Three female business owners, one common goal to empower women in India

Bunko Junko was founded in 2017 by Bhavini with a vision to create environmental sustainability in the textile industry. Based on statistics¹, about 15 percent of fabric is left on the cutting room floor in textile factories. Bunko Junko uses this leftover fabric to manufacture clothing, accessories, and home linen. Led by Bhavini, who has spent close to three decades in the clothing industry, Bunko Junko also provides employment opportunities to more than 1000 women from low socio-economic groups in Mumbai. They are trained by Bhavini in the skills that will allow them to earn a sustained living. Bunko Junko aspires to expand its footprint across India and enter global markets including the USA and Australia. 

“We intend to utilise this grant towards enriching our product portfolio and bring a broader variety of environment conscious clothing. Additionally, some part of the grant will be utilised to upgrade our infrastructure and further enhance the working environment of our women embroiders at our Karjat centre. We hope our efforts will help them become more independent professionals. Bunko Junko is committed to creating jobs and improving societal awareness about textile upcycling.” Bhavini N Parikh, Founder & CEO, Bunko Junko.

¹ Fashion Industry Waste Statistics

An architect by profession and a motorcyclist by passion, Jai is a staunch supporter of women relying on mobility to support themselves. At a biking expedition from Hyderabad to Vietnam, Jai saw employment opportunities that existed for women if they could ride two/three-wheelers – something uncommon in India. MoWo (Moving Women) was born in 2019 to empower women through skills in mobility to make them more independent. MoWo is a not-for-profit organisation that aspires to create a safe and reliable commute option “for and by women”. Of the 1,200 women that MoWo has reached out to so far, 250 have been trained to ride two-wheelers and have attained the required driving licences. Close to 90 percent of the women trained by MoWo come from lower income groups, they also liaise with organisations for job opportunities in mobility, and in policy advocacy to ensure women can drive safely and confidently. Some of MoWo’s protégés have already been employed in logistics delivery services. 

"We plan to develop robust communication channels to enhance our outreach and encourage more women to pick up mobility as a skill. The grant will also enable us to spruce up our training capabilities besides helping us find more employment opportunities for women by piloting the fleet services." 

Jai Bharathi Addepalli, Founder & CEO, MoWo Social Initiatives Foundation.

Reading is an integral part of a child’s life and is a key foundational skill for childhood development. With the clear goal of creating a community of little readers and helping parents pass on the love of reading to the next generation, My Chapter One came into being in early 2020. Ranjani, who has been associated with education for several years, found in her research that parents valued reading as a skill that they were willing to invest their time and money to develop. My Chapter One aims to instil the habit of reading through enjoyable experiences for the young minds and to provide career opportunities for more than 40 mom-preneurs as “reading hosts”. During the pandemic, My Chapter One moved to an entirely virtual platform and helped many kids get back into the immersive world of books.

“Knowledge acquisition has been identified as an important 21^st century skill, and reading is the best way to go about it. We want to reignite the fire for reading among children and make it a fun experience. We are looking to partner with publishing houses to explore possibilities of distributing books to our students. We are also in the process of expanding in Bangalore and Hyderabad.” Ranjani Indrajith, Founder, My Chapter One.