Enterprise creation
120 commercial sheep farms and 10 goat farms were established in Kadavur block on Mahalir Thittam finance, alongside four backyard poultry units at Mettupatty village.
Entrepreneurship & enterprise development
Creating sustainable enterprises through skill-based training and entrepreneurship support — turning women into business owners.
1,162
Women in SHG enterprise training, 2004–05
201
Women in enterprise skills, 2009–10
200
Enterprise development trainees, 2020–21
120
Commercial sheep farms, Kadavur block
Understanding
What enterprise development means
What is entrepreneurship & enterprise development?
Programmes designed to foster business acumen, provide vocational skills, and create sustainable economic opportunities for individuals — particularly women from rural and marginalized communities.
These initiatives combine skill-based training with entrepreneurial mindset development, enabling participants to start and manage their own businesses. The trust’s reports record the cohorts year by year: 1,162 women in self-help group enterprise training in 2004–05, 201 in dairy, tailoring, nursery management, vermicomposting and mushroom production in 2009–10, and 200 in a seven-day enterprise development course in 2020–21.
We focus on practical, market-oriented skills training coupled with business development support — product selection, project report, marketing. The enterprises that followed are recorded too: 120 commercial sheep farms and 10 goat farms in Kadavur block, four backyard poultry units at Mettupatty village, and in 2023–24 eight women’s groups of 41 women who began mushroom cultivation earning about ₹300 a day each.
- Women's empowerment
- Skill training
- Business development
- Income generation
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Job seekers, not job creators
Without market-oriented skills, women in rural and marginalized communities are left competing for scarce jobs instead of creating their own.
Our response
Train for the market
Practical, skill-based training in trades the market wants — women in Trichy district were trained in 2003–04 to manufacture environmentally friendly paper cups and allied paper products, and 20 women in Dindigul completed a three-month beautician course.
The challenge
A trade alone doesn't run a business
Technical skill without business planning, financial management or marketing know-how rarely becomes a viable enterprise.
Our response
Teach the business, not just the trade
The 2020–21 enterprise development course took 200 people through the concept of business from product selection to project report to marketing, over seven days, with successful businesspeople as the faculty.
The challenge
Barriers at the starting line
Legal requirements, equipment costs and initial funding stop many would-be entrepreneurs before they ever open their doors.
Our response
Support every new enterprise
Training is followed by the credit that buys the asset — 120 commercial sheep farms, 10 goat farms built with technical backing from UVTRC Karur, and four backyard poultry units at Mettupatty village, all in Kadavur block.
The challenge
New businesses fail without support
Young enterprises collapse without customers, suppliers or anyone to turn to when problems arise.
Our response
Link markets, mentor continuously
Where the market link holds, the enterprise holds. Of the 60 women trained in mushroom production in Manur block in 2023–24, eight groups totalling 41 women began cultivating and were earning about ₹300 a day each.
At a glance
The essentials
- Active since
- 2002Entrepreneur Development Programme for rural women first recorded in the 2002–03 annual report
- Women trained
- Itemised, not totalled1,162 in 2004–05; 43 handloom weavers and 50 in tailoring in 2008–09; 201 in 2009–10; 200 in 2020–21; 60 in 2023–24. The reports never print a cumulative figure
- Enterprises recorded
- 120 sheep farms, 10 goat farmsPlus four backyard poultry units at Mettupatty, and eight women’s mushroom groups of 41 members in 2023–24
- Project portfolio
- 6 programmesSkill-based, vocational and enterprise development, 2003–2024
- Most recent delivery
- Mushroom enterprise training60 women in Manur block, Tirunelveli, 2023–24; 41 went on to cultivate
- Delivery model
- Training-to-enterpriseSkill training, business education, credit linkage and market linkage
Track record
Project portfolio, 2003–2024
| Programme | Period | Type | Highlights | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper cups manufacturing training | 2003–2004 | Training programme | Women in Trichy district trained to manufacture environmentally friendly paper cups and allied paper products | Completed |
| Beautician course training | 2003–2004 | Training programme | 20 women in Dindigul district trained over three months, through the Women Development Corporation, Government of Tamil Nadu | Completed |
| Self-help group entrepreneurship training | 2004–2007 | Training programme | 1,162 women trained in mushroom cultivation and vermicomposting; groups went on to run herbal and community nurseries and production centres | Completed |
| Mahalir Thittam enterprise training | 2009–2010 | State programme | 201 women — 52 in dairy development, 47 in tailoring, 27 in nursery management, 32 in vermicomposting, 43 in mushroom production | Completed |
| Entrepreneurship development training | 2020–2021 | Training programme | 200 people over seven days — paper bag making and value-added products of moringa, amla and guava | Completed |
| Mushroom enterprise training, Manur block | 2023–2024 | CSR programme | 60 women trained over two days; eight groups of 41 women began cultivation, earning about ₹300 a day each | Completed |
Impact
What enterprise development changes
Skill development
Vocational training cohort by cohort — 1,162 women in 2004–05, 201 in 2009–10, 200 in 2020–21, 60 in 2023–24 — in the trades the local market actually buys.
From training to trading
Of 30 women trained in sewing machine operation in 2023–24, 24 found work in textile mills in Vedasandur and Karur and three started their own tailoring businesses earning ₹350–400 a day.
Women empowerment
Transformed women from job seekers to job creators — enhancing their social status, confidence and decision-making power in their families and communities.
Get involved
Support women entrepreneurs
Help us create more women entrepreneurs and sustainable enterprises. Your support enables us to provide skill training, business development support and mentorship that transform women into successful business owners.