(Dr) V. Rukmini Rao is a social and rural development activist working with women at many levels of Indian Society but particularly with the poor, underprivileged and vulnerable. She has a high media profile and credibility in Andhra Pradesh and in India in general on these issues.

She is currently Executive Director of the Centre for World Solidarity (CWS) and on the Boards of the Deccan Development Society (DDS) and Gramya (Gramya Resource Centre for Women, which she founded). She also was a founding member and worked for many years with Saheli (Saheli Women’s resource Centre) in Delhi.

Rukmini Rao has a PhD, Masters and BA majoring in psychology. She began her career at the NLI (National Labour Institute) and PECCE (Public Enterprise Centre for Continuing Education) in Delhi working on organisational change in Public Enterprises from the mid-1970s to early 1980s. She worked as project Director for and Indo-Dutch program on women workers in the garment industry, in Saheli and was a program officer and consultant to NORAD (Norwegian Aid) from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, when she moved back to Hyderabad. In Hyderabad she began work with DDS and Gramya.

Rukmini Rao has had prestigious fellowships in India, Australia, Europe and China. She has participated in many International Conferences, Seminars and Workshops on women’s issues and development education all over the world, with organisations such as the ILO, the UN, NGO and World Women’s Forums, Christian Aid and other International Aid organisations. She has lectured on development education in many countries including Europe, Australia and India. She has also worked with several European aid organisations in India to promote women’s development.

In recent years she has also been involved with Watershed Development Programs to ensure women have access and control to common property resources such as land and water. She was a member of the research steering committee for The Agha Khan Foundation for the Management of Environmental Resources by Communities. She was a founding Member of Asmita Centre for Women. She was also a member of the Governing Body of LEPRA India (leprosy eradication) and has served on and advised many government standing committees in Andhra Pradesh and for the National Government of India.

Highlights of her recent work with DDS involved organising rural women towards self-reliance. DDS currently works with self-sustaining women’s sangams in 70 villages and the model is being fostered into and copied by NGOs in other areas. Gramya has exposed the sale of girl babies and trafficking for adoption in Andhra Pradesh.

Her work with CWS involves collaboration and support for more than 300 NGO voluntary organisations with a focus on dalit, minority and gender rights.  CWS has a focus on human rights, sustainable agricultural development and gender justice.