Women at the Heart of Change: How Two Powerful Models Are Reshaping Livelihoods in India

Across India, some of the most transformative development stories are being written not in boardrooms, but in villages, tribal hamlets, and dense urban settlements by women who are stepping into new roles as entrepreneurs, health leaders, and economic catalysts. Entrust’s philanthropy lens often focuses on models that create lasting, community-rooted change.  

Two such organisations:- Bahaar Foundation and The Udaiti Foundation, are leading the way with powerful, scalable approaches to women’s economic empowerment.

1. Bahaar Foundation: Building Hyperlocal, Women-Led Livelihoods

Bahaar Foundation (https://bahaarfoundation.org/) designs and implements hyperlocal, flexible, context-specific and gender-sensitive entrepreneurship models that create dignified work for women, especially in urban poor, rural, and tribal regions. Their mission is simple but powerful: strengthen local economies by putting women at the centre. 

Founded by serial entrepreneurs Meena Ganesh and Ganesh Krishnan, Bahaar Foundation is proving that when women are trained, trusted, and empowered, entire communities transform. 

The Community Health Entrepreneur (CHE) Model 

Bahaar’s flagship CHE program enables selected local women to become trained primary healthcare providers bringing reliable, affordable, culturally sensitive care to the doorstep. These women offer first-level health services, preventive and promotive care, NCD screening, teleconsultations, emergency support, vision checks, essential health products, and seamless referrals into the public health system. 

In Bastar, Chhattisgarh, 37 CHEs (locally called Sangwaris) now support 50,000 people, improving community health while increasing their household incomes by ~25%. This work is expanding through government partnerships across Raipur (50 CHEs), Jashpur (anemia-focused CHE program), and Punjab (state-wide rollout to all 12,000+ villages in collaboration with the Punjab Development Commission). By embedding CHEs within public systems and equipping them with digital tools like the SAATH app, Bahaar ensures scale, sustainability, and measurable impact.

2. The Udaiti Foundation: Unlocking Women’s Full Economic Potential

The Udaiti Foundation (https://www.udaiti.org/) envisions a future where every Indian woman achieves her full economic potential, an essential step in India’s journey toward becoming a $10 trillion economy. Their mission is ambitious: double women’s labour force participation, double women-owned enterprises from 14% to 28%, and strengthen women’s agency both at home and in society. 

The Udaiti Foundation is led by Founding CEO Pooja Sharma Goyal, a serial entrepreneur focused on women’s empowerment. Udaiti’s approach is systems-led and deeply collaborative. They believe the private sector can catalyse outsized impact, digital technology is a game changer, data must guide decisions, and government scale is unmatched. By uniting nonprofits, government bodies, and the private sector, they act as a force multiplier for women’s economic empowerment. 

Their work spans four strategic pillars: improving women’s access to quality jobs, advancing women-led enterprises, enabling gender-smart infrastructure, and promoting large-scale financial inclusion. Through research, strategic partnerships, and innovative programs, Udaiti is shaping the national agenda on women’s economic progress. 

A Shared Vision: Women as Engines of Resilient, Inclusive Growth 

While their approaches differ, Bahaar Foundation and The Udaiti Foundation share a common belief: when women thrive, families prosper and communities rise. Bahaar strengthens the base of the pyramid by creating hyperlocal livelihoods tailored to the realities of underserved regions. Udaiti strengthens the system by shifting policy, markets, and institutions to unlock opportunities at scale. 

Together, they show us a powerful truth: India’s economic transformation will be shaped by women: – one enterprise, one village, and one opportunity at a time.