Unleashing the full potential of women in rural India is our promise and a catalyst for widespread economic and social transformation. In FY 2024-2025, Women on Wings significantly accelerated this impact, co-creating 60,241 jobs and nearing our half-million milestone with a total of 456,072 jobs to date.
Our annual report details how productive collaborations with Indian social enterprises and Indian government institutions partners this year, backed by vital funders like the Gates Foundation, L’Oréal Fund for Women, VP Capital and anonymous donors, drive this success.
Stories of transformative real-life impact
The report features a new partnership with another government institution and powerful testimonials from partners like SPOKSS and Taru Naturals, demonstrating tangible increases in sales and job creation due to Women on Wings’ consultancy and support. Our impact on women in rural India is best told through the lives transformed. Stories in the annual report cover:
- Matu (Assam): A certified Samarth weaver skilled in exquisite silks and a respected community leader.
- Suman (Uttarakhand): An entrepreneurial baker who achieved financial stability.
- Monica (Maharashtra): A community resource person and shop owner saving for her daughters’ dreams of becoming a police officer and a pilot.
Reaffirmed relevance and future focus
Amidst new leadership and India’s evolving landscape, we undertook a comprehensive strategic review, posing the critical question: “Are we still needed and relevant?” A resounding ‘yes!’ from our Indian social enterprise and government partners reaffirmed our ambition to co-create one million jobs and sharpened our strategic focus on positioning, services, expanded collaborations and stronger impact assessment.
Strategic shifts: maximizing partner potential
To maximize impact, we implemented more stringent partner selection, prioritizing social enterprises with a minimum of 150 jobs for women and significant growth potential. We launched new self-assessment tools to empower partners to identify growth areas, informing our tailored support roadmaps.
With most partners now in Food & Agri, we foresee future job growth in this sector, complemented by our new in-depth, hands-on implementation approach.
In FY 2024-2025, demand for our expertise from social enterprise partners concentrated in:
- Marketing (36.1%): Essential for market reach and product promotion.
- Strategy (25%): Driving long-term planning and sustainable growth.
- Business Development (11.1%): Identifying new opportunities and alliances.
- Finance (8.3%): Crucial for economic viability and fundraising.
- Sales (5.6%) and HR (5.6%): Supporting direct sales and human resources development.
- Supply Chain Management (2.8%): Enhancing operational efficiency for scaling.
- Other (5.6%): Addressing varied specific needs.
Scaling impact through government partnerships
Government partnerships are crucial for scaling our impact Our collaborations with Indian government institutions, such as Maharashtra’s Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) and the new 2024 partnership with Uttarakhand’s Gramya Vikas Samiti (UGVS) (House of Himalayas), exemplify our ability to consult and scale impact within government frameworks.
MAVIM: With MAVIM, we co-developed strategic interventions, including operating plans and market/sales strategies, culminating in a corporate gifting program. This initiative defined KPIs, identified high-potential products, streamlined operations and increased market access and job opportunities for women in rural Maharashtra.
UGVS (House of Himalayas): Our three-year partnership with UGVS supports the House of Himalayas (HoH), a state-backed fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand unifying Uttarakhand’s rural products. We provide comprehensive consultancy, including business strategy, financial projections, market research, branding, pricing, sales, organizational structure, hiring, supply chain mapping and legal/HR policy review. We also conceptualize retail presence, plan key event roadmaps (e.g., BioFach 2024, Gulf Food 2025) and facilitate institutional partnerships for product development and compliance.
By strengthening market access and obtaining premium pricing for their products and produce, the House of Himalayas initiative economically empowers women farmers and rural entrepreneurs. This addresses Uttarakhand’s significant male out-migration due to agricultural challenges, limited market access and a reliance on farming and tourism, which disproportionately impacts women left behind to manage households and businesses with little support.
Enhanced efficiency and value proposition
We reduced the average cost of co-creating one job for a woman in rural India to just 17.96 euros, demonstrating our commitment to efficiency. This was achieved through 5,057 hours of pro bono and paid consulting from our Indian and Dutch business experts in FY 2024-2025
We also strengthened our brand promise, ‘to unleash the full potential of all women in rural India,’ and our value proposition, ‘consulting for social entrepreneurship,’ by creating a new visual identity and manifesto, reflected across our redesigned website and all materials.
Major governance changes and team additions
June 2024 saw a significant governance change with the transition to a two-tier Supervisory Board, featuring dedicated Audit and Nomination & Remuneration Committees. This ensures independent oversight and heightened accountability, further affirmed by our CBF Recognition.
We also filled key Women on Wings positions across our government institutions and social enterprise verticals, strengthening our team and processes.
Our continued commitment to a future of thriving women
Women on Wings is energized by its renewed strategic focus and dynamic partnerships. We remain steadfast in our commitment to co-create one million jobs for women in rural India, leveraging our expertise, stronger collaborations and belief in the power of economic empowerment to drive lasting change.
Because economically and socially empowered women, as highlighted by the International Center for Research on Women, drive change, reach their full potential and advance their rights, investing in families, communities and national economies for sustainable development.
Join us in building a future where every woman in rural India has the opportunity to thrive.
View or download the full FY 2024-2025 annual report in its PDF version here.
Media contacts
Shilpa Mittal Singh, Joint Managing Director
shilpa@womenonwings.com
Ellen Tacoma, Co-Founder, Joint Managing Director
ellen@womenonwings.com
Martha van Dijk, Manager Funding and Impact
martha@womenonwings.com
