Women on Wings social enterprise partner since November 2016
Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development (GVK) aims for a transformed world where self-reliant communities live in harmony with each other and nature. Its work encompasses economic, social & ecological sustainability.
GVK runs a number of innovative projects that include organic cotton, water and soil conservation. GVK creates opportunities for horticultural labor and marginalized farmers to earn extra income by collection, processing and sale of premature fallen sweet oranges that otherwise go as waste. A naturally occurring bio-flavonoid called ‘Hesperidin’ is present in these dropped fruits which has value in the pharmaceutical industry. By adopting a hybrid model (NGO and commercial company), GVK`s livelihood model is benefiting thousands of downtrodden families, especially women in Kadapa and Anantapur districts.
Women on Wings and GVK mainly focus on growing the Hesperidin program. To increase livelihoods of small and medium sweet orange farmers by creating new market opportunities. By enrolling the farmers into collecting the aborted sweet oranges GVK has already increased the annual income of the oranges farmers by 50%. Women gather the oranges that have fallen from the tree premature. These oranges contain Hesperidin, a glycoside, which is a source for medicines.
