Representatives of “La Caixa” Foundation met women change-makers driving entrepreneurship in Mirzapur

The two-day visit on 6 and 7 October 2025 marked an important milestone in the decade-long partnership between Development Alternatives (DA) and “La Caixa” Foundation through the Work4Progress programme, which focuses on job creation by building entrepreneurial ecosystems with a social innovation approach.

In Mirzapur, the delegation interacted with women e-rickshaw entrepreneurs from Arya Group, a village-level platform where women support each other in their entrepreneurial journey. The delegation witnessed solidarity in action among women entrepreneurs and how through these adventurous spaces they help each other overcome deep-rooted social barriers to running e-rickshaw enterprises.

One of the entrepreneurs, Parvati Devi from Arjunpur village, shares her journey: “When I started driving e-rickshaw two years ago, my husband and family members questioned my decision. Today, I earn independently, my children go to better schools, and I have inspired and trained many women from my village, even in Varanasi and Gorakhpur districts, to start driving e-rickshaw. Arya Group has not only helped me Provided training support, but also the confidence to break social barriers.”

The delegation also visited Arya Manch, a district-level platform where various stakeholders including women police departments, traffic police, road transport offices (RTOs), banks, vendors, schools and government agencies collaborate to support women e-rickshaw entrepreneurs. This multi-stakeholder approach ensures that women entrepreneurs have access to the regulatory support, financial services and market relations needed to sustain and grow their businesses.

He also met the first woman entrepreneur to set up a battery charging station enterprise in Mirzapur. Their innovative business provides lithium-ion batteries as a service to e-rickshaw drivers, providing them with a cleaner, more efficient and cost-effective energy solution. This supporting venture shows how the Safe Mobility Initiative is creating an entire ecosystem of interconnected livelihood opportunities. “It has been truly inspiring to see the remarkable entrepreneurial spirit in Uttar Pradesh,” said HRH Infanta Cristina, International Sector Director at “La Caixa” Foundation. The Work4Progress program exemplifies how collaborative partnerships can create sustainable pathways to prosperity. These entrepreneurs aren’t just building businesses – they’re transforming their communities and proving that sustainable growth can be achieved when we invest in local solutions and empower people with the right tools and support.

Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President, Development Alternatives, said: “Our decade-long partnership with “La Caixa” Foundation represents a powerful model of how innovation, collaboration and local action can solve India’s livelihood challenges. Safe Mobility shows that when women are given the right support and a collective platform, they don’t just create enterprises – they challenge social norms and create powerful impacts that benefit entire communities.

DA’s women-led safe mobility initiative, initially launched in the Work4Progress program of the “La Caixa” Foundation, and later co-funded by Climate KIC, Fundación ISS and the Gates Foundation, works towards building conducive entrepreneurship ecosystems that bring women to the forefront of mobility challenges, enabling them to create new-age livelihood solutions such as women-led e-rickshaw enterprises and supporting businesses Goes. In line with the Government’s efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods, this initiative is being scaled up across Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM).

As DA works towards its mission to create 1 million livelihoods by 2030, initiatives like Safe Mobility demonstrate how targeted interventions through strategic partnerships with government and philanthropic organizations can create transformative impact in India’s underprivileged areas.

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