Udyogini Review (March 2026)

Of the 7 entrepreneurs in India, only 1 is woman* *Sixth Economic Census 48015 Women Entrepreneurs 27,704 Youth in Skilling 224,369 Lives Touched 50% Annual Income Udyogini’s Impact What We Do Value Chain Interventions Working on 22 products in 5 states, end to end value chain development leads to 50% income increase . Udyogini’s village level retail and aggregation centers (VLRACS) and business services providers ( BDSPs ) are the key innovations since 2002 . Read More Livelihood Development Basket livelihoods from an entrepreneurship lens has been a key innovation for small scale farmers , particularly in improving the incomes. Often this approach requires holistic natural resources development & management strategy for instance – creation of water reservoirs or soil treatment . Read More Climate Change & Entrepreneurship Erratic climatic conditions are affecting the livelihoods of women. Udyogini is creating climate focused entrepreneurship: regenerative agriculture, solar solutions and smart livelihoods to mitigate the challenge . Read More Skill Development Udyogini is expanding its simplified but effective business management , financial literacy and business plan training to young people through Udyogini School of Entrepreneurship (USE). Read More Why Do We Do It 30 Years Taught as Time Poverty Women have 3-4 hours a day to spend on economic activities. Distress Selling Women travel to markets twice a week to sell produce in distress for earning cash Untapped Potential NTFPs and other produce is not adequately value added to fetch premium price Power of Aggregation Mobilizing women for aggregation and trading significantly improves their collective bargaining power and incomes Lack of Agency Women lack control on price and/or little bargaining power for their produce Lack of control over incomes  Women’s labor work in economic activities is huge but they dont have access to incomes earned in these (eg, farming) Low risk taking capability Most women prefer to earn incomes from labor work and not readily take entrepreneurial risks Women as change agents Women more than men spend their incomes on the welfare of children and families-this helps in reducing generational baggage of poverty. Blog The empowerment and entrepreneurship of women are critical to achieving gender equality. Read about change through stories of transformation, articles, blog posts, and research findings. Follow some of the most remarkable achievements in tribal women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, a site that receives little attention in the media, policy, and sector action. I guarantee that the success stories of rural women entrepreneurs will inspire you. Stories Of Change 14 May 2025 How Entrepreneurship Transformed Roopkali Didi’s Life: A Journey from Survival to Self-Reliance In the quiet tribal village of Babliya in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district, Roopkali Didi’s life once… Read More Stories Of Change 01 April 2025 Poshan Vatika: Growing Health & Nutrition Nutrition Garden: Cultivating Health and Empowerment The Nutrition Garden initiative is a powerful step… Read More Demystifying Women Empowerment 28 January 2025 From Challenges to Change: Pooja Bai’s Digital Literacy Triumph From Challenges to Change: Pooja Bai’s Digital Literacy Triumph In today’s rapidly evolving world, digitalization… Read More Demystifying Women Empowerment 31 December 2024 Transforming Lives through Water User Groups: Anita Devi’s Inspiring Journey Rural communities across India face challenges that hinder their progress and growth—lack of water, insufficient… Read More Stories Of Change 22 August 2024 From Lac to Livelihoods: How Value Chain Interventions Transformed Jharkhand’s Economy In the verdant landscapes of Jharkhand, a quiet revolution has been taking place. This revolution isn’t… Read More Stories Of Change 31 July 2024 From Challenge to Change: The Power of Community Support in Rural Entrepreneurship In the picturesque yet challenging landscape of Mohla-Manpur Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh, a compelling… Read More News And Views 16 November 2023 Freedom: How Do Women’s Skill Development Outcome Affect Us? Today, the spotlight on women’s skill development has intensified, and rightfully so. We find ourselves… Read More News And Views 16 November 2023 Breaking Sociocultural Barriers with 3 Effective Approaches Human diversity comes from various beliefs and practices, which provide rich evidence of different cultures…. Read More News And Views 14 October 2023 The Impact of Women Empowerment NGO: Making a Difference Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have consistently advocated for various causes, focusing on women’s… Read More News And Views 11 October 2023 4 Ways You Can Help to Improve Women Empowerment Programs When you think of “women,” what comes to mind? Do you envision strong, empowered women or… Read More Empowering Women through Enterprise since 1992 Udyogini was established in 1992 in response to a World Bank initiative focused on women’s economic empowerment—recognized as a pivotal step toward overall women empowerment—during the rise of microfinance and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Our mission was to bridge a critical gap: enterprise training for women. From the outset, we aim to empower women by equipping them to become successful entrepreneurs. In our early years, we worked through a Training of Trainers (ToT) model, supporting grassroots NGOs and reaching over a million women through the WEMTOP program. By the 2000s, we shifted to direct implementation of livelihood projects, especially in rural and tribal regions. Udyogini became a pioneer in value chain-based models, focusing on forest produce, handicrafts, and agri-enterprises. Our holistic approach evolved to include skills training, market linkages, and financial inclusion, ensuring long-term impact. Today, our methods integrate hands-on mentoring, industry partnerships, and digital tools, allowing us to expand across eight states and impact more than 200,000 women and their communities. We continue to work at the intersection of women’s agency, economic resilience, and leadership, building pathways to dignity, opportunity, and self-reliance. Get Involved Be a Partner Let’s co-create and bring about a change we wish to see. Know More Be a Champion Champion for women who are challenging the status quo. Join Us Be a Sponsor Change lives, be the wing person of Udyogini, today! Donate Now Partners Click here