Nurturing Women-Owned Collective Enterprises

Ruaab is a women-led livelihood initiative that works to strengthen income opportunities for grassroots artisans through textile-based production and craft. With operations across multiple centers, the initiative engages women through a combination of skill-building, enterprise development, and access to markets. At its core, Ruaab is rooted in the values of dignified work, fair wages, and sustainability. It creates flexible livelihood opportunities that allow women to balance work with their responsibilities, while also promoting eco-friendly practices through the use of upcycled and waste materials.

Tantghar is a women-led handloom collective under SEWA Anubandh based in Phulia, West Bengal, comprising 25 women artisans engaged in the production and sale of handcrafted textiles. The collective specializes in the traditional art of Jamdani weaving and produces a diverse range of handwoven products, including Jamdani sarees, dupattas, stoles, khesh, home furnishings, and apparel, blending centuries-old craftsmanship with contemporary designs and natural dyeing techniques. Managed collectively by its members, Tantghar combines traditional weaving expertise with enterprise development support to strengthen production systems, quality standards, inventory management, and market readiness. Through this approach, Tantghar aims to preserve Bengal’s rich weaving heritage while building a sustainable women-owned enterprise that enhances artisans’ incomes, leadership, and long-term economic resilience.

Goatique is a women-led collective enterprise under SEWA Anubandh based in Bihar that produces, packages, and markets handmade goat milk soaps. Managed by a collective of 9 women, the enterprise manufactures 4 natural soap variants—Lavender, Lemongrass, Sandalwood, and Vanilla—using locally sourced ingredients and traditional production methods. Its decentralized supply chain engages around 60+ Pashu Sakhis and several milk suppliers, creating local livelihood opportunities while strengthening community participation. Goatique currently sells through rural and emerging urban markets and is expanding its focus towards institutional and bulk buyers, with the broader goal of building a sustainable, women-owned enterprise that enhances incomes, local leadership, and economic opportunities for women.

Bihar Credit Cooperative (BCC) is a women-led financial cooperative under SEWA Bihar that provides accessible and affordable financial services to women in the informal economy, enabling them to strengthen their livelihoods and enterprises. Operating across 4 districts and 50+  villages in Bihar, the cooperative serves over 21,000 women members through a community-based network, offering a range of financial products including enterprise, livelihood, consumption, and secured loans. Governed and managed by women, BCC promotes financial inclusion by extending credit to members who have limited access to formal banking services while building financial literacy, encouraging regular savings, and fostering responsible borrowing. Through its network of local financial facilitators and member-owned governance, the cooperative strengthens women’s access to finance, supports enterprise growth, and enhances the economic resilience, leadership, and decision-making power of women across rural communities.

Sarthak SEWA Pvt. Ltd. is an enterprise that promotes financial inclusion via business correspondents, currently spanning 4 districts of Uttarakhand and 3 districts of Punjab. It extends financial services and literacy to rural and remote unbanked populations with core values of financial transparency, social service, and quality customer service at its heart.