizing side events at international conferences and creating thematic groups within the global alumni network for regular exchanges of experiences.
The alumni meeting in New Delhi reinforced the GRÓ GEST mission of creating lasting connections and fostering professional and social change through collaboration and shared purpose.