Kavita, 27, got married at the age of 14 because her family could not afford to support her to finish high school.  In 2019, Kavita joined Greenkraft, a producer-owned company supported by USAID India’s “Producer Owned Women Enterprises” (POWER) project. Through this partnership between USAID and the Industree Crafts Foundation under the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, Kavita started out as a production line worker.  Three months later, Greenkraft promoted her to a quality control role due to her sharp eye for technical issues in production and her ideas about how to improve processes.  Later, Kavita visited IKEA showroom and offices in India as a Greenkraft representative to see products made by her team on display and was incredibly proud of her work: “I was a simple housewife living hand to mouth; I knew nothing about the outside world. After joining Greenkraft, I formed an identity for myself in my family and in my village.”

Today, Kavita supports her family by contributing money to rent farmland and pay for her children’s education. “Greenkraft is now a part of me. I’m not waiting for the future, even today I believe I am the owner of this company”, says Kavita.