The transformation in Saroj’s dairy business began with something surprisingly simple: water.

When Geeta Watagure attended Ambuja Foundation’s Aatmiyata mental health training in 2022, she was grieving her husband’s death and raising her young daughter alone.

The Nari Shakti Federation in Uttarakhand had built a successful enterprise selling cowdung cakes — an eco-friendly product based on traditional rural practices and the increasing demand for traditional, eco-friendly products. But there was one problem: the product was packaged in plastic.

Across India’s cotton fields, women have always been present—sowing seeds, tending crops, managing livestock, and sustaining households. Yet for decades, their contributions remained largely invisible—unrecognised within formal agricultural systems and excluded from decision-making

In Banli village of Chandi gram panchayat, Himachal Pradesh, access to water was a daily struggle. For decades, women carried water from a traditional bouri—a small natural well that collects rainwater and is used for irrigation or drinking.

"When women are empowered, society benefits in every way." – Mahatma Gandhi

India is home to the fourth-largest agricultural sector in the world and a crucial part of the country’s economy. As agranian labour, women’s participation has always been significant, with estimates ranging from 63% to 80%.

In rural India, where traditional roles and limited opportunities often define the lives of women, education holds the potential to open doors that extend far beyond the school fence. It is not just about learning to read or write—it’s about building knowledge, skills, and confidence that enable women to make informed decisions, support their families, and participate actively in their communities.

About a year ago, Ambuja Foundation decided to stop using the word “housewife” and adopted “homemaker” instead. Because language matters. And in the arena of women empowerment, it matters more than we perhaps realise. A simple change of word can take us across a threshold toward a new future. A woman is not limited to a house and its boundaries. She’s the maker of a home, a mainstay of her family, and a person in her own right.

A movement is underway across India, to empower women to become ‘lakhpati didis!’ Ambuja Foundation is playing its part – encouraging rural women to strive for a Rs. 1 lakh income and fostering micro enterprises along the way.

An event organized by Ambuja Foundation and Apparel Made-Ups & Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council organized an event in August for the women of Virasat to foster continuous improvement and excellence in the workplace.

In a district of Saurashtra, Gujarat, select villagers are of a princely lineage – being direct descendants of small-scale princely states that once ruled the lands. Here, women are considered so ‘royal’ that they are confined to the four walls of their house compound to prevent them from ‘mixing with commoners’ – their faces never seen by others, forbidden to travel and unless a person is of a particular caste, they can never enter their homes.