Unilever project empowers rural women through entrepreneurship
View(s):A longstanding symbol of women’s empowerment in rural areas, Unilever Sri Lanka’s Project Saubhagya awarded its top performers at the Annual Diriya Pranama Awards held recently at the Cinnamon Lakeside. The awards celebrate the top 100 entrepreneurs of Unilever’s Saubhagya Channel across the island, according to a company media release. Project Saubhagya is Unilever Sri Lanka’s key initiative under its Unilever Sustainable Living Plan pillar of providing ‘opportunities for women’.
This unique project empowers women through entrepreneurialism, helping rural women become direct-to-home ambassadors of Unilever brands. As a testament to the success of the programme and the capabilities of rural women, this year’s top entrepreneur, R. N. Ranjani of the Monaragala district, accounted for a turnover of Rs.10 million. “Unilever Sri Lanka is deeply invested in the future of Sri Lanka and we strongly believe that to reach our nation’s ultimate potential, women must have a seat at the table when determining the path forward.
The advancement of women’s rights and the economic inclusion of women is critical for our nation’s growth and future prosperity. This is why we initiated Project Saubhagya in partnership with the Divi Neguma Development Department of Sri Lanka, which grants the entrepreneurs the loans needed for their initial investment. By improving their livelihoods through opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, we are able to build stronger distribution networks and create a more sustainable business,” said USL’s Customer Development Director, Aruna Mawilmada.
Project Saubhagya stems from a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by women in developing markets and the integral part they play within Unilever’s own distribution network. It was implemented in 2003 with five brave women entrepreneurs that took the first step towards economic inclusion and the programme has progressed from there to more than 4000 Saubhagya entrepreneurs today.