Scaling up the RUDI model
Imago Global Grassroots along with Self-employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is currently piloting the creation of an agro-processing enterprise with rural market linkages at the cluster level federations through Self-help groups (SHGs) in two states in India. The pilot project is currently being implemented in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, supported by the State Rural Livelihoods Mission in each area respectively.
RUDI is an innovative social enterprise pioneered by SEWA (Self-employed Women’s Association) that leverages the strength and potential of women collectives. RUDI has been implemented by SEWA in Gujarat since 2004. It is based on the Gandhian principles of simplicity & strengthening women’s leadership and the village economy.
A whole value chain approach to women’s economic empowerment
Scaling up a SEWA Women Collective Enterprise from Gujarat through Government Self-Help Groups in NRLM is an intervention and evaluation funded by 3ie under its Swashakt Evidence Program to support collectives and group-based models for women-led businesses in partnership with State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) in India.
Expected outcomes of the project
The objective of the project is to identify what works in enhancing the viability, scalability, and returns of women’s collective enterprises. Hence, the anticipated project outputs comprise the following:
Develop a scalable and cost-effective model with the possibility to be replicated across the National Rural Livelihood Mission ecosystem.
Provide capacity building of the Cluster Level Federation (CLF) to manage the operations and business of the agro-processing enterprise. Additionally, offer training to women sales entrepreneurs, and farmers on skills such as marketing, sales, quality control, production planning, customer acquisition, community training, technology.
About SEWA
The Self-Employed Women’s Association is a union of self-employed women in India’s informal sector, deeply grounded in Gandhian values, that has grown to more than 1.5 million members over the past 40 years.
