- Leveraging social media for marketing
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-National Rural Livelihoods Mission) (NRLM) is playing a vital role in economically empowering rural women. Through this scheme, women are being connected to self-help groups, providing them with opportunities for self-employment, training, financial support, and market access. As a result, many women are becoming self-reliant and a source of inspiration for their families and society.
One such inspiring story is that of Mrs. Yogeshwari Dewangan of Charra village, Kurud block, Dhamtari district. By joining the Aajeevika Mission, she not only strengthened her financial situation but is also inspiring other women in the area to become self-reliant.
Examples like Yogeshwari Dewangan’s prove that if women receive the right guidance and opportunities, they can set new benchmarks for success through their hard work and dedication. Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, under the guidance of Collector Abinash Mishra, Yogeshwari Dewangan, President of Jai Maa Parmeshwari Self Help Group, Village Charra, was selected for the sixth national-level Gender Dialogue. In this dialogue, she shared her experiences via video conferencing on the topic, “Why Gender Investment is Essential for Women’s Economic Empowerment.”
Yogeshwari Dewangan explains that before joining the group, her family was financially weak. Their livelihood depended on agriculture and manual labor, making it difficult to meet their children’s education, health, and daily needs. However, after joining the self-help group, both her thinking and life changed significantly.
With the support of the National Rural Livelihood Mission, she secured a bank loan and received poultry training from the Animal Husbandry Department, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and R-SETI. After receiving training and guidance, she established a local chicken farm in her village. Initially, she faced social pressure and many challenges, but her strong will and family support gave her the strength to move forward.
Today, Yogeshwari Dewangan’s poultry farm has become a successful enterprise. The chickens and chicks produced on her farm are reaching various regions of the country. Her farm houses approximately seven chicken breeds: quail, duck, guinea fowl, and turkey. She also has a hatching machine. She explained that initially, she wasn’t sure where to sell her chickens. She has leveraged social media for marketing. Dewangan also runs a YouTube channel called “Desi Murgi Farm Charra Kurud,” through which she inspires other rural women and youth to pursue self-employment.
Yogeshwari Dewangan’s dream is to see more women in her group increase their incomes by engaging in self-employment. To this end, she is training other women in her group and encouraging them to join businesses like poultry. She also plans to start new ventures like rabbit farming in the future.
Yogeshwari Dewangan’s success story demonstrates that if women are given the right direction, training, and opportunities, they can not only transform their own lives but also lay the foundation for positive change throughout society. Today, she has become a living example of self-reliance, self-confidence, and the pursuit of success through struggle for the women of her village and district.