Handwoven textiles bought direct — Kutch chapter run, 2025.
Beyond the trail · Initiative 04
Women's Collective Support
Buying direct from women's self-help groups along the route — a small local economy built one expedition at a time.
₹18L+Direct purchases
34Collectives supported
96Villages reached
100%Of expeditions include a stop
Why it matters
Income, not a photo stop
Rather than treating trailside villages purely as recipients of aid, OAI convoys deliberately buy from local self-help groups — food, pickles, handwoven textiles and handicrafts made by women's collectives along the route.
It's a small, direct-purchase economy that turns every expedition into a bit of local income, at fair prices agreed with the collective — not a bargained-down souvenir stop and not a donation. Members are encouraged to budget for these purchases the same way they'd budget for fuel.
How it works
From route scouting to fair trade
Route scouting
Chapter coordinators identify active women's self-help groups along an upcoming expedition route.
Direct purchase
Members buy directly from the collective — no middlemen, no bargaining down from an already fair price.
Fair-price sourcing
Prices are set by the collective itself, agreed with the chapter coordinator ahead of the visit.
Repeat visits
Chapters that pass through again keep buying from the same collectives, building an ongoing relationship.
From the field
Collectives along the route
Pickles, preserves and handicrafts laid out for the convoy.
Coordinators check in with the collective ahead of each visit.
We stopped calling it a "souvenir stop" a while back. It's a supplier relationship now — the collective sets the price, and we budget for it like we budget for diesel.
— Alia Fernandes, Vice President
Know a collective along your route?
Chapter coordinators can help set up a fair-price stop with a local women's self-help group on your next expedition.