The internet has been the biggest asset of the century, in terms of connecting people, throwing up new concepts, ideas and firing up the growth engine. Interestingly, the internet is also scaling up the livelihood opportunities for people in the rural areas.
Launched in 2015, Google’s Internet Saathi along with Tata Trusts is an initiative that has helped millions of women across villages to understand the power of the internet. By training rural women, the initiative has uplifted their lives as they become entrepreneurs.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, we talk to three Google Internet Saathis, who are propelling their business growth with the acceleration programme and understand how the browsing service has helped them earn a steady income.
A movement for safe periods
Hailing from Shirdi, Aparna Bankar is often referred to as Padwoman in the town. Bankar runs a sanitary napkin unit, employing 10 women and makes a monthly income of Rs 100,00,00.
“I was visiting an acquaintance’s place in my town and I noticed that her daughter was home. On enquiring, I realised that she was at home because she was on her period. I suggested to the mother that her daughter can use sanitary pads instead of cloth which could probably stain her clothes. But the woman was too shy to talk about it,” she says.
At that point, Bankar realised that she had to do something about it and decided to start her unit. Being a part of the acceleration programme has helped her understand the wonder that the internet is. “For any regular person, internet serves as a medium for entertainment but it is a lot more than that,” she asserts.
Now that her unit is up and running, Bankar is able to educate women about the internet and its facilities and also bust myths about periods, and start a movement for safe periods.
Going places
Starting a business takes a lot of courage and support. Of course sustaining it becomes a tad bit difficult if one does not have any business background and backing of people with a lot of experience.
However, this is not the case when it comes to Anjali Dnyaneshwar from Satara. She is often referred to as the ‘Masala Queen’ in the city she belongs to.
Dnyaneshwar, who was associated with Sakal Social Foundation’s Tanishka, got her golden ticket to success when she enrolled herself for the Google Internet Saathi programme.
“Understanding and experiencing the boon of the internet is something undeniable, it has taken us places we did not know would be possible,” says the entrepreneur who owns a spice making unit that has over eight women working. She says through this enriching experience she wants to urge more and more women to start their businesses.
Dyaneshwar says, “I want to make my one room business into a huge success so that I can lead by example. You need family support when you decide to start a business and in my case I am fortunate to have a family that pushes her to do more.”
Only Way Forward
Finding an opportunity and making it into a successful business is kind of a big deal, which is exactly something that B Lourdhamary has made possible. Belonging to a rural area in Tamil Nadu, Lourdhamary realised that women in her region were fond of Kundan jewellery, but it was not easily available in her area.
“I saw an opportunity here and made my way to Kanjeevaram wherein I took up a course to design and make Kundan jewellery. On my return, I was able to not only start something of my own but also employ more people,” says the entrepreneur who has a turnover of over Rs 80,000,00.
The internet has helped her expand her reach to more and more women in different regions . “The reach of internet is so wide in my region now that I have a few clients who come up to me and tell me exact specifications that they are looking for in the jewellery. It is safe to say that the internet if used wisely is a tool to benefit from in the long run,” she says. Lourdhamary adds that she has even relied on the browsing engine to find answers to technical and legal glitches that emerged while setting up her business.
