Help Rural Women Gain Essential Business Skills

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

Shital Khandage runs a business selling kurdai-papad, a popular Indian snack. In addition to this, she owns machines for making shevai (vermicelli) and kurdai. Every day, Shital invites women to work with her to prepare papad and kurdai, providing them with an opportunity to earn between 50 to 100 rupees daily. She has actively participated in various workshops under the COC initiative, including Advisory Workshops, Peer-to-Peer meetings, and Exposure Visits. During the B2B meetings, Shital learned valuable insights on how to collaborate effectively to grow their businesses and increase their income. A group of seven women who regularly worked with her decided to come together and utilize a revolving fund of 5,000 rupees to purchase the raw materials needed for making papad and kurdai. This collective effort allowed them to start their own business together. As a result of their hard work and collaboration, they now receive daily orders ranging from 200 to 250 pieces of papad and kurdai, leading to significant growth in their business. Furthermore, after the B2B meetings, a WhatsApp group was created for the women in Nanegaon. This group has proven beneficial as it has enabled them to receive numerous orders through social media. Due to this increased demand, their business revenue has surged by 9,000 rupees. Initially, they earned around 5,000 rupees per month; however, through their combined efforts and teamwork, their monthly income has now reached an impressive 35,000 rupees. In addition to her primary business, Shital also enjoys painting and has developed skills in making traditional nose rings (nath). She actively promotes her work on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where she has established pages that generate an additional income of about 7,000 rupees each month. Through her diverse ventures and entrepreneurial spirit, Shital has achieved new heights in both her business and artistic endeavors, serving as an inspiring example for other women in her community. Her journey highlights the power of collaborationand creativity in overcoming challenges and achieving success.

Thank you so much to all Mann Deshi Foundations supporters!!!