Savita Vishwakarma: Stitching Her Own Success Story

Savita Vishwakarma, a resident of Nagwa village in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, embodies the true spirit of empowerment. Savita, who is a graduate and has completed her degree in B.Ed, always dreamt of becoming financially independent. However, this seemed a far-fetched dream to her till a couple of years ago.

When she came in contact with the Adani Foundation in December 2022, little did she know that her life was going to change. She enrolled herself in a sustainable livelihood program being run by the Foundation in the region and learnt Sikki craft and the art of jute bag making. Her inherent talent for sewing coupled with the guidance she received from the Foundation soon opened doors for her transformation. Recognising her talent and skills, the Foundation appointed her as a trainer in its stitching centre. Savita’s joys knew no bounds!

This was only the beginning of her journey towards self-reliance. Earlier, Savita was dependent on her husband who used to drop her and pick her up from the training centre. She soon learnt how to ride a two-wheeler and bought a second-hand scooty for herself. Gradually as her financial stability increased and she had saved enough, she bought a new scooty for her easy commute.

Savita, for whom financial independence once seemed like a distant dream, is proud of how far she has come. She is not only supporting her husband in running the household but has also set a new benchmark of self-growth and empowerment for women in her community. Recently, she also completed her postgraduation degree in Social Work.

Savita earns an annual income of up to INR 2 lakh by teaching Sikki art, jute bag making and stitching to local women. Her story reflects how right support, and guidance can open doors of endless possibilities and enable women to contribute meaningfully to the development of communities.

Sonbai: Fulfilling Dreams, Fueling Aspirations

Sonbai is a resident of Zarpara village in Mundra, Gujarat. It was her childhood dream to become a teacher, but she could only continue her studies up to class 7 as she got married soon after and took up domestic responsibilities. However, her dream didn’t fade, as Sonbai resumed her studies in 2018 and went on to complete the Pre and Primary Teacher Training Course (PTC).

Her love for teaching led her to join the Adani Foundation’s Utthan Project, which aims to transform adopted government schools into model schools. She joined as an Utthan Sahayak (community-level volunteers of Utthan project). As destiny would have it, she was assigned to her own school in Zarpara, and she felt a deep sense of connection and responsibility. Her dedication and commitment soon earned her the respect and admiration of her students and colleagues likewise.

Her role as an educator extended beyond classroom teaching. She worked tirelessly to regularise students’ attendance, organised co-curricular activities and summer camps, and encouraged parents to take an active interest in the school. Her ability to connect with her students and inspire them to strive for excellence has been particularly remarkable.

Sonbai’s story is not only of personal success. It is a shining example of how passion, commitment and hard work can lead to a noteworthy transformation in the lives of community members.

These stories are not just tales of individual success — they are a narrative of women’s collective will to inspire, lead and drive change.

A Recipe for Success

In Bhatlai, a small village in Surat district of Gujarat, a group of 10 women – all belonging to the age group of 30-55 years – judiciously channeled their passion into a thriving business. Proving that age is just a number, they turned their love for cooking into a successful catering business. The women are part of Saheli Sakhi Mandal, a Self-Help Group supported by the Adani Foundation. Recognising their exceptional culinary skills, the Foundation encouraged the women to transform their passion into an income-generation source. Diligently balancing their household responsibilities, the women embarked upon their journey of self-reliance.

With their humble beginnings of receiving catering orders for around 50 people at local events and gatherings, they gradually started getting flooded with orders as word of mouth spread about their exceptional cooking skills, and soon, they started catering for up to 700-800 people at large gatherings.

Today, each woman of Saheli Sakhi Mandal earns between INR 8,000 and INR 10,000 per month, and their growing enterprise has provided employment opportunities to other women in the community. Their collective journey of transformation reiterates the fact that there is no right age to dream big and go after them with full conviction.