Uplifting Women Street Vendors

Since October 2017

The ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors’ initiative of the Entrepreneurs Associates aims to empower women street vendors and petty traders who are inadvertently driving the rural local economy, by addressing issues through multi-pronged approach of training them on

·      Financial planning and management leveraging EA’s expertise

·      Healthcare

·      Legal awareness

·      Administrative provisions for them

·      Ethical Business to win trust of customers

·      Better Customer Service

·      Inculcating values for better services

·      Becoming perceptive to issues pertinent to their and family well being.

At the same time sensitizing community and society about the importance of the role played by the women to raise support and awareness for their work through engaging members from the legal sector, policy makers, civil society workers, church leaders and community leaders in the trainings. Continuous mentoring and motivation in the field and branch offices through deputed Community Mobilisers is another very important component following the trainings. The initiative for the women street vendors will be catalytic in changing society as better trained/educated women can steer families, thereby communities leading to social change. 

·      Educating them on the role they play and how they are contributing towards the economy will make them more passionate and committed to their work, not just view their work as drudgery and associating it as an option due to lack of other choices. 

·      Helping them envision themselves as being a very crucial link in the agrarian economy will instill in them confidence as they view their work to be vital for the existence and well being of many others. 

·      Their understanding that they play a crucial role in the economy and the ensuing mindset change will enable them to have a purpose greater than themselves, enabling them to play more proactive roles in their communities.

Since 2017, tEA has trained more than 7000+ street vendors across Nagaland, Manipur & Assam.

Post the pandemic, tEA has also been encouraging the women to increase income sources and has been providing skills trainings besides engaging them in nurturing micro-nurseries for the Trees for Wealth program.