FedEx and United Way Mumbai Help 400 Women Restart Their Businesses

In honor of International Women’s Day, read how our FedEx Express India team, in collaboration with United Way Mumbai, is helping empower women to restart their small businesses.

To reflect our commitment to providing women and minority entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed, 400 women from lower income groups will receive support in the form of a “Saksham” kit with relevant products to restart their small businesses that were impacted as a result of COVID-19. FedEx Express in India, in association with United Way Mumbai, has identified beneficiaries who had previously been operating a small business, but need tools and support to re-start their business. These businesses include home beauty services, tailoring, homemade products such as pickles, incense sticks and other skills and services. As these women re-establish themselves, raw material suppliers across some of the most impacted communities in India will also benefit from this program. This collaborative approach will have a positive impact on the livelihood of the recipients and their families, and help them recover from the pandemic.

One of our beneficiaries Madhuri Vishwakarma who provides home beauty services, and was facing financial difficulties as she had to stop home visits during the lockdown said, “Thank you FedEx and United Way Mumbai for enabling me to restart my work and support my family in these difficult times”.  While, another beneficiary Samina Parbez Shaikh who is the only earning member of her family and was facing challenges with her business due to restrictions related to the lockdown said, “I am feeling empowered to resume my business. The Saksham kit support will help me increase my customer reach”.

Hear from one of the recipients, Samina Parvez Shaikh, on how the Saksham kit helped her business.

***Photos published with permission of United Way Mumbai