What began as a small step by Sam (Virendar) Singh, a retired head of DuPont South Asia, in breaking the cycle of poverty in Anupshahar in UP’s Bulandshahar district, has transformed into a revolution of change with his visionary initiative of first addressing the quality of life for the weakest members of this society–the rural girl children, commonly seen as an economic and social burden. The terrible narrative which thereon unfolds–of a cycle of repression, abuse, and neglect, he was of the firm belief could only be broken with the self-reliance and enlightenment that education brings.
At the heart of IVillage, which goes far beyond its role as a social enterprise, is Sam’s inspirational vision, which drives its mission to help women in India’s rural spaces become financially independent and transform their lives as individuals. The company envisions prosperous and self-sustaining villages via local skills and opportunity development. Creating avenues of employment and generating livelihoods has been pivotal to making this vision a pulsating reality which continues to empower women in rural societies, focusing especially on the rural population in and around Uttar Pradesh.
Distinct Destinations, which has long pursued the sustainable route in its beautifully curated travel programmes, has been very pleased to be associated with the IVillage Family initiative. We have a powerful belief in the power of supporting and giving back through NGO Partnerships. Distinct Destinations has developed a meaningful partnership with I Village, and this organisation’s deep involvement with augmenting women's empowerment through its many activities is in sync with the beliefs that we ourselves firmly hold.
We have been procuring anything we get printed such as paging signages, maps for guests etc., from IVillage Family, to give meaning to every penny spent on collaterals. Our jute tote bags, for example, sourced from the organization are made locally, to reduce plastic consumption, and support local artisans.
We will soon be listed on the website of I Village Family, as everything Distinct Destination procures for its key partners is only always from this organization. This is Distinct Destinations’ own small initiative to support a worthy cause.
A t IVillage personality development and support learning and skill acquisition are routed through well-defined methods and processes to create women who have grown into independent and confident individuals. These endeavours have been a precious contributing factor in enhancing the socio-economic status of the villages themselves.
While IVillage is an excellent platform for empowerment of rural girls and women and enables them to be self-sustainable–its mission is also to create and grow a socially responsible business that offers high-quality products and services while contributing to the upliftment of society. IVillage specialises in making sustainable and eco-friendly gifting products, with a particular niche in cotton bags for corporate and retail brands.
Corporate India’s connect with this beautiful story, through the process of ‘gifting’ has further strengthened the laudable work of IVillage, by supporting the artisanal learnings and services gained under the mentorship of an excellent team, which aims to train, upskill and employ rural youth and homemakers in various aspects of creating quality products and services–and taking them from the village to the world.
Today IVillage is not just another social enterprise–it is a powerful idea that continues to link the village to the global market–and opens up many inspiring narratives of scores of women empowered under their mentoring with lifelong skills and education…