Enabling an Equitable Future for Women through Education
Our Belief
If we equip women with the required mindsets, knowledge, skills, and support, they will empower themselves and find solutions for their own personal and financial wellbeing.
Our Vision
To mainstream a learning model where every woman can access holistic education. By 2030, we aim to positively impact 50,000 women.
“Education is freedom" - Paulo Freire
Women in India
Women in India face significant health, economic, and digital disparities. Anaemia affects a majority (57%) of women, while urban areas show a dual burden of malnutrition, with 44% of women obese and 11% underweight. Although over half of women own mobile phones, very few use them for financial transactions, reflecting a 24-percentage-point gap with men in using technology for economic activities. Women also shoulder a disproportionate burden of unpaid work, spending 7 hours a day compared to men’s 2.7 hours.
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Economically, women’s work is largely informal and home-based, especially in rural areas where 73.5% of women work in own-account or home enterprises, versus 42.3% in urban areas. Nearly half (44.6%) of young women are disengaged from economic activity altogether. Structural barriers are evident in skills training too: women’s participation in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) is extremely low, with only 6.6% female enrolment, 15.83% female instructors, and women-only ITIs making up just 16.83% of the total—highlighting persistent gender gaps in workforce preparation.
Our Model
Our Approach
Learning Centres, Online Learning Platform and On-site Skilling Centres with programs tailored specifically for women with limited literacy.
Women Aware
Building awareness among women on personal wellbeing, setting goals, rights and support systems.
Women Start
Entrepreneurship Training with incubation support
Women Grow
Programs for women that will enable them to lead more meaningful lives and be more effective at whatever roles they choose to play.
Women Lead
Leadership Training for women wanting to step into or move ahead in the workforce.
Women Work
Technical Training with placement assistance and career guidance.
Among women from low-income households, 85 % have not completed college & more than
50 % have not completed grade 10. Our focus is on them.
Our Work
Exposure visit for aspiring entrepreneurs
Business planning at the Women's Learning Centre in Hyderabad
An entrepreneur with her pilot batch of products.
Certification ceremony in an agriculture college
Training to be a beautician in Vizag
Career orientation workshop in a graduate college
A group discussion in progress
Learning to maintain accounts
Our Partners
About Us
Having worked together in the development space as a team for the last many years, we decided to start up an initiative to deepen our work in education for the under-served communities. And as we do that - we hope to build an organisation that reflects the values that we three share - Joy, Excellence and Generosity. Ikka Learning is a platform for this endeavour.
Sruthi Kunnel
Founder & CEO
Sruthi is a development professional with 19 years of experience - 12 of these years in the education, skilling, and livelihood space.
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An MBA graduate from Hyderabad Central University, she then obtained a Masters in Journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia.
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She worked for Indian School Of Business (ISB) and DuPont in Hyderabad, before becoming a Teach for India fellow, where she gained grassroots experience in the education sector.
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During her eight year stint at Access Livelihoods, she was instrumental in designing, developing and implementing a 2-year Social Entrepreneurship Programme - “Transforming India Initiative” (in partnership with TISS & IRMA) and a mini-MBA programme for rural women (in partnership with UNDP & GIZ). Her last held role at Access Livelihoods was as the CEO of the learning foundation.
Kishore Vodapally
Co-Founder
Kishore is a development professional with 16 years experience in youth mobilization, skilling and livelihood space.
An MCA Graduate from Osmania University, he was certified by NIMSME, Hyderabad as a professional trainer in Entrepreneurship.
He has worked for organizations like Cooperative Development Foundation and Access Livelihoods and led Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship initiatives for unemployed youth and marginalized women.
During his seven-year stint at Access Livelihoods, he led Agri Retail Management Programme (in partnership with Coromandel International Limited) and Agri Entrepreneurship Programme (in partnership with MANAGE). His last held role at Access Livelihoods was as the head of short term skilling initiatives under the learning foundation.
Aditya Bandari
Co-Founder
Aditya is a development professional with 6+ years of experience in education, skilling and livelihood space.
A BBA Graduate from Osmania University, Hyderabad, he then obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Facilitating Governance Reforms from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
He was a Teach For India fellow where he taught 6th graders and 3rd graders - 1 year each in an urban and rural setting. After this, he was the school leader of a rural school in Telangana for 2 years.
During his 2+ year stint at Access Livelihoods, he was responsible for managing a 2-year Social Entrepreneurship Programme - “Transforming India Initiative” (in partnership with TISS & IRMA), which involved mentoring graduate youth in going through 6 months of class room training and in setting up new initiatives in 18 months for a partner social enterprise as a part of their practicum.
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Compliances
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