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Annual Report FY 2025-2026: milestone reached with over half a million jobs co-created to date
Summary
With the Women on Wings latest 2025-2026 Annual Report we are celebrating a major milestone: to date, Women on Wings has co-created over half a million jobs for women across rural India. Notably, 35% of these jobs were co-created in just the last three years, largely driven by new and deepening partnerships with government institutions and multi-state partnerships that enable impact at scale.
This achievement is due to a collaborative model, built on strong partnerships with Indian social enterprises, government institutions, and the dedication and commitment of our Indian and Dutch experts, our entire team and generous funders. We are now halfway to our goal and fully committed to continuing our effort to reach one million jobs given its relevance for women in rural India.
Impact at a glance
Impact achieved so far
1,570,000
Children to (a better) school
523,472
Jobs for women co-created
2,617,000
Improved livelihoods
Cumulated jobs
*Due to transfer to the Indian financial year, this period consists of 5 quarters
Average cost to co-create one job
17.55 €
Average costs of Women on Wings to co-create one job for a woman in rural India over the last 18 years
Data audited annually (as of March 31, 2026)
Inside the Women on Wings Annual Report FY 2025-26
Women on Wings’ Annual Report FY 2025-26 details how strategic business support and collaboration within key government missions (such as UMED and MAVIM in Maharashtra and House of Himalayas in Uttarakhand) are driving impact at scale. By co-creating 67,400 jobs this past year, Women on Wings has officially surpassed the major milestone of half a million total jobs co-created bringing the total to 523,472 jobs.
Ms Jharana Kamthan IAS
Additional Secretary,
Rural Development Department, State Government of Uttarakhand; Project Director, REAP-IFAD; CEO, Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihoods Mission; Managing Director, House of Himalayas Ltd
“What established Women on Wings’ credibility when we partnered was their purely business-driven approach. While they consult pro bono they don’t use a typical NGO model; they come as consultants focused on market analysis, supply chain efficiency, and structure. That rigorous, for-profit mindset is why we’ve achieved unprecedented market success, crossing the ₹4 crore sales mark. The ‘return’ on this investment is the secure and dignified income for thousands of women.”
Shifts and achievements in FY 2025-2026
To maximize our impact, Women on Wings restructured to focus on high-growth programs and deeper collaboration.
Strategic evolution: We are shifting focus toward high-growth partnerships with new and deepening government institutions and social enterprise partnerships, continuing to value a business-driven approach that prioritizes market analysis, supply chain efficiency, and sustainable revenue. This transition is marked by occasional shifts, from purely advisory roles to implementation support.
The government edge: A significant percentage of jobs were co-created in the last three years, largely driven by new and deepening partnerships with Indian government institutions like Uttarakhand’s Gramya Vikas Samiti’s (UGVS) House of Himalayas brand, Maharashtra’s Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) and Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) – UMED. This institutional buy-in is key to reaching our goal of one million jobs and lasting systemic change.
Expertise-led approach: Our impact is increasingly driven by a growing network of highly experienced Indian experts. This year, we significantly increased the percentage of projects led by these consultants, ensuring advice is tailored to local Indian ecosystems. While our Dutch experts have been fundamently instrumental in our progress to date, this deliberate model shift toward more Indian experts strengthens our foundation for long-term sustainability.
Knowledge leadership: The establishment of a dedicated Knowledge & Expertise function within Women on Wings ensures on-the-ground research and insights can be translated into scalable solutions for our partners.
Call for applications: Our inaugural Call for Applications campaign attracted 42 submissions and led to three new innovative partners in the food/agri sector.
As always, we maintain the highest standards of governance. We are CBF-recognized and certified by NGOsource as equivalent to a U.S. Certified Public Charity.
Beyond our internal operations and strategic evolution, Women on Wings’ core mission remains steadfastly focused on the driver behind our work: women’s economic empowerment.
An employee of Han Agri Innovations shows mushrooms they produce.
On gender equality progress
Women on Wings advocates for gender equality as a fundamental human right, and crucially as a powerful driver of economic and social progress. While the World Economic Forum estimates that closing the global gender gap could take more than a century, we believe that expanding economic opportunities for women can play a critical role in accelerating change and unleashing their full potential.
Laxmi Devi
Farmer, who supplies to our partner House of Himalayas
“Beyond financial gain, the most meaningful change has been the birth of a collective mindset. In the past, every woman worked in isolation, but now, we think and plan as one.”
We are grateful to all the women, men and organizations that have made this half million milestone possible. We are doing this together.
To see the full scope of our strategic evolution, this year’s results, the path to one million jobs, the complete Annual Report offers all the details.
