Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment 🏔 Uttarakhand ki Nari

Pahar ki Mitti,
Unnati ki Raah

Uttarakhand's hills are losing their daughters. Economic hardship forces families to leave their mountains — their homes, their roots, their identity. We are here to change that — one handmade product, one skill, one woman at a time.

Support a Woman Read Their Stories
Section 8 Registered
Annually Audited
100% Field Impact
0
Women Trained & Active
0
Micro-Businesses Started
0
Self-Help Groups (SHGs)
"

Pahad chhodna nahi chahti thi — par majboor thi. Ab mera apna kaam hai. Ab main yahi rahungi.

— Kamla Devi, Pauri • Shawl Weaver
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The Real Problem

Why Uttarakhand's Women Are Leaving Their Mountains

Economic hardship is forcing families off their mountains. When men migrate for work, women follow — or are left behind in silence. The villages empty. The culture erodes. We are here to stop that.

01
65%
Hill villages losing population

Over half of Uttarakhand's mountain villages have seen significant population decline in the last decade. Men leave first — and their families follow.

Villages becoming ghost towns
Schools closing for lack of children
Agricultural land going fallow
02
70%
Migrants are men aged 18–40

Young men leave Uttarakhand for cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Dehradun. Women are either left behind alone — or forced to follow, losing their roots.

Women left to manage farms alone
Children growing up without fathers
Generations of skill being lost
03
₹0
Independent income for most women

Pahari women have centuries of skill — weaving, farming, crafts. But no market access, no financial support. Their work is invisible. Their income is zero.

No market access for handmade goods
No banking or credit access
Skills passed down but never monetised
👩0
Women Trained
🏭0
Micro-Businesses
🤝0
Self-Help Groups
🏔0
Villages Covered
💕
Pahar Se Bazaar TakMountain craft reaching markets
₹4,000 avg/monthIncome per trained woman
Our Mission

Keeping Women Rooted in Their Mountains

The hills of Uttarakhand are not just geography — they are identity. Every woman who leaves carries a piece of that identity with her. We believe the answer isn't migration — it's financial independence right here on the mountain.

Sense Of Nature Foundation runs a three-track women's empowerment programme — vocational skills (weaving, tailoring, handicrafts), economic independence (micro-businesses, SHGs, market linkage), and leadership development. The goal is simple: give every pahari woman an income that keeps her home.

Our women don't just earn — they become trainers, SHG leaders, and community anchors. Many have started their own businesses. Their handmade products now reach buyers across India.

🧸 Shawl Weaving 🕷 Wool Craft 🧶 Organic Farming 🧪 Pickle & Preserves 📚 Skill Training 🤝 Self-Help Groups 🏠 Stay in Pahad
3 Programme Tracks

How We Empower

Three interconnected tracks — each one building on the other — to create fully self-reliant women who never have to leave their mountains.

01
Vocational Skills
Pahar ke haath, pahar ka kaam

Skill training in traditional Uttarakhand crafts and modern vocational skills — so that every woman has a marketable, income-generating capability right in her village.

  • Pashmina & wool shawl weaving
  • Tailoring & garment stitching
  • Organic pickle & preserve making
  • Bamboo & natural fibre handicrafts
  • Computer literacy & mobile commerce
200+
Women trained
6 mo
Avg training
02
Economic Independence
Apna kaam, apni pehchaan

From skill to income — we help trained women set up micro-businesses, join or form Self-Help Groups, and access financial support and market linkages to sell their products.

  • Micro-business setup & mentoring
  • Self-Help Group (SHG) formation
  • Working capital & micro-credit access
  • Online marketplace listing support
  • Craft fair & exhibition participation
15+
Businesses started
₹4K
Avg monthly income
03
Leadership & Voice
Suni jaaye har ek awaaz

Economic independence creates the foundation for social voice. We support women in taking leadership roles in their communities — as SHG heads, panchayat participants, and community trainers.

  • SHG leadership & governance training
  • Panchayat participation awareness
  • Legal rights & awareness workshops
  • Women-to-women mentoring network
  • Trainer certification programme
8
SHGs formed
12
Certified trainers
Unki Kahani, Unki Awaaz

Pahar se Awaaz Real Stories. Real Mountains.

Watch the women of Uttarakhand's hills — their hands, their craft, their voice. This is why we exist.

Watch Our Story
Uttarakhand, India
4 min watch
200+ women
More Videos

More from the Mountains

Field stories, craft demonstrations, and program updates from Uttarakhand's villages.

4:12
Craft Story
Sunita ki Shawl — Haath se Bani, Dil se Dee
Pauri Garhwal
2.4K views
3:45
SHG Story
Ek Group, Ek Sapna — Pauri SHG ki Kahani
Chamoli District
1.8K views
6:08
Leadership
Trainer se Leader — Kamla ki Nayi Pehchaan
Almora District
3.1K views
Sense Of Nature Foundation • Women Empowerment • Uttarakhand
Unki Kahaaniyan

They Stayed. They Built. They Lead.

Real women from real mountains. Their stories are why we do what we do.

👩
Sunita Rawat
Shawl Weaver • Pauri Garhwal
Income: ₹4,500/month
"

Pehle lagta tha ki pahad chhodna hi ek rasta hai. Foundation ke baad main ne shawl banana seekha. Ab mera apna naam hai bazaar mein. Meri beti ab school mein padhti hai. Pahad hi mera ghar hai, aur ab yahi rahungi.

🧸 Pashmina Shawls
Pauri, UK
👩
Geeta Negi
Pickle Maker & SHG Leader • Chamoli
Income: ₹3,800/month
"

Humne ek self-help group banaya — 12 mahilayen. Ab hum milke pahadi achaar aur murabba banate hain. Ek company ne humara order diya hai. Pehli baar laga ki hum bhi kuch kar sakte hain.

🧪 Pahadi Pickles
Chamoli, UK
👩
Kamla Devi Bisht
Trainer & Business Owner • Almora
Income: ₹6,200/month
"

Main pehle beneficiary thi — ab main trainer hoon. 30 aur mahilaon ko skill sikhaya hai maine. Mujhe garv hai ki main un mahilaon mein se hoon jo pahad ke liye kuch kar rahi hain, pahad chhodke nahi ja rahi.

🤮 Wool Craft
Almora, UK
The Journey

From Village to Viksit

A 4-step journey that transforms a woman from dependent to self-reliant — without leaving her mountain.

💌
Identify

We reach villages through SHGs and panchayats to identify women who need economic support and are willing to train.

✍
Train

6-month vocational training in traditional crafts, digital skills, and basic business management — right in the village.

🏭
Launch

Micro-business setup support, SHG linkage, working capital guidance, and market access — online and offline.

★
Lead

Successful graduates become trainers, SHG leaders, and community anchors — creating a self-sustaining cycle.

Programme Progress FY 2024-25
Vocational Training Centres74%
Micro-Businesses Active61%
Self-Help Groups (SHGs)80%
Market Linkage & Online Sales45%