Hindustan Zinc’s Sakhi women moving towards new horizon for greater good

27,323 Sakhi women ensuring a financially independent life and building a life of dignity

Hindustan Zinc bringing socio-economic empowerment through 2,218 Sakhi self-help groups in 209 villages

Udaipur : Manju Bora, a resident of Googhra village from Ajmer district in Rajasthan, had long sought to start her entrepreneurial journey to support her family and fund her daughter’s education but self-doubt and lack of support refrained her from taking the journey of becoming financially independent. With a little persuasion from family and Samuh Sakhi, Manju joined a Sakhi Self-Help Group (SHG) which not only provided her with the financial assistance to open a Parantha shop but additionally upskilled her by providing holistic training on preparation of different kinds of pickles, papad, and mangodi. Today with the support extended by Hindustan Zinc, Manju proudly earns around Rs. 20,000/month through her business, ensuring a secured future for herself & her family.

It is a known fact that when you empower women, you empower not just a family or village but the entire nation. And with this objective, Sakhi project was incorporated by Hindustan Zinc to bring socio-economic empowerment amongst rural & tribal women by mobilising them into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and developing a platform that provides vocational training or carve a path of entrepreneurship.

The Sakhi project has been positively transforming the lives of 27,323women through 2,118 SHGs covering across 209 villages. The project is working on the grassroot levels addressing the issues faced by women from rural & tribal communities by honing their business acumen.

Furthermore, Sakhi project has fostered 1,211small and nano enterprises as well as 7 collective enterprises where women are part of the production, processing, and marketing departments with the help of Manjhari Foundation. Another notable facet of the Sakhi programme is the Sakhi Utpadan Samiti whichseeks to empower rural women via the provision of reliable sources of income. 250+ women are part of this initiative through 11 micro businesses. The federation has collectively helped disburse loans of ₹62.16 crore to their members which are not only empowering the women but are also indirectly responsible for the development of agriculture, livestock, micro-enterprises as well as for members’ household and social needs.

Neeru, another beneficiary of the programme, started a small grocery shop in the Putholi village of Chittogarh district.  Encouraged by the success of her grocery shop, Neeru wanted to further augment her family’s income; by adding another source of income for which she took a loan of Rs. 25,000 from the local Sakhi Help Group and installed a sewing machine. Today, her monthly average income has increased to ₹30,000 and she shares the credit with her Sakhi community that supported her and believed in her vision.

The distinctive Sakhi Women Empowerment initiatives led Hindustan Zinc to be honoured with a ‘Leaders for Social Change’ award by the Social Story Foundation.It is the only Indian company to be recognized at the S&P Global Platts Metal Award 2022 and has won the prestigious award ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ Award. The accolades and recognition serve to demonstrate the crucial contribution Hindustan Zinc continues to make in transforming and empowering women from all segments of life.

Sakhi project continues to act as a beacon of hope for thousands of Sakhis from across the villages and is further transforming not just their life but impacting the entire community.