Dhatri Foundation: A grassroots model of women’s empowerment

Madanapalle (Annamayya District): In the quiet village of Kondamoola in Annamayya district, where even today no bus route reaches, a young girl named Swathi grew up with dreams far larger than her surroundings. Her father Balanarayana, a former soldier, and her mother Rajeswari, an Anganwadi teacher, taught her the values of discipline, empathy, and service.

Watching her father in uniform, Swathi too wanted to serve the nation. But with limited opportunities for women in the armed forces back then, she chose a different path — one that would eventually transform thousands of lives.

After completing her post-graduation, Swathi married Chakrapani, a silk saree trader, and moved to Bengaluru. For a while, life seemed stable — until a severe business loss left the family buried in debt. Food became scarce, creditors circled, and her husband sank into despair. When Swathi realised he was on the brink of giving up, she held their two-year-old son and reminded him that they still had each other — and hope.

With limited opportunities due to her Telugu-medium education, Swathi struggled to find work in the city. But she remembered sewing skills she had picked up during her school days. Starting with small tailoring orders, she earned just Rs 600 a day — barely enough to survive. Yet she refused to give in. Taking a Rs 2 lakh Mudra loan, she bought ten sewing machines and began employing other women. Together, they stitched sarees, did aari work, fabric painting, and saree polishing from home. Within two years, Swathi had cleared her debts.

In 2018, she moved to Madanapalle, but her thoughts kept returning to women still trapped in hardship. The following year, on February 15, 2019, she founded Dhatri Foundation, a voluntary organisation aimed at empowering women through free skill training. Since then, over 3,000 women have become financially independent through Dhatri’s programmes.

During COVID-19 pandemic, Swathi and her team launched ‘Aahara Dhatri’, serving free meals at Madanapalle Government Hospital for 1,000 consecutive days. Today, the foundation runs multiple initiatives — Akshara Dhatri for education, Arogya Dhatri for health, Mahila Dhatri for entrepreneurship, Vana Dhatri for the environment, and Ananda Nilayam, a home for the elderly.

From a struggling homemaker to a beacon of hope, Swathi’s journey shows that service to the nation doesn’t always need a uniform — just a heart that never gives up.