Rural Women Entrepreneurs: Leading the Way

Rural Women Entrepreneurs Overcoming Odds

Santosh Vasuniya operates a beauty products shop, while Laxmi Wani runs a computer shop in their village. Despite facing various challenges, both have established successful businesses, inspiring others along the way.

Santosh, from Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, witnessed the pandemic-induced reverse migration, prompting her to create her own livelihood. Despite familial hardships and limited education, Santosh harbored a dream of entrepreneurship. Through Transform Rural India‘s (TRI) Entrepreneurship Facilitation Hub, she received support to open her beauty products store. With her savings and financial assistance from The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Santosh’s shop thrives, providing for her family.

Similarly, Laxmi Wani, a resident of Newali Bujurg village in Barwani, recognized the need for additional income in her low-income household. Despite minimal education and early marriage, Laxmi aspired for entrepreneurship. Engaging with TRI India’s Youth Hub, she discovered her passion for running a Common Service Centre (CSC). With training from the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI), Laxmi now operates her CSC business, becoming a role model for other women in her village.

These success stories underscore the significance of grassroots NGOs and supportive platforms like TRI, providing vital resources and training in entrepreneurship. Ranu Kumar Singh, a practitioner at TRI, emphasizes the importance of financial literacy and skill development in empowering rural youth and women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

_{Repurposed article originally published in India,com}