In a powerful teamwork aimed at fostering financial inclusion and rural entrepreneurship, UN Women, Rang De, and the Manjari Foundation have come together to provide affordable credit and skill-building support to women from economically and socially excluded communities across India.
The initiative, propelled under the UN Women Programme, focuses on enabling nano and micro women entrepreneurs to access peer-funded loans while equipping them with the skills needed to build sustainable businesses.
Speaking to Business Northeast (BNE), Kanta Singh, Country Representative a.i., said "The Fund for Women Entrepreneurs is an integrated, peer-to-peer (P2P), collateral-free lending initiative by UN Women India, designed to address systemic barriers faced by rural and marginalized women in accessing formal credit. Beyond finance access, the project adopts a holistic ecosystem approach combining affordable, regulated micro-loans with targeted financial literacy, enterprise development support, and responsible repayment incentives.
It enables women to move from informal lending space and businesses toward sustainable micro-enterprises by providing tailored handholding across the credit lifecycle from loan application and digital onboarding to business planning, mobile banking, and repayment management. To date, the initiative has reached 1,365 women entrepreneurs across 14 states (including Assam and Nagaland) and aims to reach 2500 women across India - demonstrating a scalable, gender-responsive financing model rooted in inclusion, capability-building, and long-term financial resilience".
According to Smita Ram, Co-founder and CEO of Rang De, the project was conceptualized in response to a call for suggestions by UN Women seeking a model that combined grassroots implementation with peer-to-peer lending. Manjari Foundation applied as an implementing agency and partnered with Rang De, which operates the credit platform. While Manjari Foundation leads the groundwork in select geographies, the initiative is pan-India in scope, covering regions like Rajasthan, Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh), Bihar, Assam, Nagaland, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
The core objective is to provide accessible, low-cost credit to women who are typically excepted from the formal financial system.
So far, the initiative has reached 1,325 women entrepreneurs, with a target of 2,500 by December 2025. A dedicated UN Women Fund hosted on Rang De’s platform has mobilized over Rs.5.3 crore from 1,300+ social investors almost mirroring the number of entrepreneurs supported. These funds are being directed to first-time women entrepreneurs involved in small-scale rural enterprises such as kirana stores, beauty salons, Common Service Centres (CSCs), and traditional handicrafts. Many recipients are also involved in animal husbandry goat rearing, piggery, poultry and even sustainable agricultural practices like solar-powered irrigation services, which are creating both livings and native influence.
The model goes beyond just providing credit. It is intended around four key pillars: mobilisation, skill development, financial literacy, and credit access. While Manjari Foundation and other grassroots partners handle mobilisation and training, Rang De focuses on designing tailored credit products and bringing financial literacy modules. Smita Ram underlined that credit alone cannot transform lives; incessant handholding, capacity building, and follow-up support are critical to the entrepreneurs’ long-term success. Field visits and regular feedback loops between the community, partner organizations, Rang De, and the social investors ensure accountability and adaptive improvement.
One of the most important consequences of the initiative has been the creation of credit histories for women who had never previously accessed formal finance. As Smita pointed out, nearly 71 percent of the beneficiaries funded under this programme were new to credit and had no prior credit score. Today, they are being recognized as credible borrowers, thereby unlocking access to future financial opportunities. The programme also incentivizes timely repayments through small financial rewards at the end of each loan cycle—encouraging responsible borrowing and building financial discipline without relying on group lending models.
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Sanjay Sharma, Executive Director of the Manjari Foundation, described the initiative as a catalyst for rural development. He noted that the partnership between UN Women, Rang De, and Manjari Foundation is not only helping women achieve financial independence but also generating employment in rural communities. By combining business training, digital financial literacy, and access to peer-funded credit, the programme is enabling women, youth, and small farmers to launch and grow enterprises that create lasting change.
As the project approaches its conclusion in December 2025, its success offers a scalable model for inclusive, women-led development. The partners are already exploring ways to replicate the approach in new geographies and deepen their support for rural women entrepreneurs. With each loan disbursed, the programme is proving that when given the right tools and trust, India's excluded women can emerge as powerful agents of economic transformation.
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