Projects
DWEL — Divyanga Women Entrepreneurs Livelihood Mission
A pathway from ability to opportunity for women with disabilities — skills, mentoring, finance and market access.
Talent, ambition and the desire to be independent are not limited by disability. Yet for many women with disabilities, access to skills, markets, finance, mentorship and the right networks stays out of reach. DWEL exists to change that.
It is not a training programme that ends at a certificate. DWEL follows a journey — discover, skill, build, connect, earn, grow — bringing together practical training, entrepreneurship development, mentoring, financial awareness, digital enablement and market linkages so that women are not simply trained but supported to build livelihoods that last.
The interventions run from hands-on skill development matched to individual interests and real market opportunities, through business basics, pricing, branding and planning, to one-to-one handholding on the practical problems that stop an enterprise growing. Alongside that sit financial and legal awareness — registrations, documentation, basic compliance — and the market linkages that turn a product into a sale.
DWEL works towards a stated goal of 100 women and 100 success stories by 2027. Impact here is not only a number on a report: it is the first sale, the first customer, the first independent income, and the confidence to use the word entrepreneur about yourself.
The path
How the journey runs
Designed as a journey rather than a one-day intervention. The goal is not to stop at a certificate — it is to help a woman take the next real step towards a livelihood.
- Discover
- Skill
- Build
- Connect
- Earn
- Grow
In the room
The work, photographed
DWEL participants gathered outdoors at a community session Women gathered under the DWEL banner at the mission's launch Participants and organisers seated together at the DWEL launch A sapling planted to inaugurate the DWEL mission Handmade products laid out on a DWEL entrepreneur's stall DWEL entrepreneurs at their stalls during a market day
In the press
Get involved
Be part of her next chapter
The most powerful support is often not the biggest cheque — it is the right opportunity at the right moment. Whether you are a company, a professional, a family or an individual, there is a way to be part of someone's journey.
Sponsor a skill
For companies
Sponsor a training batch or a specific skill programme.
For individuals
Sponsor one woman's training.
Skills that can become a source of income.
Support an entrepreneur
For companies
Fund a woman-led enterprise, or a whole cohort of them.
For individuals
Sponsor one entrepreneur's journey.
Tools, raw materials, business setup or working capital.
Equip her to begin
For companies
Support equipment, technology or accessibility needs.
For individuals
Gift or sponsor essential business equipment.
A practical start towards self-employment.
Open a market
For companies
Create procurement, vendor or corporate gifting opportunities.
For individuals
Buy products, or connect her to customers.
The crucial first customer, and then recurring sales.
Share your expertise
For companies
Employee volunteering, mentoring or professional sessions.
For individuals
Offer your time, skills or business guidance.
Better decisions, more confidence, stronger businesses.
Create visibility
For companies
Host showcases, exhibitions or product opportunities.
For individuals
Share, promote and recommend women-led products.
Visibility, customers and new networks.
Fund the journey
For companies
Support a complete DWEL intervention or programme.
For individuals
Contribute towards the common fund.
More women moving from training to livelihood.
Become a long-term partner
For companies
Support DWEL's multi-stage growth and expansion.
For individuals
Become a regular supporter or patron.
Sustained impact, and more success stories.
Who runs it
The project team
CA Sonali SaripalliMission Director
Tejashree PurandareProject Director
- Madhuri GadekarProject Manager
- Aarti BhatnagarAdvisor
Supporters and members
- Priyanka Bose
- Hema Ranade
- Priyanka Althea
More in Projects
Ruchira Kitchen
A food-enterprise track helping women turn home cooking into a registered, revenue-generating kitchen business.
Mi Saksham™
A year-long mentored path for Self Help Groups, nano businesses and first-time entrepreneurs — not a training course that ends at a certificate.
One-year mentorship, not a one-day workshop
GeM Registration Drive & SWED
Getting women-owned businesses onto the Government e-Marketplace, and into a searchable directory of women entrepreneurs.
Get involved
Interested in DWEL — Divyanga Women Entrepreneurs Livelihood Mission?
Tell us a little about yourself and we'll point you at the next cohort or the right person to speak to.