WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVE (WEI)

why it's important:

Helping a widow support herself is not something unfamiliar to me. As a freshman in college a close friend of mine lost his father, and his mother was left to support herself and her three sons. I was there as she was denied loans for the capital to start her own company. She eventually relied on family, credit, and the small amount of life insurance he did have to begin this company. We worked long hours but nothing was more rewarding than knowing that her children would be provided for even without both parents. My focus on helping the widows of Southern India comes from long hours spent helping my friend’s mom with her business, working with the poor in the United States since high school, and the contacts in India who have expressed great need for such a program.

The story of WEI is a story of women’s empowerment through social change. Moved by stories of tragic suicides and the oppression of widows in the societies of India, I traveled there, committed to the idea that a small, lean group of people can make a difference, and do so without the overhead and bureaucracy of larger enterprises. I listened to the heartbreaking stories and dreams of over 500 women, so that I could create a business model that would ensure these women’s success. This business model works because the widows themselves created it. While many organizations work to prevent suicide, a gap exists in its aftermath; WEI fills that gap by helping widows support themselves through entrepreneurial ventures.

the plan of action:

WEI’s implementation plan for its first three years was modeled after the enterprising way the organization started. In June 2008 I flew to India alone with the passion to make a difference in the lives of Indian widows. I built this organization as I traveled by bus, train, rickshaw, and plane all over the country to meet with over 500 widows. Upon my return, a fellow graduate and I threw fundraising events of which 100% of the proceeds were sent to the widows I met with on my travels. The Arizona Republic, Arizona Express and my community have recognized my work in India and my home state of Arizona. WEI’s first year has been shaped by fundraising projects and the adventures of finding new partners in a foreign land. Plans for year two encompass the expansion of WEI’s current operations and programs using new grant funding.

For being such a young organization, WEI has achieved many tangible results to date. Currently, WEI is partnered with three organizations in the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states of India. Through these organizations, WEI has supported forty-five women to date, though that number is constantly increasing with each loan repayment and new loan made. In Maharashtra, WEI works with an organization that trains program participants in traditionally male dominated fields such as electrical repair, bicycle repair, refrigeration repair, etc. (so far WEI has provided training/loans to twenty women through this organization). In Maharashtra WEI supports women like Indirabai, a thirty-five year old who was widowed one year ago. Indirabai lives in a mud house and has no land of her own. Before help from WEI she supported one son, three daughters, and her mother by working as a daily wage laborer. After completing food preparation training and purchasing equipment using loans from WEI, she is now running a business selling prepared meals to village workers. In Andhra Pradesh, WEI has partnered with two organizations. With one organization, WEI sponsors tailoring school students by giving them 6 months of training and purchasing sewing machines upon graduation, enabling them to provide tailoring services to their villages. Located in the village of Amalapuram, twenty-five women attend tailoring school in a one-room building, hanging on every word their teachers say, knowing that this is their chance to create an occupation for themselves. After graduating, these women then work as tailors and pay back the amount of the sewing machine so another graduate can have one purchased for them (so far WEI has supported 25 students from this school). WEI’s most recent partnership is with an organization in Andhra Pradesh where they plan to share a full time employee to provide ongoing programs to widow communities. While the partner organization identifies widows in the area that are quality candidates for training, WEI then approves the candidates and provides them with loans. Then, the partner organization will arrange trainings and subsequently purchase assets for their ventures.

Through this process India has become my home. I look at the women in our programs as family and I plan to spend as much time as possible in India when I am not in the United States seeking funding for my project.

how you can get involved:

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