Losing her first child because she couldn't afford medical treatment in rural Barmer, Rajasthan, 8th-dropout Ruma Devi organized 10 women with a ₹100 contribution each to buy a second-hand sewing machine, growing a network of 30,000 artisans and speaking at Harvard.
Collective sisterhood can lift entire desert districts out of poverty.
Prem Ganapathy (Dosa Plaza): Dishwasher at Mumbai Bakery to 105-Dosa ChainStranded at Bandra station at age 17 after being robbed of his ticket money from Tamil Nadu, Prem washed dishes at a bakery for…Read story →
Chinu Kala (Rubans Accessories): Leaving Home at 15 with ₹300 to ₹100 Cr BrandLeaving home at age 15 with ₹300 and sleeping at Mumbai railway stations for two nights, Chinu worked as a door-to-door…Read story →
Kalpana SarojSurviving child marriage, domestic violence, and extreme poverty in rural Maharashtra, Kalpana rebuilt her life as a garment…Read story →
Patricia NarayanLeft destitute with two young children after fleeing an abusive marriage, Patricia began selling homemade snacks and tea from a…Read story →