Taking the needs of such disadvantaged rural women into account, Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) which is part of the Development Alternatives Group designed the ‘Literacy to Self-Reliance’ project. This project focusses on taking women through a process of providing literacy, developing their vocational skills, enhancing their entrepreneurial acumen and facilitating enterprise development; thereby contributing to making them self-reliant at each stage of the process, in one form or the other.

The first phase of the project started in 2011 in a few villages of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh as Noida Power Company Limited’s (NPCL) corporate social responsibility initiative. Thereafter due to steady success of the project, the intervention expanded to 12 villages by 2014 and completed its fourth phase.

Supporting entrepreneurship is undoubtedly a positive and practical choice towards empowering women socially, economically and emotionally. Through this intervention, TARA has focused on motivating and encouraging women to start their enterprises and independently support their means of livelihood. Post the training and capacity building programmes under this project, women have gained confidence to establish their enterprises and nine women entrepreneurs across seven villages in Greater Noida are successful entrepreneurs today, supporting their families financially.

Savita was just another ordinary woman in her village at Sunpura, till she enrolled for the ‘Literacy to Self-Reliance’ Project, run by Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) with support from Noida Power Company Ltd. (NPCL) in 2012-13. Today, she is the only women entrepreneur of her village.

Prior to undergoing the programme, her husband was the sole breadwinner of the family - a driver by profession. Savita wanted to give her children a better life. This initiative came as a boon in her life. Upon completing the entire training, she began with a few tailoring orders from home, and later felt that she wanted her own store. She shared her dream of opening a boutique when TARA with NPCL’s support again approached her village in 2014.

TARA provided Savita with advanced training on stitching and tailoring. A month later, she opened her own stitching and tailoring centre – Pratigya Ladies Tailoring Centre, named after her daughter. She receives three to five orders daily, for which she charges Rs. 100-120 per suit. Her family income has increased by more than Rs. 6000 per month.

Savita wishes that projects like ‘Literacy to Self-Reliance’ should come to each and every village and every woman and young girl should enrol in it. As quoted by Savita – "I thank NPCL and TARA for all their efforts. I was scared and lacked confidence earlier. I express my gratitude to the TARA team for believing in me and trusting that I could do this".