Women’s enterprise paves the way for rural transformation

When you buy something you love at UPAYa, you are not just supporting a woman artisan, but also becoming part of a much larger women’s movement that is creating ripples across rural Rajasthan. Here’s how it works.

The Mewar region of Rajasthan has a history of valiant women figures, however, ​such reverence bears little resemblance to the reality of women living here today. A large majority of the women with whom we work face complex socio-economic challenges. 

“In the early days, we found that many of these women had never ever stepped out of their homes to work,” says Manjari Foundations’s field staff.  

After a lot of counseling and rapport-building through Sakhi, an initiative of Hindustan Zinc Ltd. and Manjari Foundation, they began to organize themselves into Self Help Groups. Gradually they gained the confidence and motivation to sharpen their skills and find meaningful work. 

Over time, Sakhi women formed their own micro-enterprise collectives, working round the clock to produce a range of clothing and lifestyle products for sale. The growing enthusiasm and success of these units gave birth to the need for an entity that could effectively link these women to the market, and hence, the seed of UPAYa was sown. 

“At UPAYa™, we use fashion as an agent of social change, turning challenges into opportunities.” says (name) of Manjari Foundation. 

Guided by a team of experts, and equipped with the best-in-class infrastructure, these women’s collectives work hard to create a premium range of clothing and lifestyle products that celebrate Indian tradition and at the same time, appeal to the likes of today’s customers. 

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