A group of women farmers in the Pottangi and Semiliguda blocks of Odisha’s Koraput district are marketing ginger and doing a good job of it! Here small farmers rely on tuber crops for their income and sustainability. However, marketing these crops has been a major challenge. Oxfam India partnered with Prastutee to initiate livelihood initiatives with support from the Sita Devi Malhotra Charitable (SDMC) Trust to address these issues.

The Jeevan Jyoti Mushroom Utpadak Samuh consisting primarily of women from marginalised communities has made women entrepreneurs out of those women who once found it extremely difficult to make ends meet. Now they are nurturing business expansion plans, thanks to Oxfam India-HDFC Bank project Project Utthan.

Project Utthan has had a significant impact on Anganwadi Centre No.115. Attendance has increased, and children now spend more time in the Centre; they are showing keen interest in learning with the new pictorial paintings and age-appropriate toys. Sushma is proud of her new renovated AWC. In fact, Sushma's presentations about the renovated AWC at various ICDS platforms have successfully drawn the attention of officials to the potential of replicating this model in other AWCs.