Hindustan Unilever: Developing a rural sales network that enhances livelihoods

This case study has been created from the Finance for the Future Awards. This entry was highly commended in the ‘Innovative project’ category.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is one of the largest companies in India. Its “Project Shakti” aims to provide a livelihood enhancing opportunity to women micro-entrepreneurs in rural India. In an attempt to provide regular income, these women entrepreneurs (called Shakti Ammas, ‘Shakti’ means ‘power’ and ‘Amma’ means ‘mother’), are trained on basic principles of distribution management and familiarisation with the company’s products. Shakti Ammas receive training and support to become micro-entrepreneurs, selling Unilever products in low-income rural communities. The programme has three goals for Shakti Ammas: economic empowerment; improved social standing within the family; and improved social standing within the village.

‘The Shakti programme is an impressive initiative that, to date, has financially empowered more than 1,20,000 women in rural India. By teaching them various aspects of how to run a retail business, from inventory to distribution management, it has increased the average income of a Shakti household and enhanced the lives and status of the women within their communities.’

Finance for the Future Awards judges