Appinventiv Foundation, the philanthropy wing of Appinventiv, one of APAC’s top high-growth companies of 2024, has empowered 1000+ women of Pilibhit district with self-employment skills. The tech giant’s selfless initiative has reached 1010 rural women of Pahal Gramin Seva Samiti, Saidpur, and Pilibhit. Appinventiv Foundation collaborated with Pahal Grameen Seva Samiti to provide these women a 5-days Jalkumbhi handicraft training and strengthen their financial independence.
Spreading The Wings Of Atmanirbharta
The initiative began on 11th March 2024 and lasted 12 days, covering 19 villages of Block Purnapur, Amaria, and Marori in the Pilibhit district. The villages were notified about the opportunity early, and 1010 women participated to gain self-employment skills. Seven expert trainers were appointed from Pahal Grameen Seva Samiti to conduct the sessions.
Promoting An Indigenous Artisan Form
Jalkumbhi handicraft is an age-old technique of handcrafting various utility products out of water hyacinth, a weed found in freshwater ponds, lakes, and rivers. Appinventiv’s initiative partner acquired knowledge of this technique during one of their campaigns in Assam back in 2014. The technique was easily applicable in Pilibhit and nearby villages due to the abundance of water hyacinth in many of its rivers and ponds.
Creating Better Income Skills While Relieving Nature’s Woes
Appinventiv identified that the abundance of water hyacinth in the region could open better earning opportunities with negligible investments. The quality of hyacinths in the region was good enough to make high-quality baskets, storage containers, bags, placemats, pen stands, table mats, coasters, chachai, and fankha.
The team observed that the impact of this initiative can also promote cleaner water bodies in the region. When left unused, water hyacinths can block sewage and halt water-based transportation in extreme cases. Evaporation enhances water loss by 2.5 to 3 times, making survival difficult for other aquatic plants and fish stocks. It also becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other parasites.
“The Jalakumbhi handicraft initiative brought the dual impact of empowering women with earning skills while improving the hygiene of natural water bodies. The success of this campaign has inspired us to extend it to more villages soon. With over 1,000 women unlocking better income opportunities using the Indigenous Jalkumbhi handicraft and controlling the fast-growing hyacinth population, we bring Atmanirbhar Bharat closer to reality,” said Dileep Gupta, Co-founder of Appinventiv.
Appinventiv’s effort to provide skills to rural women of Uttar Pradesh has brought impressive results. The women who acquired the skill expressed a strong desire to build products out of water hyacinth and sell them independently. The raw material used is free, and the result is unique, natural, and durable products sold for attractive prices nationwide.
About Appinventiv
Appinventiv is an IT leader serving digital transformation solutions to 35+ industries from its 4 global excellence centers. In 9 years, the team grew to 1600+ tech experts and has built a clientele of leading enterprises and innovative startups in the prominent markets of the UAE, US, UK, Europe, and other MENA regions. Its effective solutions, backed by a strong employee-first culture, won it The Best Place To Work award by Outlook India. The company launched the Appinventiv Foundation on 8 November 2023 to help marginalized communities access better health, hygiene, and earning opportunities.
