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India - 2007
Workshop Helps Rural Women in India Gain Entrepreneurial Skills
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A four-day workshop funded by a US$2,700 grant from Alcoa helped first-generation rural women entrepreneurs in India acquire some of the basic skills necessary to run and expand their small businesses.
The women and a partner operate a small kiosk from their home, at an offsite space, or in a rural market as part of a program run by the Drishtee Foundation. Through the kiosks, these entrepreneurs can provide services like computer education, insurance and financial services, and more. They also sell products of value to rural households, including batteries, flashlights, seeds, and fertilizer. All profits generated are kept by the kiosk owner.
"We currently have a network of around 1,500 kiosk operators in more than 10 states of India, and of these about 450 are women," said Swapna Mishra, a program coordinator for Drishtee. "These women entrepreneurs must overcome many personal, social, and business challenges in running their kiosks, and the four-day workshop was designed to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills."
Nine women and their operating partners attended the March 2007 workshop, which had the following objectives:
- Provide an understanding of the various aspects of business development, sales, and marketing strategy in terms of existing services and products available from Drishtee;
- Reiterate the importance of leadership qualities and instill the motivation required for a rural entrepreneur to establish and expand her business;
- Build skills to manage finances, debt, and bookkeeping; and
- Explain the new services and products available from Drishtee.
"The workshop was useful, as I learned how to expand my business," said Garima Dwivedi, a kiosk operator in the village of Thathiya. "I am highly motivated and am also motivating the girls around my center to join classes. I am doing a lot of advertising, and more computer learning classes are being formed. Of course, I still have to deal with the problem of a lack of steady supply of electricity, but it does not dishearten me."
Adds Reena Gupta from Fatehpur, "I gained knowledge about business and handling customers, and also about Drishtee's various services and products. I also learned how to contact people and inform them about Drishtee, and the training on ledger maintenance helps me in my day-to-day tasks.
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