Entrepreneurship Development
Empowering aspiring and existing entrepreneurs through structured training, livelihood generation, and cooperative development — fostering innovation and resilience at the grassroots level across India.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation & Resilience
Entrepreneurship development plays a vital role in driving economic growth, generating employment opportunities, and fostering innovation. The Ubantu Foundation actively works to empower aspiring and existing entrepreneurs through structured training programmes tailored to their needs.
By nurturing entrepreneurial skills, individuals are empowered to turn ideas into viable enterprises, contribute to local economies, and solve community-specific problems with sustainable solutions — creating livelihoods with dignity and long-term impact.
Recognising the transformative potential of entrepreneurship, the Ubantu Foundation has taken significant strides in promoting entrepreneurship development at the grassroots level, contributing to inclusive and community-driven development across India.
Our Three Core Interventions
Each intervention area is designed to address a specific dimension of economic exclusion — from skills and livelihoods to cooperative enterprise — creating integrated, lasting change in communities.
The Ubantu Foundation has started training centres for building capacities of the youth and women from marginalised sections of society in Goa, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. These initiatives focus on equipping women with vocational skills in trades like soap and candle making, stitching, baking, and bioenzyme production.
Trainees are also taught how to use social media and e-commerce platforms for business promotion and other market-relevant skills. By doing so, the Foundation enables women to become self-sufficient, confident, and better prepared to pursue a sustainable livelihood with both practical knowledge and entrepreneurial acumen.
Vocational Trades
Training in soap making, candle making, stitching, baking, and bioenzyme production.
Digital & E-Commerce Skills
Social media and online marketplace skills for business promotion and market access.
Women & Youth Focus
Targeted programmes for marginalised women and youth to build confidence and independence.
Enterprise Readiness
Equipping participants to initiate or strengthen their own income-generating ventures.
Livelihood development is key to ensuring long-term economic stability and improved quality of life, particularly in underserved communities. The Ubantu Foundation places a strong emphasis on fostering sustainable livelihood generation through a holistic, community-driven approach.
The Foundation designed the novel Samanvita programme — a Sanskrit word meaning inclusion and women empowerment — with the objective of reaching disadvantaged sections of society and providing them livelihood opportunities in a sustainable manner. The pilot was launched on 20th October 2019 by Shri Shripad Naik, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Government of India, with a promise to replicate the project under MPLADS.
Samanvita Programme — reaching disadvantaged sections with dignified livelihood opportunities
Pilot project launched in Goa in October 2019, with government endorsement for replication
Awareness campaigns on public health and menstruation in colleges and SHG networks across Goa
Innovative livelihood models that enable women to become economically self-reliant and confident
Expansion of the SHG network across Goa and other states for broader community reach
The success story of the Samanvita pilot project has given a ray of hope to SHGs in Goa and other states — demonstrating that community-driven livelihood models can create lasting, dignified change.
Cooperative development plays a crucial role in promoting collective growth, economic resilience, and social empowerment. By bringing individuals together to pool resources, share responsibilities, and work towards common goals, cooperatives and SHGs foster inclusive development and financial stability — especially in rural and underserved communities.
The Ubantu Foundation organises training programmes and awareness sessions to highlight the objectives and advantages of cooperatives, and provides handholding support for the registration of cooperative societies. Ubantu also builds capacities of newly-formed cooperative members in business development and livelihood enterprise establishment.
Training and awareness sessions on cooperative objectives, benefits, and governance
Handholding support for registration of new cooperative societies
Capacity building in business development, branding, packaging, and market access
Technical support for multi-purpose cooperative societies across multiple states
Adoption of established cooperatives to guide them towards sustainable business goals
"Entrepreneurship is not just about profit — it is about empowering individuals to take ownership of their future, contribute to their communities, and build a life of dignity and purpose."
Ubantu Foundation