How Rural Women of Dahi Chowki Are Weaving a New Future

Problem

In Dahi Chowki, a village in Uttar Pradesh, women have historically lived in the quiet shadows of tradition and their potential has remained untapped. There has been a lack of platforms and opportunities for them. Women were financially dependent on the male members of the family. And this story is not just about Dahi Chowki. Many more villages’ women were struggling with lack of support and their latent talent upskilling.

Rit Rural Foundation took the baton for creating a safe and inclusive space for them to upgrade themselves.

Solution

Rit has set on a strong mission to help these women. It has successfully impacted more than 100 women in Dahi Chowki so far. Women from villages come together to produce and market a wide variety of eco-friendly, culturally rooted, and innovative products. Their work includes making beautifully scented and carved candles. These women are also involved in making vibrant home decor items like torans, bandhanwars, wall hangings, and Ganesha murals. They also produce natural herbal Holi colors made from a maize flour base and floral extracts. Also, they curate festival-themed gift hampers, such as Holika Dahan kits, and create a unique collection of incense sticks and puja essentials using cow dung. Simple items like small decorative pieces are priced as low as ₹10 – ₹20. The best part is that all these products are eco- friendly and hence leads to sustainable financial growth!

Outcome

The outcome of this initiative to empower women is simply beyond measure. The handcrafted products have found admirers far beyond their village. They are being sold online in major cities like Mumbai, Lakhanpur, Delhi, Nagpur, and other urban hubs.

The products are sold offline as well in stalls set up at the metro and in colleges, including IIT Kanpur.

Currently, more than 90 women come to the center, and their lives are subtly being transformed. When asked how this journey has impacted their lives, these women cheerfully tell how they feel more confident in themselves now. The obvious outcome is also financial independence.

Women have also gained a good understanding of how markets work and learned marketing tactics over time. Each woman who has upskilled themselves through this initiative is already an entrepreneur in the making.

Team Rit dreams of continuing to impact and empower the women of Dahi Chowki, UP, and spreading this movement to all parts of the country.