About us
Empowering Lives, Sustainably
Pollinate Group empowers marginalised women as entrepreneurs so they can earn an income, learn valuable skills, and step into leadership roles. The ripple effect of this change helps lift generations out of poverty and ensures communities have increased resources and are resilient to the impacts of climate change. We have a powerful impact model that works at the intersection of poverty, gender and climate.
Our Vision
A world where women are equipped to lead their communities out of poverty.
Our mission
We empower women leaders to distribute life-enhancing products in underserved communities.
How we work
Uplifting women and driving change
We ignite change by training and supporting local women entrepreneurs to break the cycle of poverty with innovative household products and sustainable business practices.
empowered women
Core areas of impact
Pollinate Group helps women create a ripple effect in their communities by teaching entrepreneurship skills and providing long-term coaching to lift themselves out of poverty. We have a high-touch, lasting impact model that operates at the intersection of poverty, gender, and climate.
Women
Women and their communities are uplifted with training on business leadership, digital and financial literacy. They have increased agency and the confidence to become leaders.
Reducing Poverty
We pull people out of intergenerational cycles of poverty, creating opportunities for livelihood and economic development
Climate
We distribute clean energy products which reduce emissions and improve people’s health whilst increasing the resilience of communities most impacted by climate change.
How the model works
A life time journey of entrepreneurship
Between India and Nepal, 288.5 million people live in poverty. Unstable low wage jobs keep families in a cycle of intergenerational poverty. While men and women suffer from poverty, gender inequality means women have fewer resources to cope. These communities lack access to clean energy sources for lighting and cooking and often use harmful fuels like kerosene which damages their health, with women most at risk and the environment.
Founded in 2012 to address these challenges, Pollinate Group has developed a thriving network of women micro-entrepreneurs who distribute products such as solar lights and fans, water filters, electric cookware and female sanitary products across marginalised communities in urban slums and rural villages in India and Nepal.
Recruitment, onboarding, and training of women
Women are recruited from a range of settlements, both rural and urban, to participate in a 36 month training program that covers business, product and digital training.
Uplifting women and increasing their agency and voice
Women are supported to set up a bank account so they can control their income, they have increased confidence to step into leadership roles and they are connected to other successful entrepreneurs to share their stories
An independent future
Creating independent entrepreneurs that can choose to continue their work with us or they start their own business, step into formal employment or do ongoing training
Our Theory of Change
Pioneering women's socio-economic progress
Our model strives to achieve the following long term outcomes and we regularly evaluate our impact against our Theory of Change to ensure we are achieving tangible outcomes.
Fewer Households Living in Poverty
Communities Have Increased Digital Skill and Access
Women Take on Leadership Roles
Communities are Safer, Healthier, Cleaner and Climate Change Resilient
Our impact
Creating entrepreneurs and inspiring growth
Our award-winning empowerment model has trained Thousands of women in India and Nepal to become entrepreneurs. In a 2018 impact survey, nearly all women said they have gained more respect as a result of operating their own businesses and 100% reported an increase in confidence. Further, 79% of women said they had taken on additional leadership roles in their communities.
Our growth target by 2025:
5000 women
uplifted
5 million people
reached
generations lifted
out of poverty
Communities more
resilient to climate change.
