Empower 3,696 Indigenous Women

Indigenous women and girls in Madhya Pradesh face multi-dimensional marginalisation, shaped by their social status, gender, and poverty. Living in remote villages with limited access to education, healthcare and stable livelihoods means they are often excluded from development processes. Their dependence on precarious, informal work makes them particularly vulnerable to climate instability. Project Udhaan - meaning ‘to give wings’ as named by the partner organisation - MSSN, reflects the transformative power of livelihood building in rural communities. In the first six months of the second year, this project has reached a total of 2,978 women and will continue to reach more in future. The goals of the project are to equip women and girls with skills for self-employment through training, improve household security by facilitating access to government schemes, build collective strength by establishing communal self-help groups, promote climate resilience through awareness-building and establish linkages to the markets for community enterprises. 

Key accomplishments of 2025 include, 844 participants were reached through meetings on health governance, and environment, women attended and raised and resolved issues in 7 Gram Sabha (local community) meetings, 20 women completed beauty parlor training, 82 farmers adopted organic farming and 350 new saplings were planted.

Stories of impact from the project include a small success of community struggle in a village of Ghoda Khurd. Women raised a pressing issue - the shortage of water. The problem affected the entire village, disrupting domestic chores, animal care. and children’s school attendance. The Centre-In-Charge from MSSN and community members met with the Sarpanch to explain the gravity of the situation, to which the Sarpanch reassured action. Their persistence through regular follow-ups paid off. Within 15 days, a new hand pump was installed, benefitting 40-45 tribal families.

Similarly, in Kheraphali, a sub-hamlet of Mangila village with around 100 families, poor and unsafe roads made daily life dangerous. The issue became serious after a tragic accident, which led local resident Resham Bai to demand a change. She and other women in the community were supported to raise the issue again to authorities by MSSN. When officials cited land shortages, the community came together, with families voluntarily donating portions of land to enable construction. Following sustained collective advocacy and continuous follow-ups, the road was approved and completed within 2 months. 

The programme intends to reach many more and develop on these initiatives by conducting computer literacy workshops, provide more information on government schemes, hold meetings to facilitate regular savings deposits, and engage more people in these programmes in order to build sustainable livelihoods to improve these women’s quality of life. 

• MSSNSEWA_Apr25Sep25_report.pdf (PDF)