In the quiet, rural heart of Beed district, Maharashtra, where silence and tradition often dictate women’s lives, Anita Kamble has defied expectations and transformed her own fate. In a society where girls’ childhoods end early and the weight of widowhood is heavy, Anita chose a different path, one shaped by resilience, education, and the desire to uplift others.
Married off at just 13 and still in Class 7, Anita faced early adulthood challenges as a child bride. But tragedy struck at 26 when her husband died in a road accident, leaving her with two young children and an uncertain future. Yet, she refused to succumb to despair. Taking up various jobs, from tutoring to daily wage labor, Anita worked tirelessly to provide for her family. Despite the hardships, she continued her education and earned a master’s degree in social work.
A Call to Uplift Marginalized Women
Anita‘s journey led her to Yuvagram, a local education center, where she saw how many other women were struggling with similar hardships. As a widow, she found strength in their shared experiences of loss and resilience. “I felt I was not alone. There were so many women going through this pain, in need of help and support,” Anita recalls.
In 2015, Anita founded Ankur, an organization dedicated to supporting widowed and single women in Maharashtra. Running the non-profit on a shoestring budget, relying on small donations — sometimes just a fistful of grains or a few rupees — she was determined to make a difference. Yet, she realized that expanding her work required more support and resources.
A Lifeline: Parity Lab’s Partnership
That support came when Anita connected with Parity Lab, a Hyderabad-based non-profit focused on healing gender-based trauma and empowering survivors. Through a year-long fellowship, Anita gained invaluable skills in leadership, trauma recovery, and mental health. She learned to harness social media, enabling Ankur to expand its reach and impact.
“I learned video production, emotional regulation, and how to support others in their grief without being overwhelmed,” Anita explains. With the tools she gained, Ankur grew from serving just a few women to empowering 300 women across 15 villages in the Beed district. The partnership with Parity Lab helped her transition from a small, local initiative to a digital powerhouse.
Parity Lab: Empowering Survivors to Lead
Founded in 2021 by Mathangi Swaminathan, Parity Lab emerged with a mission to heal trauma and empower women. The non-profit offers various fellowship programs, including the Grameen Jyothi Fellowship, which focuses on empowering rural Indian women. The fellowship combines storytelling, group discussions, and role-play exercises to foster resilience and leadership. Participants, like Anita, learn how to heal from trauma and lead in their communities.
Mathangi, whose personal experiences of gender-based abuse shaped her work, believes in the transformative power of sharing personal stories. “Through laughter, music, and hard-earned tears, the women of Parity Lab build each other up,” she explains. Parity Lab’s approach is holistic, focusing not only on healing but also on developing leadership skills to drive social change.
From Survival to Leadership
Anita’s story is just one of many that illustrate Parity Lab’s success in transforming survivors into leaders. Women like Ranjita Pawar, a former member of a marginalized nomadic tribe, became a national award-winning leader against child marriage, while Pushpa from rural Uttar Pradesh now leads a thriving team of change-makers.
Since its inception, Parity Lab has empowered over 100 leaders, positively impacting more than 70,000 individuals through its trauma-informed approach. Mathangi’s work shows that when women come together, share their stories, and heal collectively, they can create a network of strength, resilience, and leadership.
A New Story for the Future
Today, Anita’s journey continues to inspire. Ankur is no longer a small, isolated initiative — it is a testament to what can be achieved when women support each other and work together for change. Through Parity Lab, Anita and countless other women are rewriting the narrative of their lives. They are transforming from survivors of trauma into leaders who are shaping the future of their communities.
With the support of Parity Lab, Anita and the women she empowers are living proof that healing is possible, and that one story of hope can spark many more.