International Women’s Day Celebration 2026

As part of the International Women’s Day celebration, a half-day interactive session on Digital Marketing, was conducted for underprivileged women associated with NEEV at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar. The purpose of the session was to introduce participants to simple digital tools and platforms, such as social media, that could help them showcase their skills, present their products, and connect with potential customers. Building on NEEV’s ongoing efforts in skill development and entrepreneurship support by conducting various sessions, PDEU IIC took the initiative to assist NEEV in strengthening participants’ entrepreneurial journeys by organising a session which combines their craft skills with basic digital awareness and marketing knowledge, while also providing practical insights through an interactive talk by designer and brand strategist Ms.Kavita Desai Shah.

NEEV has been actively working with women from nearby communities by supporting skill development and small entrepreneurial activities, including training in crafts such as sewing and other livelihood-based work. 

Keeping these ongoing efforts in mind, the session organised by PDEU IIC focused on introducing the underprivileged women to simple and practical digital tools that could help them present and promote their work more effectively.

During the session, Ms. Kavita Desai Shah assisted the participants by giving the introduction to the idea of using accessible platforms such as Instagram and other social media channels to showcase their products and connect with potential customers. Through discussions and demonstrations, they explored how creating a basic digital profile and sharing their work online could help them communicate with clients and gradually expand their customer base. In addition, the session also covered the basics of digital marketing and content creation, including simple photography and videography techniques to present products effectively, designing engaging posts using Canva, and using tools like ChatGPT to generate content ideas and captions. Participants were also guided to use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook more efficiently, along with using WhatsApp for communication, customer interaction, and outreach. The session emphasized practical steps and easy-to-understand examples so that participants could feel more comfortable using these tools in their own entrepreneurial journeys.

As part of the program, Ms. Kavita Desai Shah, a designer and brand strategist with nearly two decades of experience in digital branding and social media strategy, delivered a short interactive talk. She shared her experiences of helping brands and individuals build a meaningful presence online and spoke about how thoughtful presentation and storytelling can make products more visible and appealing to customers. Her insights provided participants with useful ideas on how their own skills and creations could be showcased in the digital space.

Overall, the session maintained an open and engaging environment where women were encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts, followed by an inspiration segment and an open Q&A. By introducing basic digital marketing concepts in a simple and relatable way, the program supported NEEV’s broader vision of strengthening entrepreneurial confidence and encouraging sustainable livelihood opportunities for women from the surrounding communities.

The Digital Marketing session completed successfully with active participation from the women associated with NEEV-IIT. The session helped participants gain a basic understanding of how simple digital tools and platforms such as social media can be used to showcase their work, connect with potential clients, and gradually expand their customer base. The interaction with Ms. Kavita Desai Shah was very valuable to the participants, especially her insights into building an online presence and presenting products effectively in the digital space. Overall, the session by PDEU IIC was a valuable experience, helping women feel more confident with digital tools and take small but meaningful steps toward building sustainable livelihoods.

 Participants: 30+