The offices and layout departments, however, are not our final destination this time. Instead, what draws us to this area takes place in a tiny village with a simple production unit with a somewhat ‘improvised’ appeal. Würth Elektronik has been actively involved in a social business project, even before the Corona pandemic started. Three years ago, training for 14 women began here, and with it the start of an adventure that would transform their lives and future.

Today we’ll be meeting them. Even though Karnataka-based Würth Elektronik employees have been there on many occasions, a visit from distant Germany is always something special. Dressed in vibrant Indian robes, the project members stand in front of us and initially greet us shyly. The atmosphere quickly turns friendly as we begin communicating through interpreters who translate into the prevailing local language, "Kannada-Indian". Jokes are shared, equipment is used, tea is served, and then a counter displaying homemade goods is opened.

While we have been following developments from Europe from the beginning, we are now hearing from the new women entrepreneurs and the NGO team that planned the project setup about how they personally experienced the story, from village profiling to the application process for candidates to the very first push of the production button. And now, they are actually holding packages of homemade food in their hands.

Please feel free to follow our blog series to find out about progress so far, and what exciting developments are yet to come, etc.