Swayam Shikshan Prayog — Combating Climate Change through Rural Community Leadership
Swayam Shikshan Prayog, an Indian non-profit, trains rural women in entrepreneurship and helps them market clean energy solutions in their communities. Currently, a network of over 1,100 women entrepreneurs operates across 8 districts in India, serving as clean technology users, educators, providers, and supporters, making it easier for people to adopt energy-efficient technologies and products.
Since 2009, the organization has helped more than 60,000 rural women start businesses in sectors like clean energy, sustainable agriculture, health and nutrition, and safe water and sanitation. This has positively impacted more than 4 million people across 4 states in India.
The burning of kerosene and firewood by rural households in India releases harmful greenhouse gases and causes indoor air pollution, which is linked to millions of deaths worldwide. Swayam Shikshan Prayog empowers women to combat this by becoming clean energy entrepreneurs and climate change leaders in their communities. The organization offers a comprehensive support system, including entrepreneurial and vocational skills development, seed and business expansion loans, rural marketing and distribution linkages, and access to a peer network of entrepreneurs.
The women entrepreneurs make clean energy products accessible in their communities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, their efforts have led to the adoption of clean cook stoves by over 100,000 women and households, saving nearly 100 tonnes of firewood per day. The women have also promoted solar lanterns, biogas cooking units, organic farming, vermin-composting, and efficient irrigation technology.
Through their training and support, the women have become change makers, both within their households and in their communities. They have embraced leadership roles, supporting rural communities to adopt clean energy products, recharge water sources, and promote agricultural best practices.
The project’s market-based approach can be adapted anywhere, making it a sustainable solution in India and beyond. Swayam Shikshan Prayog has collaborated with organizations such as USAID and Misereor to expand their network of rural women entrepreneurs.
