The world needs many Entrepreneurs who are essential drivers of innovation and progress. Today, the media only reports about startups that raise crores of rupees in funding every year but largely ignores people who work with a passion for the greater good to make a difference. Meet Kamal Nayak, a social entrepreneur and founder of Charity Cake and Good Universe. Hatke Story had the pleasure to interview Kamal, and his passion for his cause is nothing short of an inspiration.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
Kamal Nayak – I am basically from Orissa. I finished BSc in Animation from Bangalore, Karnataka, and Bachelor in Social Work from Osmania, and I am a Gold medalist. I came to Hyderabad to make a career in the field of filmmaking. I joined a company but quit after eight months when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do.
Many of my family members are in Govt. jobs, so given that I was a good student in school, they wanted me to follow the same legacy. However, my mind has always drifted towards the creative Universe since childhood. I loved to write. I wanted to do something creative, and engineering was not my forte. I used to travel all across Orissa to recite my poetry at poem stage programs.
How did you go from Digital Film making to Social work?
Kamal Nayak – After quitting my job, I worked for a year at an NGO to train people on the impact of chewing tobacco and alcoholism. I started to love what I was doing and decided to get better educated on social issues. I joined Osmania for a Bachelors’s program in Social Work in 2013. I traveled to around 25 NGOs and learned their organizational structure. My 2nd year in college was life-changing. I was placed at a slum in Hyderabad for one year to study their lifestyle.
I still remember, the first day I entered the slum, I saw a substantial stinking open drainage, right next to which a family of rag pickers was living. A small child was sitting on top of a rag and eating while the mother was cooking. They were living a very unhealthy life, totally unaware of the harmful effects of piles of trash and constant exposure to open sewage. I was disturbed and went back to college and spoke to my friends. We needed to do something about it and teach them basic hygiene like washing hands after going to the loo and before having food.
How difficult was it to reach out to these slum dwellers?
Kamal Nayak – Though we took the initiative, slum people, in general, will not accept your presence there. So, we slowly started making contact with them and developed a rapport with the community. While visiting their houses, I discovered that the women were reusing dirty clothes to deal with menstruation. But, talking about menstruation is taboo and very troublesome in India. Thus, we had to take a careful approach to educate women without making them uncomfortable.
What is Charity Cake?
Kamal Nayak – In 2016, we started an initiative called Charity Cake. After thorough analysis, I learned that children in the slums go to work instead of school because monetary benefit makes more sense to them. It brings food to the table every day for the entire family. They worked for the whole day and made around 150 rupees. So I had to do something to make them self-sufficient and skilled at the same time.
The Food industry was booming in Hyderabad back then. I invested some money and hired a good Baker to teach a batch of 9 underprivileged youngsters. I was paying them 200 rupees per day to attend the classes, so they attended without complaining. I assured them they would earn 500 or more if they put their skills to use. After a month, I noticed that they were making unique and tasty cakes.
So I slowly purchased a big oven, set up a place, and within no time, we were selling 25 delicious cakes per day. Thanks to my social contacts, we used to sell these cakes to cafeterias incorporate companies and renowned establishments in Hyderabad. As all the money earned was going to charity, we called it Charity Cake.
Tell us about the Good Universe.
Kamal Nayak – Good Universe is a society of social workers, professionals, health care specialists, and young, like-minded people. Registered under the AP society act, we started our journey in 2014 & have been working closely with local communities in and around Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
We believe that investing in health is essential to build viable communities. We also recognize that to improve health standards. Our initiatives must target both the care seekers and care providers. We empower women in informal and formal settlement communities by helping them to become a catalyst of change in their own right. We also collaborate with existing Public health systems and health care providers to create sustainable improvements in public.
My team and I started traveling across Andhra Pradesh to conduct menstrual hygiene, cervical cancer, and breast cancer awareness programs. We also started a program called “Green Talk” to help make communities sustainable and green. We also talk about domestic violence and help women in knowing their rights. Doctors are passionate, authentic, and don’t take a penny for the medical camps we conduct. They help a great deal in educating the slum people.
How tough was it to talk to women on taboo topics such as menstruation?
Kamal Nayak – Men ought to understand women in times of their menstrual cycle. You will develop nothing but respect for them once you come to know what they go through every month. We are slowly encouraging men to talk about women’s health. Did you know that sanitary pads take more than 500 years to decompose? With millions of women throwing them every day, it sure is an environmental burden. We researched and found that the municipality workers segregate this waste with their bare hands without wearing gloves.
Therefore, we encourage women to use menstrual cups, which are more environmentally friendly, instead of sanitary pads. Cups can be cleaned and reused. We first tested the cups within our team, and women found them comfortable. So, we started a green period campaign and distributed 1000 menstrual cups free of cost to educate women. We even have a dedicated helpline number to ensure every question is answered. We plan to create a massive community in Hyderabad where women can learn from each other. We have reached 11,990 adolescent women across Andhra and Telangana.
I must thank my Good universe family for their dedicated effort to make things happen and create positive societal change. Cheers to my team!
Can you share about your fellowship with United Nations?
Kamal Nayak – I applied for the United Nations Local Pathway fellowship. Forty people from all over the world are selected, and I was, fortunately, one of them. My sustainable goal through this fellowship is Goal 3, good health and wellbeing, Goal 5, Gender, and Goal 11, sustainable cities. My program will go for 12 months, and if they find my work on par with their expectation, they will fund future projects. I was also invited to the AYESS summit in Nigeria. I am a global shaper at World economic forum.
How has your journey transformed you as an individual?
Kamal Nayak – I was so conscious about my body, hair, branded apparel earlier. Now it’s so different. I consciously made some choices, and life is so much better now. I don’t claim that I am living a sustainable life but yes much conscious and will achieve it soon. I don’t worry about it much. Some of my friends are uncomfortable that I work for the cause of women’s health and menstrual hygiene, but that is the gap I want to fill.
In 2017, we were awarded the social achiever award for our work in women’s health. Unfortunately, social workers are looked down upon, and people do not see the bigger picture. I am sure this will change with time. Everything we do at Good Universe is designed to deliver towards Sustainable goals. While the Goals are broad, the need is imperative and the potential for change significant – provided we all play a role.
The Story of Kamal Nayak teaches us one thing:
You have to believe in yourself to make it happen!
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