“The story highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women in community development and the transformative impact of initiatives like Smartpur, where women emerge as entrepreneurs, challenging stereotypes and inspiring future generations to overcome adversity in remote areas.”
Women’s contributions to building a holistic community have long been ignored. They have often been the silent workers whose commitment and hard work go unnoticed and unrecognized. With projects like Smartpur – a digital village ecosystem – women have found a platform to channelize their skills, become entrepreneurs, and establish their own information centres.
Ms. Sathya, a resident of MG Doddi, visited the Cowdalli Smartpur Spoke centre to apply for her voter ID. Assuming that the service provider would be male, Sathya was surprised to see Perumal, a female SoochnaPrenuers, providing services to the community. Our spoke coordinator is a well-trained entrepreneur who offers services in education, finance, livelihood, and governance.
Ms. Sathya had been struggling to obtain her voter ID, but this process took less than 10 minutes at the Smartpur spoke centre. In Sathya’s own words, “I had assumed that the centre must be run by a man, who would take hours to complete my work. However, I was delighted to see a woman from my neighborhood taking charge of the centre. This is a significant achievement for women in Cowdalli. Such examples pave the way for future generations to pursue their goals despite the challenges posed by remote locations and limited resources.”