A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Dreams
Author: Snehal Yadav (Project Executive)
Sep 25, 2025
Three months into my role as Project Executive at Socion Impact, and it already feels like I’ve lived a hundred different lives. In just three months, I walked into more than 40 new villages, sat through 50+ grassroots meetings, connected 40 CRPs with 25 Krushi Sakhis, and reached nearly 1,000 new faces through 300 SHG groups.
Sounds like a lot, right? But trust me – numbers don’t tell the real story. What I saw, what I felt – that’s something no report can capture.
Picture this: dusty village lanes, a group of women sitting in a circle, some with infants on their lap, some with calloused hands from the fields… and yet, when the meeting begins, the air changes. The CRPs – oh, their spirit is electric! The way they stand tall, lead discussions, and pour energy into every word – it gave me goosebumps. These are not just workers; they are warriors carrying an entire community on their shoulders.
And the SHG women? Wah! What can I say – leaders in their own right. Most of them studied only till primary school, some not even that. But the way they manage group finances, take collective decisions, and guide each other… you’d never believe they had “less education.” Their confidence, their wisdom – it’s humbling. I kept thinking: this is the real India shining.
“आम्हालाही काहीतरी करायचं आहे. मशीन घ्यायचं आहे, स्वतःचं काम सुरू करायचं आहे… आम्हीही उद्योजक बनू..” (We want to do something. We want to buy machines, start our own work, become entrepreneurs.)
I can’t forget those eyes. So full of determination, yet held back by one thing – money. Finance. Such a small word, but such a big barrier. Their willpower is unshakable, their dreams unstoppable — but without that tiny push, they remain dreams. And that’s what hurt me the most.
That’s where we step in. Through the PMFME scheme, we help these women unlock a 35% credit-linked subsidy to start their micro-enterprises. And with SELCO Foundation’s support, they can also access subsidies on solar-powered, decentralized renewable energy (DRE) machines – making their businesses more sustainable, reliable, and independent of erratic electricity.
And then I thought… India has set these big goals: energy independence by 2047, net zero emissions by 2070. But standing in that circle of women, I realized – the real power lies here. If we channel their energy, if we bring DRE solutions into their hands, these women won’t just change their lives – they’ll change India’s future.
When I look back at these visits, I don’t remember the kilometers traveled or the number of meetings. What I remember are the faces — faces that said without words: “We are ready. Just give us the chance.”
And I keep asking myself — if these women, with so little, can dream so big… then what’s stopping the rest of us?
