We believe in collaborating with marginal women farmers across diverse regions to implement a comprehensive livelihood strategy. This approach encompasses mobilization, local resource assessment, skill enhancement, product development, pricing strategies, packaging, and facilitating market access.
Our endeavors stem from recognizing the multifaceted challenges encountered by small-scale farmers and artisans, including low income, limited access to inputs, inadequate knowledge of modern techniques, and constrained market opportunities, hindering their progress and prosperity.
In today's era of burgeoning startups and digital innovation, there exists considerable potential for fostering entrepreneurship, particularly among rural youth and women. We offer a suite of services such as training, mentorship, networking, seed funding, financial linkages, and tailored support to empower youth for holistic development and entrepreneurial success. Some of our interventions include:
Women are one of the most powerful investments we can make in building a better future, Katori stands for “seed-to-katori” a platform that promotes women self help group’s, farmers, and artisans through providing a platform to hone new skills and linking them with the markets.
A key function under this initiative is to promote the brand as a premium, preserving and celebrating traditional practices and promoting sustainable farming, up scaling smallholdings, and improving rural livelihoods in Rajasthan & Uttarakhand.
Visit: https://katori.co.in/
Every stitch tells a story of tradition and craftsmanship at Jhulki. Our women artisans are toiling day and night to bring you the best of sustainable fashion.
Each product is a work of art. With a team of 200 women artisans we are weaving dreams on caps, bags, and more
From the heart of Jaipur, UP and MP, Jhulki brings you the finest in handwoven fashion.
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/Jhulki
GraamHaat is a one-stop agri-tech platform for all livestock needs, powered by women Self-Help-Group members of rural Rajasthan. This app helps buyers to connect directly with our exclusive network of verified livestock farmer-preneurs from some of the remotest parts of India.
Visit: https://www.graamhaat.com
MaHSIE is the first innovation hub of its kind to be established in the aspirational district of Dholpur. Over time, we seek to create a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures ideas and innovations emerging from the grassroots and ushers in a new wave of entrepreneurship in India’s untapped hinterland.
We build capacities and nurture ideas, allowing the market to determine viability. We hand-hold entrepreneurs, offering tools, training, guidance and resources to bring ideas to action. We have an excellent grassroots network of 9000 + SHGs in 900+ villages in 4 states.
Visit: https://mahsie.org/
Social enterprises that address social issues
We believe skill building and creating opportunities asan important aspect of empowerment. Opportunities can be created in villages and small towns through setup of local village enterprises. Agro-processing needs medium-level entrepreneurs to mobilize themselves into producer groups. It is difficult for small and marginal farmers to set up an agro-processing unit on their own. Most investors don’t want to go to small towns and remote rural areas because of poor infrastructure, transport, erratic electricity supply, and access to finance and market issues. So, there is a need for special efforts to promote investment in these areas. Given this context, promoting Producer Organisations can be an important intervention.
To improve the local economy, we need to improve rural entrepreneurs' access to the market and infrastructure support. They need access to storage, and transport. Most importantly, the need to organize themselves into farmer-producer groups so that they can access the market collectively. Getting the right information at the right time is critical in ensuring better prices for their produce.
The focus of our interventions has been on unleashing the potential of women through enterprises. We have promoted enterprise units where women are engaging in the production of spices, pulses, pickles, apparel, craft products, and the agriculture value chain as well. We achieve this by setting up robust farmer-producer institutions that have capital and risk-taking ability. There is a need to channel support from the government and philanthropic organizations to make our endeavoursustainable and scalable to a large section of the rural poor.
Ramkali, alongside her husband, toiled on their small piece of agricultural land. Life was manageable when it was just the two of them, but the arrival of three children brought new financial challenges.
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People often say, 'Dream, because dreams cost nothing.' Everyday in India, countless women are dreaming and making every possible effort to turn those dreams into reality.
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Rakhi Sharma's journey is a testament to the power of determination and the transformative impact of seizing opportunities
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While India is known as an agrarian country, the struggles and hardships faced by many farming families often go unnoticed. Sunita's family, residing in the small village of Patoora in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh....
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In India, one often witnesses a common occurrence in impoverished households. The insistence on marrying off the daughter is prevalent, treating the girl as if she is a burden. It's as if they eagerly await her turning 18, considering it a milestone for arranging her marriage. In some cases, the situation is so extreme that the girl is married,
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Ramesh Yadawar from Manjari pens down his experience of Annual Retreat.
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टीम मंजरी के विजय रावत और सुबोध गुप्ता द्वारा लिखा गया वार्षिक रिट्रीट का वृत्तांत।
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In the serene village of Guddali, nestled in the Kurabad block of Udaipur, resides a remarkable woman, Meera. From a young age, Meera has faced the challenges of physical disability with unwavering determination and resilience.
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In the heart of Narayanpur, a village painted with the hues of tradition and aspirations, a remarkable journey unfolded through the Bagaj Mata Self-Help Group, facilitated by the Manjari Foundation in October 2021.
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Kamla Bai's story is one of resilience, empowerment, and the blossoming of a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.
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Madhu Khoiwal, a 55-year-old woman from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, had a journey filled with challenges and empowerment. Growing up in a village where education for girls was not considered essential, she dropped out of school during the 5th standard.
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With the numerous risks and uncertainties we face today, social security is indispensable for poor and vulnerable families.
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119 year-old Raviya belongs to a middle class family in Adampur village in Dholpur district. Her father Laxmi Narayan Lodhi is a farmer and mother Kanta is a housewife. She is the youngest of 4 siblings.
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The Government has launched various schemes and programmes for the upliftment of the poor but impact...
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With the numerous risks and uncertainties we face today, social security is indispensable for poor and vulnerable families.
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Electricity is the most basic that we take for granted. Even today, it is not easily available to many people in rural areas.
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Sushila Devi, a 28-year-old woman from Shivpura village, is a mother of the young boy. Tears roll down her cheeks when she narrates her story. She was very young when she got married.
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Rawa is a remote village situated in the difficult terrains of Girwa Tehsil. Most men in the village are daily wage labourers.
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Four months ago, our Sakhi programme reached out to Narpat Ki Khedi, a small village with a conservative...
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Despite making huge advances in development in our county, women today still face a number of hurdles due to gaping gender gap in the workforce. Only 29% of the women in our country end up joining the workforce..
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Mohini’s story goes to show that there is no limit to how much one can achieve with strong determination.
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The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is an initiative and social security measure of the government of India, aimed at providing guaranteed employment to rural people in an attept to reduce distress migration from villages.
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Gudiya Kanwar became a famous name in the pickle unit of Kayad (Ajmer) for a reason. She was a housewife...
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Radha Jaat is resident of Chittorgarh’s Monga Ka Khera hamlet. Her husband abandoned her a few years ago...
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Kanchan Vaishav is a native of Bhilwara’s Agoocha Village. She is a 45-year-old woman, who has been working at the Pulses Unit in Agoocha since its inception. Her husband worked as a farmer, but now is confined to the home due to poor health.
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Jamna Khatik is a resident of village Putholi, Chittorgarh. She started working at the textile centre 2 years ago...
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Sadhana lives in a remote village named Maloni Pawar, 46km away from Dholpur, Rajasthan. She is an active member of an SHG in her village.
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“She is a warrior capable of slaying demons. She is a pioneer capable of choosing her own path. She is a trailblazer capable of achieving new horizons. Just give her some time and see her bedazzle the world.” ― Avijeet Das
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“Ashayein” is a Hindi word which means “Hope”. Those who manage to have hope regardless of their hardship, are the ones who succeed with flying colours.
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The title aptly captures the story of Mamta Solanki and Meena Kanwar, residents of Kishanganj village in the Baran district of Rajasthan. Mamta, 24 years old, is the daughter of Meena Kanwar, 43 years old. Mamta got married to Tanwar Singh five years ago but has since separated from him.
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As cliché as it sounds, “change is constant”. There are few people who are able to bring change at the grass-root level, and 45 year-old Sangeeta Kunwar is one such women. Hailing from Rolakheda village of Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, Sangeeta earned recognition in her village for the contribution she made.
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“Koshish” is a Hindi word that means “to try”. It’s the attitude that ultimately makes all the difference between success and failure.
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The story of 21 year old Paras Salvi speaks for itself. A resident of Rupakhedi village in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan...
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Sometimes life gives us a second chance. It’s left upto us to seize the moment and make the most of opportunities that come our way.
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“SCHOOL CHALI MAIN” in Hindi translates to mean “I am going to school”. The sentence signifies the happiness of Vimla Salvi, a 27 year old from Rupakhedi Village in Chittorgarh District of Rajasthan.
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The Second Chance Programme implemented by Manjari Foundation and supported by Pradan and UN Women has set the ball rolling for several women like Promilla Karmakar.
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“Sui-Dhaaga” is a popularly used Hindi word, which means needle and thread. Sewing as an activity has ensured employment for millions of people across the globe.
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“STRONG STRONGER STRONGEST” represents a transition in the life of a rural woman...
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The title “STRONG STRONGER STRONGEST” represents a transition in the life of a rural woman that is straddled with hardship.
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There have been numerous instances where minor efforts have resulted in larger results. We plant trees in gardens, on property, and elsewhere these days in the hope that global warming challenges can be handled in the future.
Click HereOur Testimonials
'Manjari’ literally translates to “seed of Tulsi”, a sacred Indian plant. When women mobilise themselves to form institutions, they are empowered to sow their own ‘seeds of change’.
"Development of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC), the social internship program of SPJIMR has been collaborating with Manjari Foundation since 2015. This has been fruitful relationship for us. I want to emphasise the four following themes. First the internships give our students a different idea of leadership which also gives them a sense of requirements for the future and adds to the ethics of sociological content. The participants acquire a notion of innovation- both social and technical which gives them a systemic view of the society. Such an empirical location gives them both a sense of limits and possibilities of what they can do. Environmental consciousness and gender sensitivity constitute two critical parts of social responsibility as we define it today. The participants of the internship understand what these key concepts mean in everyday sense. Internship at Manjari adds to their imagination in this direction. We value this relationship."
"Our collaboration with Manjari has allowed us to better understand the approach of solidarity groups and concretely towards the empowerment of women in the commune of Logo.The participation of Indian PRCs has been beneficial because the women have appropriated easily by seeing that they are rural women Indian women who share their experiences with them. The Camide team was formed by the professionals of Manjari with enthusiasm and professionalism and is able to reproduce most of the activities. This period of collaboration opens up prospects for our two structures to replicate the model in Mali and Africa. We again thank Manjari for all the efforts made for Camide and particularly the Director Sanjay Kumar. We were able to reach more than 2,500 women and more than 180 million CFA francs of credit granted four test henhouses substantial support for the winter and market gardening campaign in terms of results thank you."
"Without larger vision and dedication of the team of MF and its leadership, both vertical and horizontal growth would have never been possible to pick up at this level in this short history of its evolution. Since I have been associated with the Sakhi project of MF funded by Hindustan Zinc for the last 2 years, the happiness and confidence seen in their faces of hundreds of women in the villages proves its vitality. I have also witnessed the UN-women funded second chance education project (SCE) being implemented in 3 districts under the guidance of PRADAN is a much worthy to reach out to those young women in the age group of 16-35 who have been deprived in their childhood with the education, skills and employment are now happily enrolled and trained to overcome these deprivations with much positive outcome. While writing all these statements, I recall each visit to the project area to witness the change processes that were taking place within those women who had never dreamed of being so empowered and self-reliant so soon in their lifetimes."
"Manjari Foundation is IPE Global’s implementation partner in Dholpur, Rajasthan under the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), UK supported Project Udaan that aims at reducing teenage pregnancies. They have been instrumental in successfully piloting interventions for improving the knowledge of adolescents around sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Bari block of Dholpur. Their efforts in organizing a team to take up the issue of adolescent SRH and facilitating its implementation with great sensitivity across the block has not only been recognized by the district administration, but has also paved way for attempting a scale-up across the district. Their coordination with the community-level institutions, local government bodies and the target group has been noteworthy and exemplary. "
