From margins to markets: SheTrades backs informal women entrepreneurs in India
SheTrades marks its first foray into supporting women in the informal sector through the ITC SheTrades and UPS Women Exporters Programme 2.0, in partnership with India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).
3 MIN READ
News Update
India
28 MARCH 2025
India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, is one of the world’s largest economies. Its informal sector accounts for nearly 90% of the country’s workforce – about 530 million people – with a majority of these workers being women. Often excluded from formal social protection and financial systems such as bank accounts and formal loans, these women face systemic barriers to economic empowerment.
The ITC SheTrades and UPS Women Exporters Programme (WEP) 2.0 seeks to bridge this gap by equipping women working in the informal economy with digital and financial skills, enabling them to access investment opportunities and scale their businesses.
The ITC SheTrades and UPS Women Exporters Programme (WEP) 2.0 seeks to bridge this gap by equipping women working in the informal economy with digital and financial skills, enabling them to access investment opportunities and scale their businesses.
Building community and capacity
The programme’s launch event and accompanying workshop brought together nano and micro women entrepreneurs in the informal economy, including smallholder farmers, livestock rearers, tailors, and local shop owners, alongside business support organizations and private sector representatives. The event served as both a training ground and a community-building platform. Participants engaged in hands-on training in digital literacy, mobile banking and financial management.
In addition to skills development, the event offered a space for women to share their experiences and voice the challenges they face in their everyday work, such as limited access to credit, lack of infrastructure, unstable incomes and lack of digital tools and awareness.
‘This dialogue not only strengthened support networks, but hearing directly from the entrepreneurs also informed the direction of future programme activities,’ said La’Kerri Jackson, Global Director of Social Impact at UPS.
As part of the programme, 40 entrepreneurs also visited the UPS India Technology Centre in Chennai for an immersive experience in AI, automation, and robotics. These innovations have the potential to help small businesses cut costs and scale efficiently.
In addition to skills development, the event offered a space for women to share their experiences and voice the challenges they face in their everyday work, such as limited access to credit, lack of infrastructure, unstable incomes and lack of digital tools and awareness.
‘This dialogue not only strengthened support networks, but hearing directly from the entrepreneurs also informed the direction of future programme activities,’ said La’Kerri Jackson, Global Director of Social Impact at UPS.
As part of the programme, 40 entrepreneurs also visited the UPS India Technology Centre in Chennai for an immersive experience in AI, automation, and robotics. These innovations have the potential to help small businesses cut costs and scale efficiently.
At SEWA, our members have always seen technology as an enabler – whether it was using video in the early 1980s to build self-confidence, enhance capacity, and support policy advocacy for informal sector women workers, or more recently, designing our own customized apps. These apps support membership management, savings and credit groups, smallholder farmer livelihoods, health data collection, and the creation of new livelihood opportunities. While our members may not run businesses worth millions, they are harnessing technology and data as powerful tools. Together, we will continue to strengthen the lives and livelihoods of millions of women workers.
Reema Nanavaty
Executive Director, SEWA
Executive Director, SEWA
Impact through partnerships
The ITC SheTrades and UPS WEP 2.0 builds on 6 years of partnership between SheTrades and UPS. With India as a new focus in 2025, the programme has partnered with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), India’s largest grassroots collective of informal women workers. With a membership of over 3 million women across 18 states, SEWA brings unparalleled experience in organizing women for full employment and self-reliance. The programme also leverages the support of the SheTrades Hub in India, hosted by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). Together, this partnership is set to reach to women most in need of support.
The broader mission of the programme includes providing practical training that facilitates access to basic digital and financial services, such as mobile money and digital wallets, online banking, digital payments and QR codes, and secure online transactions. These kinds of training are particularly relevant to women in the informal economy, as it supports steps towards greater financial independence.
The broader mission of the programme includes providing practical training that facilitates access to basic digital and financial services, such as mobile money and digital wallets, online banking, digital payments and QR codes, and secure online transactions. These kinds of training are particularly relevant to women in the informal economy, as it supports steps towards greater financial independence.
Inclusive growth for India’s future
As the ITC SheTrades and UPS WEP 2.0 rolls out across India, the programme aims to scale up training, facilitate digital onboarding for informal women entrepreneurs and strengthen their financial inclusion.
‘The collaboration between trade organisations like ITC and grassroots organizations like SEWA shows that international trade can foster a new model of economic development – one centred on the voices and needs of women at the economic margins,’ said Judith Fessehaie, head of the ITC SheTrades Initiative. ‘In the coming months, we look forward to scale up our joint digital and financial literacy interventions by working with local trainers in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and reaching informal entrepreneurs right where they live and work.’
‘The collaboration between trade organisations like ITC and grassroots organizations like SEWA shows that international trade can foster a new model of economic development – one centred on the voices and needs of women at the economic margins,’ said Judith Fessehaie, head of the ITC SheTrades Initiative. ‘In the coming months, we look forward to scale up our joint digital and financial literacy interventions by working with local trainers in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and reaching informal entrepreneurs right where they live and work.’
At FIEO, we are proud to serve as the SheTrades Hub in India, championing initiatives like SheTrades and UPS WEP 2.0 that unlock global markets for women-led businesses. India’s informal sector holds untapped potential, especially among women entrepreneurs. Our partnership with SheTrades exemplifies how strategic collaboration can fuel inclusive and sustainable trade. As we push forward, FIEO remains dedicated to advancing digital and financial inclusion, helping women-led businesses become powerful drivers of India’s export growth.
Ajay Sahai
Director General and CEO of FIEO
Director General and CEO of FIEO