From rural women entrepreneurs to a platform providing verified COVID-19 services in your city — the top Social Stories of the week
This week, SocialStory focused on the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship for rural women, a community of chefs who are providing free meals to COVID-19 patients, and a woman farmer who is changing her family’s fortunes.
In 2020, women accounted for only 19.9 percent of India’s total workforce. That number has only declined following the COVID-19 outbreak. A report by the EdelGive Foundation offers insights into why entrepreneurship should be encouraged among rural women.
We spoke to a former bonded labourer who is determined to give his children an education and a better life and a woman farmer who is supporting her family of eight.
For women to succeed as entrepreneurs, systems must be redesigned to retain them, not just allow entry
A recent study by UdyamStree, titled “Landscape Study on Women Entrepreneurship”, was a comprehensive survey across 13 states that focused on the challenges, impact on health, socio-economic security, and family wellbeing outcomes of women entrepreneurs.
The findings of the report also pointed to several challenges. Around 70 percent of WEs surveyed said household chores were still their primary responsibility. In fact, it was against their ‘values’ to make their spouses or other family members pitch in.
When asked if being financially independent has impacted domestic violence, 66 percent said there were no prior incidents to measure against. Of the remaining 34 percent of women who hinted that domestic violence existed, two-thirds felt it had either increased or not changed.
Looking for verified leads for COVID-19 emergency? This platform can help
When Lucknow-based serial entrepreneur Shrishti Sahu discovered first-hand how hard it was to get reliable help when 18 members of her family, including herself, were infected by COVID-19, she decided to take matters into her own hands, and build a platform to help others. Verified Covid Leads is checked three times a day by a team of volunteers to ensure that the sources listed for oxygen, plasma, ICU beds, medication such as FabiFlu, nursing/doctor consults, and food delivery services are valid and up to date.
[Survivor Series] I am determined to give my children an education so they can live respectably
Forced into bonded labour at the age of 12, Ramanayaka is using all his government grant money to ensure his family has a better life. He says:
I often think about my childhood and how carefree it was before I was forced into bonded labour. I would sleep by 8 pm and wake up only at 8 am. As a bonded labourer, I would wake up at 5 am and work non-stop till 10.30 pm at night. It was a very hard life and I am determined to use all my government grant money to ensure that my children never meet the same fate.
Humanity First: This community of home chefs is distributing free meals to COVID-19 patients, families
With several people undergoing home isolation or taking care of someone suffering from COVID-19, they are unable to make meals for the household.
To help COVID-19 families and individuals, home chefs and restaurant owners are providing them with fresh meals. Kitchen of Flavours is a community of home chefs, professional chefs, and celebrity chefs, providing hygienic, homemade, and fresh food to COVID-19 patients free of cost.
How one farmer changed her fortunes and is helping other farmers in her area
From struggling to feed her family of eight, Laxmiben Dabhi, a Gujarat-based farmer, now has a successful harvest through the year and is training other farmers in her district with new agricultural techniques.
Edited by Teja Lele