Overview

At USAID, we believe gender equality and women's empowerment are not just a part of development but are the core of development. In India, USAID builds partnerships and leverages local resources in India to ensure women have equitable access to quality healthcare, sanitation, education, nutrition, finance, household decision-making, and more.

Highlight

In West Bengal, USAID is working to increase women’s economic empowerment across the entire supply chain for potatoes with PepsiCo. Since the partnership began, USAID and PepsiCo have provided potato agronomy training for more than 1,000 women to recognize them as farmers.

USAID Helps Women Entrepreneurs Adapt to the COVID-19 Pandemic: USAID supports an initiative with SEWA Bharat to assist and empower women cooperatives and 135,000 micro-entrepreneurs affected by the pandemic, helping them access market opportunities by strengthening their digital and financial skills, and linking them to finance. This approach supports the creation of an environment that allows women-led micro-entrepreneurs and cooperatives to thrive during and beyond COVID-19.

USAID Empowers Women with Disabilities: USAID is building the capacity of women with disabilities and promoting their rights to independent living in the community with dignity. USAID’s support is improving access to knowledge and livelihood options, creating a strong network of peers, sensitizing government officials on issues related to disability, improving access to knowledge and livelihood options, and preventing violence on people with disabilities.

USAID Increases Employment Opportunities for Marginalized Women: The USAID supported Producer-Owned Women Enterprises (POWER) Project works to create formal employment opportunities for women from marginalized communities to enhance sustainable and inclusive development in rural areas. Since its launch in 2019, the project helped develop seven producer-owned enterprises for manufacturing and selling natural fiber-based products, and established market linkages with retailers such as IKEA.