Enhancing Women’s Entrepreneurship: An Analysis of AWAKE (Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka) NGO’s Handholding Activities

Women entrepreneurs play a vital role in the industrial economy of India. Education and vocational training have significantly contributed to the emergence of women as successful entrepreneurs. The National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2000) highlights the crucial role of the women’s movement and the extensive network of NGOs with strong grassroots connections and deep understanding of women’s issues in advancing women’s empowerment. Among these, the efforts of NGOs and private organizations are particularly significant, complementing governmental initiatives. In this context, AWAKE (Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka), a well-known NGO in Karnataka, was selected for the present study. The aim of this research is to know the support or hand holding activities provided by NGO, because many enterprises fail at initial stage. This handholding support is very much crucial and that to for women entrepreneurs to make them empowered. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, involving 60 randomly selected women entrepreneurs who received training from AWAKE NGO. The total respondents include 30 from urban areas like Bangalore and another 30 from rural background distributed across the Karnataka state. After consulting the officials of NGO and reviewing AWAKE annual reports, a well-defined interview schedule was prepared to know the handholding activities practiced by NGO. The respondents were interviewed by personal interview method and the obtained result was analyzed using frequency, percentage, Mann- Witney U test. The results showed that, respondents were mainly benefited by the financial advisory function and information sharing and networking function (83.33%) of NGO, followed by their developmental programs (81.667%), mentoring function (76.67%). This study helps policy makers to plan for new programs for women involving the most benefited support they enjoy. Further, it leads to empowerment of women in nation.