VMPL
New Delhi [India], November 21: Representatives of the " la Caixa" Foundation and Development Alternatives visited Mirzapur and Varanasi districts in Uttar Pradesh, to engage with women entrepreneurs who are breaking social barriers and building sustainable livelihoods through the Women-led Safe Mobility Initiative.
The two-day visit, on 6th and 7th October 2025, marked a significant milestone in the decade-long partnership between Development Alternatives (DA) and the "la Caixa" Foundation through the Work4Progress programme, which focuses on job creation by building entrepreneurial ecosystems with a social innovation approach.
In Mirzapur, the delegation interacted with women e-rickshaw entrepreneurs of Aarya Groups, village-level platforms where women support each other in their entrepreneurial journeys. The delegation witnessed solidarity in action among women entrepreneurs, and how through these brave spaces they help each other overcome deeply entrenched social barriers to run e-rickshaw enterprises.
One of the entrepreneurs, Parvati Devi from Arjunpur village, shared her journey: "When I started driving an e-rickshaw two years ago, my husband and family members questioned my decision. Today, I earn independently, my children go to better schools, and I've inspired and trained many more women from my village, even from Varanasi and Gorakhpur districts, to start driving e-rickshaws. The Aarya Group gave me not just training support, but the confidence to break social barriers."
The delegation also visited the Aarya Manch, a district-level platform where different stakeholders, including the women police department, traffic police, Road Transport Office (RTO), banks, vendors, schools, and government agencies, collaborate to support women e-rickshaw entrepreneurs. This multi-stakeholder approach ensures that women entrepreneurs have access to the regulatory support, financial services, and market linkages needed to sustain and grow their businesses.
They also met with the first woman entrepreneur to establish a Battery Charging Station Enterprise in Mirzapur. Her innovative business provides lithium-ion batteries as a service to e-rickshaw drivers, offering them a cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective energy solution. This ancillary enterprise demonstrates how the Safe Mobility Initiative is creating a complete ecosystem of interconnected livelihood opportunities. "Witnessing the remarkable entrepreneurial spirit in Uttar Pradesh has been truly inspiring," said H.R.H. Infanta Cristina, Director of the International Area at the "la Caixa" Foundation "The Work4Progress programme exemplifies how collaborative partnerships can create lasting pathways to prosperity. These entrepreneurs are not just building businesses--they are transforming their communities and proving that sustainable development is achievable when we invest in local solutions and empower people with the right tools and support."
Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President of Development Alternatives, stated: "Our decade-long partnership with the "la Caixa" Foundation represents a powerful model of how innovation, collaboration, and local action can address India's livelihood challenges. Safe Mobility demonstrates that when women are given the right support and collective platforms, they don't just build enterprises--they challenge social norms and create ripple effects that benefit entire communities."
The Women-led Safe Mobility Initiative of DA, initially incubated in the Work4Progress programme of "la Caixa" Foundation, and subsequently co-financed by Climate KIC, Fundacion ISS, and Gates Foundation, works towards building conducive entrepreneurial ecosystems that bring women to the forefront of mobility challenges, enabling them to co-create new-age livelihood solutions such as women-led e-rickshaw enterprises and ancillary businesses. The initiative is being scaled across Uttar Pradesh through collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), aligning with the government's efforts to promote women's economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods.
As DA works toward its mission to create 1 Million Livelihoods by 2030, initiatives like Safe Mobility showcase how targeted interventions, when scaled through strategic partnerships with government and philanthropic organizations, can create transformative impact across India's underserved regions.
About Development Alternatives (DA):
Development Alternatives (DA) is a premier social enterprise pioneering sustainable development solutions since 1982. Headquartered in New Delhi, the mission of the DA Group is to promote inclusive, equitable, and resilient national development by creating sustainable livelihoods at scale. DA's work addresses the three interconnected crises of our time, Jobs, Resources, and Climate through impact across three core areas, Livelihood Security & Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy and Climate Change & Ecosystem Restoration. These goals are advanced through nine interlinked programmes: Women's Economic Empowerment, Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, Greening of Industry, Sustainable Urban Ecosystems, Natural Ecosystem Restoration, Resource Access and Equity, Clean Technology Enterprises, Community Resource Management, and Local Institutions & SDG Action. Over the past four decades, Development Alternatives has positively impacted the lives of more than 20 million people, building pathways for sustainable and inclusive growth.
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