Women on Wings recently visited Palash brand units in Jharkhand to broaden understanding of how the brand supports job creation empowerment for women living in rural Jharkhand. Our collaboration with the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) aims to scale women’s entrepreneurship through Palash. We provide business knowledge and expertise to Jharkhand state and district representatives managing the brand.
Palash, an umbrella brand, features hundreds of products from farm and off-farm sources, processed and packaged by thousands of rural women. This initiative creates sustainable livelihood opportunities and accelerates rural development.
Palash empowers women to lead in their communities
Throughout the visit, women shared with visible passion that Palash empowers them to:
- Make independent household decisions
- Improve children’s education
- Access better healthcare
- Afford nutritious food
- Gain confidence and leadership skills
But also, they explain that a job makes them more brave, confident and that they can now assume leadership positions in their village. One woman started an herbal products business on her own. Another took up light bulb manufacturing and now employs rural women from her community; all because of being associated with Palash centers, having a means of income and access to finance.
Diverse women-led enterprises in Ranchi
Our team visited:
- Namkum block: Processing and packaging of dal, rice, dried lemon grass, oils, and honey
- Namkum village: Largest handmade pickle unit, producing 15-20 varieties
- Hehal: Textile production center for cotton and jute products
- Ranchi city: Women-owned Palash café and mini-mart
- Nagri block: Bakery unit producing chocolate cookies and millet laddu
The team traveled to a Palash unit at the Namkum block of Ranchi to observe the collection of raw materials, processing and packaging occurring for dal, rice, oils, dried lemon grass and honey.
They also visited Palash’s largest handmade pickle unit at Namkum village, where 15 women regularly manufacture 15-20 types of pickles to sell throughout the state in Palash marts and at national fairs.
The team traveled to a thriving textile production center for cotton and jute products at Hehal, Ranchi, where women from rural outskirts manufacture items marketed and branded under Palash. JSLPS coordinates tailoring and stitching training at this center. Large companies place bulk orders for items like cotton and jute carry bags, laptop bags, folders and school uniforms.
Self-help groups behind thriving cafés and bakeries
They visited a women-owned and managed Palash café and mini-mart in the hub of Ranchi city for lunch. The café is strategically established around various government offices and caters to their food demand. It has experienced an increase in customers due to local social media influencers.
Their last stop was a Palash bakery unit at the Nagri block of Ranchi run by women in the community who produce, package and sell chocolate cookies and laddu made of locally sourced millet flour and jaggery.
Women on Wings’ pro bono support
We’ve partnered with JSLPS for over 18 months, conducting:
- 10 workshops in Ranchi
- Field visits to 3 districts
- Online follow-up sessions
Recently, our experts Germaine van Teeffelen and engineering expert Hans Vermeulen led a 5-day workshop on supply chain mapping and proposal creation for Palash products.
What’s your vision for empowering rural communities through entrepreneurship?