### From Struggle to Success: The Stories of Santosh Vasuniya and Laxmi Wani

Santosh Vasuniya hails from Jhabua, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, where the coronavirus pandemic triggered a wave of reverse migration from urban to rural areas. Amidst the limited employment opportunities and growing economic disparities, Santosh chose not to settle for low-paying jobs. Instead, she built her own business, embodying her mantra, “I have faced many challenges in my life, but my story is one of hope.”

At 44, Santosh aspired to entrepreneurship despite no family precedent. Her journey began in childhood when her father passed away, leaving her mother as the sole breadwinner, working as a daily wage laborer. Santosh’s education ended at Class 10, after which she got married and moved to Petlawad with her husband and two children. Yet, her desire for self-sufficiency persisted, fueling her dream of opening a beauty product shop.

Santosh’s breakthrough came when she connected with the Entrepreneurship Facilitation Hub team from Transform Rural India (TRI). With their support, she invested her savings of Rs 1 lakh and secured an additional Rs 3.75 lakh through the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Today, she runs a successful store offering refreshments, beauty products, and cosmetics, providing not only for herself but also her family.

Similarly inspiring is the story of 30-year-old Laxmi Wani from Newali Bujurg village in Barwani. Belonging to the OBC community, Laxmi, like many in rural low-income families, studied only until Class 11 before marrying young. As the wife of a daily wage worker and mother of three, she recognized the need for a second income.

Laxmi discovered her entrepreneurial potential through an engagement drive by the Youth Hub team from TRI India in her village. With basic computer skills and a dream to run a Common Service Centre (CSC), she enrolled in a six-day residential CSC ID training and certification course at the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) in Barwani. Now, she successfully manages her own CSC business, inspiring other women in her village.

Reflecting on these success stories, Ranu Kumar Singh, Practitioner of the Youth Initiative of Transform Rural India, highlights their significance: “These stories underscore the crucial role of grassroots NGOs and hubs in providing financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, market research, product development, and other essential skills to empower rural youth and women to start their own businesses.”

These narratives of Santosh and Laxmi exemplify the immense potential within rural India, showcasing how determination, coupled with the right support and opportunities, can transform lives and communities.