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“I don’t want to work in a hospital as a nurse — I want to do something for the people of my village,” says Amita Chouhan, a mother of two from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. For years, she dreamed of a career in healthcare, but early marriage and family responsibilities put her aspirations on hold.
It was only when she joined Plustrust’s ‘Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHE) fellowship’ that she found a way to bring medical services to her village while pursuing her own education.
Amita’s story is not unique. Across India, countless women face societal barriers that prevent them from achieving financial independence and social mobility. Yet, through small but meaningful interventions, many are rewriting their narratives.
One organisation helping them do so is ‘Plustrust’, a Bengaluru-based social enterprise that provides micro-incubation support for rural women entrepreneurs.
Since its inception in 2008, Plustrust has supported 289 fellows across 13 states, 89% of whom are women from villages and small towns. The fellowships, which provide stipends between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 per month, allow women to test and develop their entrepreneurial ideas while receiving mentorship and guidance. In addition to benefiting themselves, the fellows have been able to bring about change in their communities.
A mission to empower
It was in the small villages and towns of India that Dr Lalitha Iyer found her true calling. A former banker and consultant, she had always believed in the power of women to drive change — if only they had the right support. With this vision in mind, she founded Plustrust in 2008, hoping to create a space where women from the most marginalised communities could step forward and chase their dreams without fear.
“The women tell us that the fellowship has helped them gain self-confidence. Many women had never spoken to a man outside their family before they became fellows. Now they address village meetings,” Dr Lalitha says.
The fellowship lasts for six months, giving women financial backing, mentorship, and hands-on training to transform their ideas into reality. “The fellows create a prototype of their idea in six months, and if they feel confident, they continue. The programme builds three strengths — personal effectiveness, project management, and professionalism. We call this the 3P framework,” she adds.
Setting goals, identifying objectives, developing a methodology, planning, and improvising are all part of the training imparted by Plustrust.
Plustrust has collaborated with various organisations to bring the latest healthcare technology to rural areas. This includes a rapid thyroid testing device and a home-based ECG machine, ensuring that even remote communities have access to essential diagnostics.
The organisation also runs multiple fellowship programmes catering to different social needs:
- Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHE) Fellowship: Focuses on providing healthcare solutions in rural areas through simple diagnostics and health awareness.
- Rural Women Edupreneur (RWE) Fellowship: Supports women who want to work in the education sector, helping them create innovative learning spaces.
- Return to Roots (RTR) Fellowship: Initiated during COVID-19, this programme assists migrant workers returning to their native villages by providing skill development opportunities.
- Changemaker Fellowship: Designed for educated, urban youth who wish to bring social change at the grassroots level.
Beyond these, Dr Lalitha shares, Plustrust fellows engage in a variety of initiatives promoting women’s health and hygiene, tailoring, catering, social inclusion, animal welfare, and even sustainable businesses like making soap from goat milk or weaving mats from old clothes.
Whether it’s bringing basic diagnostic tools to remote areas or helping women build sustainable small businesses, the organisation ensures that each fellow is not just an individual success story but a catalyst for change in her community.
A tapestry of change: Three women, one goal
In different corners of India, three women set out on journeys that would reshape not just their own lives, but those of countless others. They came from different backgrounds, and faced different challenges, but were bound by a shared resolve — to break barriers and build a future of their choosing.
The educator who built a movement
For Simmi, education was never just about academics — it was a tool for empowerment. Growing up in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, she saw how girls were often denied opportunities simply because of their gender. She refused to accept this as the norm.
Today, Simmi works with adolescent girls in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on issues related to hygiene, mental health, sexuality, gender equality, patriarchy, and menstruation. She completed an MA in home science and BEd from her hometown before embarking on her social work journey.
Her path took a pivotal turn in 2016 when she was selected for the RWE Fellowship at Plustrust. “During the fellowship, I got involved in working with adolescent girls, which led to starting ‘Prerna Kishori Vikas Kendra’ (a center providing life skills education and awareness about basic rights and education to adolescent girls). Today, my team and I work with 400 adolescent girls, helping them build confidence, awareness, and life skills,” says Simmi.
Simmi’s work has expanded into four localities, and she now earns Rs 20,000 a month — something she had never imagined. But her vision goes beyond personal success. She wants to reach more girls, helping them challenge societal norms and take charge of their own futures.
Between 2018-20, she secured the Wipro Seeding Fellowship with Plustrust’s support, gaining deeper insights into inclusive education and peace-based teaching. With this, she established a school with six young teachers and launched a Teacher Resource and Co-creation Centre, bringing together about 50 teachers to develop better learning methods.
“My work with adolescent girls also involves tackling sensitive but crucial issues like safe abortion. I now manage five training centres and lead a team addressing gender violence and equality, ensuring that victims receive the assistance they need,” she explains.
But her path was dotted with hurdles. “Once I was selected for the fellowship, I had to attend a workshop in Udaipur. I had two young children — a three-year-old and an infant. Smriti Kedia (a trustee of Plustrust) and Dr Lalitha were incredibly supportive. They suggested I bring an attendant. My husband agreed to accompany me and care for our children while I participated in the workshop,” shares Simmi.
Her work has made her a leader in her community. “Simmi started out inexperienced but has grown into a force of change. She has even mentored other fellows. We stood by her, helping her secure the three-year Wipro Seeding Fellowship. Today, she is a powerful social entrepreneur in her own right,” says Dr Lalitha.
Simmi and her team also partner with the Uttar Pradesh Health Watch Forum, which advocates for youth health with a rights-based approach. She has also spent six years collaborating with the Awadh Peoples’ Forum on education, healthcare, and life skills for children and youth.
Despite her demanding work, Simmi makes time for herself and her family. She enjoys reading stories, painting, helping her children with their projects, gardening, watching serials, and listening to music.
“I started off just wanting to be a teacher,” she reflects, “but I’ve come to see the entire development sector in a new light. It has widened my perspective and deepened my purpose.”
The healer who found her calling
For Amita Chouhan, the road to her dream was never easy. Born in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, she always aspired to work in the medical field, but life had other plans. Married soon after completing Class 10, she became a mother a few years later, putting her education and ambitions on hold. It wasn’t until 2011, after a seven-year gap, that she completed Class 12, determined to carve a path forward.
Her turning point came in 2022 when she became a fellow in the first batch of Plustrust’s CHE Fellowship. This opportunity reignited her passion for healthcare and gave her the confidence to step into the field.
Initially, stepping out into the community wasn’t easy. Convincing people to take basic health tests — blood sugar, blood pressure, thyroid — was met with scepticism. But Amita persisted, going door to door, explaining the importance of preventive healthcare. Within a few months, she had built trust, persuading hundreds of people to take diagnostic tests.
Then, in early 2022, a defining moment changed everything. Amita noticed dangerously low SpO2 levels in an elderly woman in her village — her quick diagnosis and immediate intervention saved the woman’s life. Overnight, Amita became a trusted name in her community. “People have faith in me now,” she says. “And that means everything.”
Despite initial resistance from community members, Amita had one unwavering supporter — her mother-in-law. When people questioned whether a woman should be travelling to different villages for work, her mother-in-law stood by her, ensuring she had the freedom to pursue her calling.
Through her work, Amita earns around Rs 8,000 a month from health tests, charging Rs 50 for blood sugar tests, Rs 200 for thyroid tests, and Rs 400 for comprehensive diagnostic packages. Though her earnings from testing have reduced recently as she now organises health workshops, her financial independence continues to grow.
“From the fellowship, I learned about testing and medical theory. This knowledge has been life-changing — not just for me, but for my family and the people in my village. It has also helped financially. As a CHE programme coordinator, I earn Rs 13,000 while pursuing the final year of my nursing course,” says Amita.
Dr Lalitha, reflecting on Amita’s journey, shares, “She had always wanted to work in the medical field but never got the chance earlier. Marriage and motherhood came early, and she thought her dreams had faded. The CHE programme gave her the confidence to take that step forward.”
Amita’s vision for the future is crystal clear — she wants to serve her village. After completing her three-year nursing degree, she hopes to work in a clinic that Plustrust plans to set up, incorporating telemedicine to make healthcare more accessible to rural communities. “I don’t want to work in a hospital as a nurse,” she says with conviction. “I want to do something for my village.”
The entrepreneur who created opportunities
For Khushnoor Bano, financial independence wasn’t just a goal — it was a necessity. Growing up in a conservative family in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, she was forced to drop out of school after Class 10 and get married. Yet, she refused to let societal norms dictate her destiny.
Supported by her husband and mother-in-law, she sought ways to earn a living and uplift other women in her community. Her journey took a transformative turn in 2021 when she attended a Plustrust workshop through a Self-Help Group (SHG). Until then, she had seen only men in her village study, earn, and improve their financial standing. She wanted the same for herself and other women.
At the workshop, Khushnoor learned about business planning, budgeting, and community engagement — skills that would later become the foundation of her entrepreneurial success. With newfound confidence, she pursued a soap-making training programme, mastering the production of handmade soaps, detergents, and cleaning products.
“I used the stipend provided by Plustrust to acquire raw materials. Through their online classes, I learned marketing, networking, and how to pitch my products to customers,” she says.
Focusing on wholesale distribution, she now supplies cleaning products to three banks and several government offices in and around her village. Today, she employs five women, providing them with a source of steady income
Her business has not only changed her family’s fortunes — earning over Rs 30,000 a month — but also inspired a cultural shift in her village. Seeing her success, many families have started allowing their daughters to pursue education and work with SHGs.
“Plustrust’s strength is its flexibility. There is no rigid template. We tailor the fellowship to each person’s needs. Most of the fellows even go on to create lasting community impact, which is why their work is so respected,” says Dr Lalitha.
Despite her success, Khushnoor’s journey is far from over. She continues to grow her business while resuming her own education, proving that ambition knows no age or boundary.
From Ayodhya to Ujjain to Udaipur, these women’s stories are threads in a larger tapestry — one of resilience, courage, and change. Simmi is empowering young girls, Amita is delivering crucial healthcare, and Khushnoor is creating economic opportunities. And at the heart of it all is one initiative quietly but powerfully enabling them to take charge of their futures.
By ensuring that women have the resources, skills, and support they need, Plustrust is shaping a future where every woman can dream, and every dream has a chance to come true.
Edited by Khushi Arora; All images courtesy Plustrust
