A New Journey: Zindagi Fellowship Orientation

After a rigorous round of applications and shortlisting of more than 100 applicants from all over the country, Project Mukti has finally selected our 10 Zindagi Fellows. Zindagi Fellowship is Project Mukti’s flagship programme that aims to mentor young women, non-binary and trans people, who are budding entrepreneurs from marginalised communities. The Fellowship aims to build a network of young Ambedkarite entrepreneurs across India.

We held our first in-person orientation for our Zindagi Fellows 2023 from March 18 to March 20. This year we have fellows from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.  During the first day of our orientation, we conducted Play for Peace Activities led by Iram Jahan and Gurveen Khanuja. We also held a session for the fellows with Bimla Vishwapremi on Financial Independence, as she shared her experiences as the Founder of Parvatiya Mahila Vikas Trust, Himachal Pradesh.  

On Day 2, we had Computer Orientation for the fellows led by Dr Manisha Meshram and Kimi. During which 9 of the fellows were given laptops from the organisation as well as given basic training on using them, to join classes during the 4 -month fellowship programme. At Project Mukti, we understand the realities of the digital divide, which is a big hurdle for women from marginalised communities to access information that makes them miss opportunities and also creates a hindrance to online learning. The last day of the orientation was led with fun games along with our director, Sanghapali Aruna and a session with Dr Manisha Meshram on ‘Health and Hygiene’. 

Our 10 fellows come from different walks of life. Our fellows have had experience as entrepreneurs, ranging from starting their businesses in hosiery to making customised t-shirts. Some of our fellows have recently given their 12th board exams and are awaiting their results, while one of the fellows is a young undergraduate student from Bihar. For the next 4-months, the fellows will be developing their business plans and also attending classes on Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, Basic Entrepreneurship Training, Personal Development and Business English. 

We will be sharing our fellows' journeys with you, stay tuned to know about their business plans and ideas.