We all want you to meet Rekha didi, our inspiration behind FarmDidi.
2019 is when we first met her to understand if loans would help rural women become an entrepreneur But Rekha didi made a valid point -‘Even if you get them loan today it won’t be sustainable, what they need is better reach and better market access’ and that hit us hard.
She is one of the most ambitious and competent women we know!
Her dream is to see every women from her village to get respectable incomes from their hard work!
She is a born leader! She wonderfully manages ~300 self-help group women in her village; you can see at least 10 women visiting her on daily basis for queries and seeking solutions for their problems. You can also see her, proudly, speaking about PaniFoundation, where she works as a trainer to help her village manage water budget and use water judiciously.
She is also an ambassador for organic farming in the village, you can see her persuading other farmers to shift to organic farming. Our didi is also a distributor of sanitary pads to the village girls, it’s sad that it’s still considered taboo in the village and she is educating and changing the mindset of people towards menstruation, one pad at a time.
And last but never the least, she is a farmer. Land might be small but her heart is huge, if you ever happen to be in Gadana (Aurangabad) you will get to experience it first-hand. She has literally fed us all (for days) with all that she has got and with sheer love.
A mother of 2, Rekha didi got married when she was in 11th standard, she has now enrolled for a graduation program, so she can study and may be secure a better government job.
Needless to say, her husband has stood right next to her against every single taboo, against all societal norms, to make this possible. You can see villagers talking to her husband for giving her so much freedom! But we think he is the wisest of all!
Farm didi visions to help such farmer didis and make them shine so they can fulfill their dreams and aspirations.