Working at a local charity inspired me to do more in the community
Pavani Konda is a Media Production student at Coventry University and spent a year as President of Enactus, the student enterprise society. She tells us about her journey to founding a social enterprise tackling gender inequalities overseas, by way of a train journey across India.
“By joining Enactus Coventry and working closely with Coventry University’s Enterprise Hub, I learnt how to use innovative thinking to solve global issues. What I learnt there not only helped me find my passion for the basis of my social enterprise but also gave me the skill set to start it.
Bloom Bodha, my social enterprise, was born from my particular interest in female empowerment and solving the huge opportunity gaps which leave women behind. I founded Bloom Bodha to create opportunities for women in India from low socio-economic backgrounds by giving them employment making hand crafted goods to sell locally and internationally. This way they develop a life-long skill, get paid a fair wage and gain independence to take control of their own futures.
The skills I gained and funding I won through The Enterprise Hub allowed me to test the concept. We worked with over 60 women and a local NGO in a small Indian village – Telangana - to hold a ‘culture camp’ where we provided materials and held a making session. We also sold some of the products made back in Coventry, showing the concept worked.
During Covid-19 I had a vision to continue building a community of both creators and consumers and launched a mini social media series to start conversations and share stories to continue highlighting my brand with purpose, Bloom Bodha. I have currently collaborated with designers to produce our latest product line, which will be released soon, hopefully giving even more opportunities to women in India."
