๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ซ: ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฒ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐
In Ganegaon village of Dharashiv district, Maharashtra, 35-year-old Chhaya Ingole once spent long days working as a farm labourer, struggling to support her family. With education ending after the 7th standard and few opportunities around her, life was a daily battle to make ends meet.
Everything began to change when Chhaya joined Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) in 2022 under the Fair for All project supported by the Huairou Commission. Through this initiative, she gained training, guidance, and the confidence to explore new livelihood options. Having already learned tailoring, she started taking sewing orders from her neighbours โ her first step towards financial independence.
Seeing that her village lacked a local grocery store, Chhaya decided to take a bold step forward. With encouragement from SSP mentors and fellow women leaders, she set up a small grocery shop alongside her tailoring work.
Today, Chhaya earns more than โน300 a day and has built a steady income for her family. Her shop has become a small but vital hub for her community, saving time and effort for villagers who earlier had to travel far for basic goods.
“Earlier I depended on daily wages, but now I feel confident and proud that my work also supports my community,โ says Chhaya.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
24 October, 2025