NEW DELHI (India CSR): Saral Jeevan Foundation & Frontier Markets has officially entered Gujarat through a strategic partnership with Apollo Tyres Foundation, marking a significant expansion of its flagship women-led entrepreneurship platform, She Leads Bharat:Udyam. The initiative has already onboarded and strengthened 200 rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) in Waghodia Block, Vadodara District, leveraging technology, capacity building, market linkages, and network support to drive sustainable and measurable income growth.
Apollo Tyres also hosted the 7th edition of the Ek Naam Campaign 2026, a flagship initiative commemorating International Women’s Day and celebrating remarkable rural women entrepreneurs across India.
At the heart of this strategic partnership is She Leads Bharat, a national movement to build digitally empowered rural women entrepreneurs who can lead thriving micro-enterprises within their communities. Through the AI-enabled Meri Saheli App, women gain access to e-commerce, financial services, assisted digital commerce, and diversified product portfolios, enabling them to build resilient, multi-income businesses.
To ensure strong last-mile support, 40 Super Sahelis have been mapped so far, trained, and certified to provide on-ground handholding. Since implementation began, the programme has already surpassed initial outreach goals, expanding from the targeted 40 villages to 62 villages, reflecting strong community participation and demand. A total of 201 rural women entrepreneurs have been mapped and onboarded, with 200 trained and certified on the platform.
Early digital commerce results indicate promising traction. Of the onboarded women, 193 women have begun transacting through the e-commerce model, generating over ₹5.50 lakh in delivered orders and earning more than Rs 1.38 lakh+ in digital income in just 3 months. Beyond product sales, women are also earning through paid data collection and assisted services, with nearly 200 women actively participating.
With more than 96% of the onboarded entrepreneurs actively transacting, the programme has now entered a focused growth phase aimed at increasing order frequency and driving consistent monthly income.
“Women-led enterprises are vital to driving grassroots economic growth, especially in rural India where entrepreneurship directly uplifts families and communities. By empowering rural women entrepreneurs through digital platforms, market access, and financial inclusion, we can accelerate truly inclusive economic expansion at scale. We are looking to carry forward the impactful work of Saral Jeevan India Foundation and Frontier Markets in strengthening women-led rural ecosystems and creating sustainable, technology-enabled livelihood opportunities.” said Ajaita Shah, Founder and CEO, Frontier Markets.
Commenting on the initiative, Rinika Grover (Head Sustainability and CSR) , Apollo Tyres Ltd said, “Women-led enterprises are vital to driving grassroots economic growth, especially in rural India where entrepreneurship directly uplifts families and communities. By empowering rural women entrepreneurs through digital platforms, market access, and financial inclusion, we can accelerate truly inclusive economic expansion at scale. We are looking to carry forward the impactful work of Saral Jeevan India Foundation and Frontier Markets in strengthening women-led rural ecosystems and creating sustainable, technology-enabled livelihood opportunities.”
The partnership builds on the work of She Leads Bharat: Udyam, India’s leading rural women entrepreneurship initiative led by Saral Jeevan India Foundation and Frontier Markets, which has cumulatively empowered more than 40,000 rural women entrepreneurs, enabling access to over 10 crore essential solutions for 43 lakh rural households across more than 5,000 villages in five states over the last five years. The initiative was recently recognised by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and has been supported by Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth as Transformational Partner and other partners including 360 ONE Foundation, SAP, Microsoft, Saint Gobain and others.
(India CSR)
