Mumbai, India - January 11, 2018 - Encouraging and empowering women entrepreneurs from rural areas of Maharashtra, Dow India partnered with the Mann Deshi Foundation to conduct the Mann Deshi Mahotsav, an annual community festival that was held in Mumbai from January 4 – 7, 2018. The festival was a platform for more than 90 women entrepreneurs to showcase arts and crafts, culture and cuisine from rural Maharashtra.
Support for the festival is an extension of Dow India’s CSR partnership with the Mann Deshi Foundation, which was announced in 2017. Speaking at the inaugural event, Mr. Sudhir Shenoy, CEO, Dow India said, “Our partnership with Mann Deshi foundation started with the setting up of the Mann Deshi training center at Chiplun in Lote. This festival enables us to see first-hand the entrepreneurial spirit of the women associated with Mann Deshi. Their passion to create market-centric innovation, with limited resources and often under challenging circumstances, deserves our support and recognition. It is great to see the spirit of innovation running deep in our society – be it chemistry, community building or supporting regional arts.”
Resonating Sudhir’s thoughts, Ms. Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Foundation, said, “Mann Deshi Foundation is dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs and their communities. By 2022, we aim to provide one million women entrepreneurs with access to knowledge and capital, enabling them to have personal and professional agency in their lives. We partner with corporates and organizations who share this intent. Such synergies are critical for creating sustained value for merit of families of beneficiaries, as well as communities in which programs are run.”
Resonating Sudhir’s thoughts, Ms. Chetna Gala Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Foundation, said, “Mann Deshi Foundation is dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs and their communities. By 2022, we aim to provide one million women entrepreneurs with access to knowledge and capital, enabling them to have personal and professional agency in their lives. We partner with corporates and organizations who share this intent. Such synergies are critical for creating sustained value for merit of families of beneficiaries, as well as communities in which programs are run.”
Set up in 1996 in Mann taluka, Maharashtra, Mann Deshi Foundation runs a Women’s Bank and an NGO that works closely with women micro-entrepreneurs, as well as small and marginal farmers. It runs a dozen Business Schools for Rural Women, the first Chambers of Commerce for Rural Micro Entrepreneurs, a Community Radio, a Water Conservation programme and a Sports programme. To date, its programmes have supported over 400,000 women and it has built 10 check dams that have impacted over 50,000 people.
The Mann Deshi Mahotsav was also attended by eminent personalities like Mrs. Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Ashutosh Gowariker, Director and Ms. Sonali Kulkarni, Actress.
About Dow India:
Dow Chemical International Private Limited (Dow India) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of India's most challenging problems including the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. With 800+ employees in locations spread across the country, Dow India is continually finding ways to make people's lives healthier, safer and more convenient through exploring sustainable solutions based on technology development and application research in areas of infrastructure, transportation, energy, consumer and, lifestyle.
As a responsible corporate citizen, the company uses its technology expertise and employee volunteerism to partner with the communities in which it operates. Dow continues to support Jaipur Foot through free distribution of prosthetic limbs along with BMVSS, building homes for the underprivileged through 'Habitat for Humanity' and supporting scientific thought and environmental awareness among the future generations through ‘Multiply the Message’ and ‘Mobile Science Lab’ programs. For more, visit www.dow-india.com / http://in.dow.com