news - Empowering India’s rural women entrepreneurs with Dharma Life

Last week, FMO announced a loan agreement of EUR 1.2 million to Dharma Life, an organization dedicated to poverty alleviation through rural women entrepreneurship in India. The transaction is enabled by the Access to Energy Fund, which FMO manages on behalf of the Dutch government. Dharma Life will use our loan to boost the sales of solar lights and clean cooking techniques through its entrepreneur network and partner microfinance institutions.  

In India, electricity has not yet reached all 45 million rural households and many households only have electricity for a couple of hours. People resort to the use of kerosene, diesel, or wood-fired chulhas, which not only come at high economic costs, but also result in substantial health and environmental hazards. In India, poor indoor air quality is the second highest cause of death, after high blood pressure, with 1.3 million deaths each year.

Dharma Life addresses the issue of poor lighting in villages and promotes solar lights as a non-polluting source of lighting, also making especially young children the torch bearers of behavior change in their villages. The organization also promotes the adoption and continued usage of clean cooking products. In order to do this, the organization inspires and prepares rural people in India to become entrepreneurs.

Through its entrepreneur network Dharma Life provides sustainable products - like solar lights and clean cook stoves -  to make a social impact and drive rural development. The film below showcases what the organization does by telling the story of four such Dharma Life Entrepreneurs who have brought about social change in their villages. 

The organization identifies rural entrepreneurs and trains them to become social change makers in their villages. Apart from energy access and clean cooking, the organization’s programs focus on menstrual hygiene and family planning, livelihood and job creation, nutrition, general sanitation and digital empowerment. Through awareness campaigns, product demonstrations and behavior change activities, Dharma Life entrepreneurs build an ecosystem for community engagement.

Guarav Mehta, Founder of Dharma Life: ‘We are extremely privileged to partner with FMO. This partnership will help us significantly accelerate our mission towards reducing emissions and improving health and quality of life in rural India through our female Dharma Life Entrepreneur network. It is an endorsement of entrepreneurial models like ours as trusted vehicles to fight poverty and climate change at scale and in a sustainable manner.’