Case study India, micro businesses

Read full case study - IFAD case. Established in 1992, Udyogini translates from Hindi to ‘Woman Entrepreneur’. To empower women with the skills and resources needed to contribute to building and managing microenterprises, the NGO offers business development services (BDS) through agencies working with underserved women, e.g. SHGs, producers’ organizations and NGOs. Very poor women, who are Udyogini’s main target, are trained to become entrepreneurs; NGOs are trained to disseminate knowledge at the ground level. Udyogini operates in the desert and tribal districts of Rajasthan, in the forest areas of Madhya Pradesh, in the insurgency-affected districts of Jharkhand, in the higher reaches of the hill state of Uttarakhand, and in the neglected areas of Bihar and Assam. Udyogini’s market approach to women’s businesses is based on ensuring women’s rights to: market access, market information, improved knowledge, informed understanding about enterprise operations, access and adoption of improved technologies.