Lessons from the MPowered Project in Jharkhand and Odisha, India

From 2016 to 2023, Trickle Up’s economic inclusion-focused MPowered project reached 2,800 women living in extreme poverty across Jharkhand and Odisha, India. These women operated on less than $1.25 a day, navigating the daily realities of social exclusion, limited opportunities, and scarce resources.

MPowered adapted the Graduation Approach to include a bold new element: the power of smartphones. With digital coaching, livelihood training, and seed grants to support entrepreneurship, women began building stronger, more sustainable futures.

As we reflect on MPowered’s impact, we also recognize the areas where we can do better. Here are eight things we’ll do differently in our next economic inclusion program—all of which are lessons grounded in data, experience, and the voices of the women we serve.

1. Adapt to Land and Water Realities

In Jharkhand, land is more available, but water is not. And in Odisha, many women have little or no land access. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Next time, we’ll tailor our interventions to local contexts: promoting watershed development and natural resource management in water-scarce regions, while supporting income-diversifying activities like vermicomposting and mushroom farming in areas with limited land access.

2. Forge Stronger Government Partnerships

While we worked with local stakeholders during MPowered, future programs will go further by building formal partnerships with government agencies in agriculture, veterinary, forestry, and beyond. These alliances will help align our goals with national priorities, unlock existing resources, and improve the delivery of services for our participants.

3. Increase Seed Grant Support

Seed grants enabled women to start small businesses and invest in livestock. But many participants needed more capital to scale their enterprises. In future programs, we’ll advocate for larger and more flexible grant packages so women can grow their businesses, take risks, and increase their earnings.

4. Deliver Customized, Hands-On Training

Agricultural coaching and digital literacy were crucial to MPowered’s success. Next time, we’ll go even deeper by developing structured training modules that are tailored to each participant’s livelihood and business stage. These will include hands-on workshops on nutri-gardens, vermicomposting, forestry management, and entrepreneurship, all led by subject matter experts.

5. Strengthen Market Access

Earning more is only possible when there’s somewhere to sell. We’ll invest in market access strategies, from branding and product packaging to connecting women with local retailers, wholesalers, and e-commerce platforms. For livestock and microenterprises, improved market integration means better profits and longer-term sustainability.

6. Make Technology Work Smarter

Smartphones were a game-changer in MPowered, but we can still do more. The next iteration of our mobile app will feature video tutorials, real-time coaching, and expert interviews. We’ll continue digital literacy training to ensure that women not only own smartphones, but use them confidently for learning, problem-solving, and business operations.

7. Integrate Health and Community Engagement

Livelihood success depends on physical well-being and social connection. We’ll integrate health promotion activities—focusing on hygiene, nutrition, and preventive care—and foster deeper community engagement through local events, workshops, and peer learning. This helps build resilience beyond just income.

8. Focus on 21st Century Skills

In today’s world, digital skills and critical thinking aren’t optional. Our future programs will go beyond traditional training to offer sessions on problem-solving, decision-making, and navigating digital environments. We’ll prepare women to thrive in an increasingly interconnected economy.

As we look toward the future, these eight shifts represent more than programmatic improvements; they are a recommitment to designing with women, not just for them. By listening to our participants and adapting to their lived realities, we can build programs that are more responsive, resilient, and rooted in the real-world needs of those we serve. The next phase of our work is not just about scaling solutions, it’s about deepening impact.

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