“I don’t want to work in a hospital as a nurse — I want to do something for the people of my village,” says Amita Chouhan, a mother of two from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. For years, she dreamed of a career in healthcare, but early marriage and family responsibilities put her aspirations on hold.

It was only when she joined Plustrust’s ‘Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHE) fellowship’ that she found a way to bring medical services to her village while pursuing her own education.

Amita’s story is not unique. Across India, countless women face societal barriers that prevent them from achieving financial independence and social mobility. Yet, through small but meaningful interventions, many are rewriting their narratives.

One organisation helping them do so is ‘Plustrust’, a Bengaluru-based social enterprise that provides micro-incubation support for rural women entrepreneurs.

Since its inception in 2008, Plustrust has supported 289 fellows across 13 states, 89% of whom are women from villages and small towns. The fellowships, which provide stipends between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 per month, allow women to test and develop their entrepreneurial ideas while receiving mentorship and guidance. In addition to benefiting themselves, the fellows have been able to bring about change in their communities.

A mission to empower

It was in the small villages and towns of India that Dr Lalitha Iyer found her true calling. A former banker and consultant, she had always believed in the power of women to drive change — if only they had the right support. With this vision in mind, she founded Plustrust in 2008, hoping to create a space where women from the most marginalised communities could step forward and chase their dreams without fear.

“The women tell us that the fellowship has helped them gain self-confidence. Many women had never spoken to a man outside their family before they became fellows. Now they address village meetings,” Dr Lalitha says.

The fellowship lasts for six months, giving women financial backing, mentorship, and hands-on training to transform their ideas into reality. “The fellows create a prototype of their idea in six months, and if they feel confident, they continue. The programme builds three strengths — personal effectiveness, project management, and professionalism. We call this the 3P framework,” she adds.

Setting goals, identifying objectives, developing a methodology, planning, and improvising are all part of the training imparted by Plustrust.

Plustrust has collaborated with various organisations to bring the latest healthcare technology to rural areas. This includes a rapid thyroid testing device and a home-based ECG machine, ensuring that even remote communities have access to essential diagnostics.

The organisation also runs multiple fellowship programmes catering to different social needs:

• Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHE) Fellowship: Focuses on providing healthcare solutions in rural areas through simple diagnostics and health awareness.
• Rural Women Edupreneur (RWE) Fellowship: Supports women who want to work in the education sector, helping them create innovative learning spaces.
• Return to Roots (RTR) Fellowship: Initiated during COVID-19, this programme........
  

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