Congratulations to Bishnu!
Congratulations to Bishnu, one of the projects main staff, has been one of the winners of the Women Exemplar Programme under the CII foundation. This programme is meant for ‘Giving wings to Women from the Grassroots’. They select women in education, health, and micro-enterprises across the country. There were 527 contestants for this programme and Bishnu won in the micro-enterprise group. This award will mean long term support for micro-enterprise activities from CII in the project area.
Bishnupriya Swain is a microentrepreneur and a leader who has brought about transformative change in the lives of over 37,000 rural poor women in the eastern part of Chilika lake. She has implemented the model of collectives and micro-enterprises, which has had a profound impact on the lives of women from marginalized communities.
Bishnu Apa has directly helped more than 17,000 women become self-reliant by enhancing their income. She was inspired to work for the women of her community after witnessing the struggles faced by her mother and herself. Despite facing opposition from the community, she formed self-help groups and created alternative livelihoods for women. Currently, she aims to start her own producer company to showcase the products developed by the talented fisherwomen of Chilika.
