Inequities and societal shortcomings spur many, but not everyone possesses the drive to roll up their sleeves and make changes happen. Conversing with Kadeeja, one is bound to be struck by this very impulse in her, one that she proved at the age of fifteen upon noticing the dismal quality of midday meals in her school. She won the school leader elections, and following her relentless demands, the quality of the meals improved significantly and the services were made available to more students than earlier. It was with this natural proclivity to question, lead, and serve that Kadeeja enrolled for a Bachelor's in Commerce at Farook College, Kozhikode. In her third year, as the General Secretary of the Student Union, she helped students' demands be heard and spearheaded reforms. Just as good with numbers as she was with people, Kadeeja functioned as the Finance Head of the first edition of TedX at Farook College.
It was a Campus Social Responsibility event that introduced Kadeeja to iLab, a social impact organisation focused on Kerala’s coastal communities. Greatly inspired, she began dropping into iLab every now and then. In 2022, iLAB collaborated with the YP Foundation on a 3-day residential event as part of the latter’s Know Your Body, Know Your Rights programme, and Kadeeja contributed significantly in the translation of its English curriculum to Malayalam. That is when she struck up a conversation with Nasmina, the founder of iLAB, not in the least realising how much that would turn her life and career around. Kadeeja began creating posters for, photographing, and editing videos of iLAB’s events—side projects that soon evolved into an internship. Post-undergrad, she joined iLAB as the Talent Management Lead, marking the start of her most exciting journey.
As soon as she joined, Kadeeja, along with her colleague Haider, set to planning iLAB’s first programme that was not primarily focused on education, for a grant offered by Anaha Trust. It was unknown territory for iLab, but even more so for Kadeeja; she had absolutely no educational background in social work but she persevered, teaching herself concepts and best practices as she outlined her first social impact project. And finally, Coastal Livelihood Acceleration Programme (CLAP) was outlined down to the last detail and approved, launching iLab’s livelihood domain that nurtures the entrepreneurship ideas of mothers in coastal Kerala. Kadeeja then dived into outlining a second project—one that focused on digital development in coastal areas.
“In most places along the coastline, the network tends to be far less than perfect, and digital devices do not work well due to their proximity to the salty waters. As a result, most of the population receives little exposure outside their academic pursuits. The Digital Tech Literacy Programme, or DTLP, was launched as a digital upskilling programme for youngsters to equip them with this lost exposure,” explains Kadeeja.
In the next year, Kadeeja coordinated multiple programs, explored the domain of social work, and learned new practices. She inculcated in her modules practices associated with the Theatre of the Oppressed, or TOTO, a community-based theatrical practice. She was introduced to TOTO while drafting her very first proposal for an alternative education-based program grant offered by The Circle Labs in September 2024. Kadeeja, a passionate learner and traveller, hopped on a train to Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, and attended a TOTO workshop at the Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics run by Mr Prashant Bhushan. “Our children at iLab are a little hyperactive, assertive, and naturally curious. However, we still needed to chisel their Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. We proposed to Circle Labs ways to inculcate TOTO into existing academic modules and classroom practices. Everything from teaching methods to classroom punctuality is enforced through a collaboration between the teacher and students, rewriting traditional power dynamics in the classroom. We empowered our children to channel their assertiveness into devising classroom methods and to accept their personal identities without shame,” says Kadeeja.
As the coordinator of CLAP, Kadeeja handles branding, marketing, and content creation for small businesses under the mother brand called Urmi. These include eco-friendly pen production by ten women, Thunippothi (handmade cloth books), Noolu (embroidery products), Habi’s Handmade (soap manufacturing), Shama (candle-making), Chillu (photograph framing), resin work, and bagmaking. “I wanted to pursue an MBA post-undergrad, but if I had done that, I would have made a single brand, but here, I am helping make multiple brands simultaneously,” Kadeeja laughs and continues, “I am also able to impact more people than I could ever hope to. Once a mother said, ‘From the money I earned through the brand, I bought my favourite cuisine for myself, a shirt for my husband, and toys for my kids,’ and that is all the validation one needs.” Kadeeja coordinates CLAP alongside DTLP, her HR responsibilities, and social media management. Exhaustion is inevitable, but work at iLab is rewarding beyond words. Kadeeja recalls the convocation day for the first batch of DTLP with a slight smile, “Everyone chipped in an anecdote or two about their experience, and hearing my name being mentioned offered recognition and happiness that can’t be matched. That day reminds me that every gesture, even ones that we do not remember, bears an effect. It was the best culmination of a year at iLab and the answer to why I persevered every single day.”
Kadeeja envisions helping build more brands at iLab and strengthening the existing ones. She emphasises on quality-focused impact,
“The social impact sector suffers from a misplaced need to focus on numbers. I believe that even if the focus group consists of just two people, what matters is the quality and durability of change. The sector has immense potential, and a little responsibility can go a long way.”
She opines that as changemakers create spaces for the growth of underprivileged communities, they require communities for themselves to collaborate and inspire each other - and this is where aikyam space steps in. “I was introduced to aikyam through Nasmina, and I have always felt that aikyam is synonymous with reassurance. My favourite part of visiting the space is conversing with Shemeer ji; it’s from him that I learnt the best lessons on people management.”
Even as I compose her profile, Kadeeja has moved on—from her role at iLab to the Marketing Head at Aknovel Group, a multinational business group with operations across several countries. A natural juggler, alongside leading marketing strategies and brand initiatives across diverse ventures, she is also pursuing an MBA with a focus on the upcoming CAT examination.
“Lastly, what is one thing outside of work that you cling on to?” I ask.
“Travelling,” she says. “It opens me to perspectives and lives that are far away from mine. Every year, I make it a point to explore someplace new.”
And I’m sure that it is not just places that lie in wait for her; so do accolades and laurels for this curious and persevering young leader.
