Introduction:
“250 people? There’s no way we can do it… Maybe in other projects, I know the Budhi Money pedagogy worked well in Jaipur and Lucknow, but this is Delhi, and I’m sorry, but this many women entrepreneurs for a stakeholder event.. It’s just not possible.”
Photo Courtesy of ACCESS Development Services
“These were Mohua’s exact words!” Rishabh told me, leaning back in his chair with a smile, reminiscing about the AWE project’s first stakeholder event in early January. I remember the day fondly, too. I had just joined ACCESS Development Services as a Banyan Impact Fellow, and like me, the Advancing Women’s Enterprises (AWE) project was fresh and new.
We were still figuring out so many things—onboarding staff, coordinating orientations—when I told Mohua, our project supervisor, that I wanted to organize a large event. Something that would bring together our women entrepreneurs and introduce them to the government, private, and nonprofit service providers, she was excited, but also wanted to be realistic.
Mohua, a seasoned project lead, was skeptical and understandably so. She had worked on women’s entrepreneurship projects in Delhi before, and the numbers had always been small. “Mobilization in Delhi is hard. Working with women running nano and micro businesses, we see varying degrees of availability. In other areas, like Jaipur or Lucknow, and even more rural areas, women have fewer opportunities. They are more likely to attend a training or a session to learn about opportunities for their business, and they might go. But in Delhi, women are busy; in Delhi, mobilizing women is hard.” Mohua told us. But Rishabh persisted.
He told me this story from his desk, the surface lined with sculptures and handicrafts from past project participants, and a framed certificate on the wall honoring him as “Best Project Manager” in ACCESS from his last Budhi Money Didi program in Jaipur.
Photo Courtesy of author
“But do you remember the look on Mohua’s face when she arrived?” he asked. I smiled, because I did, and I know Mohua remembers the feeling too. She had walked in just as the second batch of entrepreneurs was arriving. The entrance was crowded, the registration desk overflowing, women greeting one another and sharing chai. Mohua’s eyes lit up with surprise, and she gave Rishabh one of the firmest handshakes I’ve ever seen. Amazed.
So, how do you mobilize women by the hundred? And how do we keep doing it? The answer: Budhi Money Didi.
The Origins of Budhi Money Pedagogy
BuddhiMoney Didi: An animated female superhero, BuddhiMoney has been conceived as a youthful neighbourhood superwoman who is wise on matters of finance and has a ubiquitous presence in helping solve problems that the community constantly grapples with on matters relating to business. She imparts critical financial and digital literacy education and provides business skills to help entrepreneurs grow their companies.
Photo Courtesy of ACCESS Development Services
The Advancing Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) project is one of many programs under ACCESS’s Budhi Money pedagogy—and to date, one of its largest. ACCESS Development Services has been acting as a livelihood support organization for nearly twenty years, incubating innovations in sustainable livelihoods for India’s poor, and Budhi Money Didi is one of its most impactful programs.
The concept of Budhi Money Did was born out of a central question posed by the leadership at ACCESS Development Services over a decade ago: How can good financial practices be taught in a way that is both accessible and engaging?
Thirteen years ago, with support from PSIG and later the Mastercard Foundation, ACCESS launched a series of high-quality animated videos featuring Budhi Money Didi—a relatable, wise character who delivers guidance on financial literacy, bookkeeping, and basic business practices in a simple and empowering format.
Though the Budhi Money Didi videos met great success with their audiences, the team at ACCESS soon discovered that awareness alone doesn’t lead to transformation. Real behavior change takes more: it takes context, repetition, and trust. That’s why the team built a hands-on pedagogy to ensure these lessons moved from the screen into real life, from information to action.
Since then, ACCESS has led six national programs using this model, helping thousands of small and women-led businesses strengthen their financial knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. And in that time, Budhi Money Didi herself has grown from a character into a concept, from a symbol into a living force.
From Character to Community Role
“We used to say everyone was Budhi Money Didi,” Rishabh tells me. “Any woman who adopted good business practices could claim the title. It was an idea. A goal.”
But last year, ACCESS’s CEO, Vippin Sharma, proposed something bigger. “What if Budhi Money Didi wasn’t just a concept? What if she were real?” And an extension of the program and a leader in her community?
And so, the AWE team began creating real-life Budhi Money Didis. Local women who had experience running businesses, who could lead their peers, and who embodied the spirit of wisdom, resourcefulness, and care. These women became community leaders: mobilizers, mentors, and motivators. They are now an essential part of how the AWE project operates at scale.
“We owe everything to our Buddhi money didis. Mobilization in this project just wouldn’t be possible without them.” – Rishabh Goswami
The Structure: How Local Leadership Powers Scale
How does this structure work in practice? The Advancing Women Enterprises (AWE) project is part of a broader set of Budhi Money initiatives led by ACCESS. At the national level, Mohua oversees multiple Budhi Money programs across India. Within this framework, AWE operates in Delhi NCR under the hands-on leadership of Rishabh, the project manager.
Unlike other activities at ACCESS that are focused on tailored solutions for small clusters of informal businesses, the scope of the Buddhi Money projects is broader. Aiming to reach 6,000 women entrepreneurs over three years, the AWE project focuses on capacity building and attitude changes, with the team providing training sessions in different business competencies and hand-holding support for women-run businesses that are interested.
“These changes, this adoption of business practices or understanding of capabilities, don’t happen overnight. We’re building a foundation of knowledge, helping the smallest businesses build confidence and knowledge, laying the foundations for frameworks that can scale.” – Rishabh
Each week, Rishabh convenes team meetings that include three Entrepreneurship Support Officers (ESOs)—Arpit, Kartikay, and Geetima—who implement financial training sessions for and provide hand-holding support, as the team implements different financial training services to operations across various regions of Delhi NCR. Supporting them are around four Cluster Coordinators (CCs) per region. Each CC is responsible for mobilizing and mentoring about 350 women entrepreneurs, typically organizing smaller groups of 20 for localized support sessions. In a city as vast and diverse as Delhi, even bringing together 20 women for a single meeting is no small feat. So, how is it done?
What Makes a Budhi Money Didi?
The word Budhi means wisdom. Money refers to financial and business knowledge. And Didi means elder sister, a mentor, a community guide.
At every orientation session, CCs and ESOs identify potential leaders. Women with existing businesses, local trust, and most importantly, an aspiration to grow. Receiving specialized training from the entire AWE team, Buddhi Money Didis come together to learn skills for business management and share the realities of their struggles faced in their unique communities. These Budhi Money Didis become a bridge between the team and their community, answering questions, spreading information, organizing meetings, and nurturing motivation.
As Arpit, one of the ESOs, told me, “To be a Budhi Money Didi, a woman doesn’t need formal education, business knowledge; she needs aspiration.”
In Delhi’s diverse urban landscape, this local leadership model makes the Advancing Women Enterprise program what it is. Because Budhi Money Didis understands the power of aspiration, they know what women in their community are facing, because they’ve been there too. Whether it’s mobilizing 250 women for a stakeholder event, or gathering 30 women for a skilled training session in sewing or baking, the ability of Budhi Money Didi’s everywhere to recognize aspiration and foster it, to encourage knowledge sharing, and above all to bring about community participation, is a resource and a strength that is fostered in community and is built to endure.
Lessons in Leadership
From Rishabh’s hands-on commitment, to Arpit’s field insight, to the everyday courage of Budhi Money Didis across Delhi, this model shows that leadership is not about hierarchy. It’s about presence. It’s about trust.
It’s about seeing leadership not as a title, but as a responsibility.
The AWE project continues to evolve, but one thing is clear: if we want to build inclusive ecosystems that reach the last mile, we must stop thinking of leadership as top-down. Instead, we must invest in people who are already there, inspired, informed, and ready to lead their communities forward.
Budhi Money Didi is no longer just a character. She’s real. She’s many. And she’s making change happen—10 women at a time.
