Every morning, 81-year-old Mansukh Dada takes his place on a busy Mumbai pavement with packets of homemade chakli, sev and chips carefully prepared by hand.Some days are better than others. On many days, he waits for hours for customers to stop. For Mansukh Dada, selling a few extra packets isn’t about growing a business—it’s about ensuring there is enough money to get through another day.
When a field team from True Hope Foundation met him, he had earned just ₹140 that day.
Yet he wasn’t ready to leave.
“Har nahi manunga me,” he told them.
For the team, that moment became more than a conversation. It became the foundation of a larger idea.
From One Vendor’s Story to a Nationwide Initiative
Founded in Rajasthan in 2023, True Hope Foundation has launched a Street Vendor Empowerment Programme across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Hyderabad with a mission to help informal workers gain visibility in an increasingly digital economy.
The programme currently aims to onboard more than 250 street vendors and connect them with buyers through a structured online platform while simultaneously supporting over 45 NGO partners across India.
The initiative operates under a simple philosophy: “Buy From a Vendor, Change Two Lives.”
The concept emerged shortly after the Foundation’s interaction with Mansukh Dada.
After purchasing his remaining stock, team members delivered the snacks to a nearby old-age home. The response from the residents was immediate. The food carried familiarity, nostalgia and comfort.
“That day, we realised one purchase could support two people at the same time,” says Dhaval Darji, Founder of True Hope Foundation. “The vendor earned an income, and the elderly residents received something meaningful. That became the basis of our model.”
Building a Double-Impact Marketplace
Today, Mansukh Dada is among the vendors featured on the Foundation’s platform.
Consumers can browse vendor profiles, learn about their stories and purchase products directly through the system. Once an order is placed, the products are prepared by the vendor and delivered to a designated NGO partner.
In Mansukh Dada’s case, many orders are routed to a Mumbai-based old-age home where residents receive traditional Gujarati snacks such as khakhra, farsan and sev.
The Foundation believes this approach creates a sustainable ecosystem where commerce and social welfare reinforce each other.
The programme follows a structured onboarding framework that includes vendor identification and verification, digital profile creation, product catalogue development, logistics integration and ongoing platform support.
Ground teams work closely with vendors to verify product quality, document their stories and help them access opportunities that would otherwise remain out of reach.
Turning Community Members Into Changemakers
To expand the initiative, True Hope Foundation has also launched a community nomination drive.
The Foundation is encouraging citizens across metro cities to identify hardworking street vendors who deserve greater visibility and support. Whether it’s the chai seller who has served commuters for decades, a flower vendor working at a traffic signal, or a fruit seller supporting an entire family through daily earnings, community members can nominate them for inclusion in the programme.
Nominated vendors undergo a verification process before being featured on the platform.
“We believe some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in India are standing on street corners, not in boardrooms,” says Darji. “Often, they just need the right platform and the right opportunity.”
Citizens interested in nominating a deserving street vendor can do so through the Foundation’s nomination platform: https://truehopefoundation.in/small-vendors
Beyond Charity: Building Sustainable Impact
While True Hope Foundation also works in areas such as healthcare assistance, education support and emergency financial aid, the Street Vendor Empowerment Programme represents its most scalable initiative to date.
Rather than relying solely on donations, the model attempts to create a self-sustaining cycle where consumer purchases generate income opportunities while supporting community welfare.
For vendors like Mansukh Dada, the impact goes beyond sales.
His dream is simple: to continue making the traditional snacks his family has prepared for generations and eventually pass those recipes on to his grandson.
Every order, he believes, brings him one step closer.
And for True Hope Foundation, his story serves as a reminder that sometimes the most powerful innovations begin not with technology, but with paying attention to people who are often overlooked.
