The Mann Deshi Foundation

The Mann Deshi Foundation serves as the NGO arm of Mann Deshi Mahila Group. Established in 1994, the Foundation works injunction with the Mann Deshi Bank by providing a variety of non-financial services to their clients aimed at improving the quality of life for rural women and their families in India.

Mann Deshi Foundation Programs

Mann Deshi Udyogini (Rural Business School for Rural Women) provides women with no formal education or who have dropped out school the essential financial and business tools needed to successfully start or expand their own businesses

Mobile Business School is a custom-built bus used by Mann Deshi Udyogini to reach women in the remotest areas

Financial Literacy is a core course offered through Mann Deshi Udyogini, which imparts training on loan repayment and the importance of savings 

Deshi Entrepreneurs Program aims to create business role models of 1,000 promising rural women entrepreneurs by providing them with a mentor and business management training through Mann Deshi Udyogini to help them achieve significant business growth

Community Radio initiative builds local capacity and empowers women to improve their lives and those of their families through creative programming

Women’s Property Rights projects have been administered by Mann Deshi Foundation through a combination of government lobbying and activism  

Women’s Health Education program teaches women in self-help groups about nutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive health, and breast and ovarian cancer 

Farming Programs offered through Self-Help Groups provide women in the agricultural sector veterinary services, access to animal feed, and entrepreneurial training for raising animals and improving management of dairies 

Kiosk Program gives farmers the opportunity to strategically plan and manage farming activities and wisely market their products 

Freedom Ride: To Keep Girls in School program provides bicycles to rural girls through interest-free loans, making it possible for them to attend school 

Umbrella Program distributes umbrellas though interest-free loans to street vendors to protect against sun exposure.