Entrepreneur moms push the ‘buy local’ campaign in Vadodara

VADODARA: ‘Be Atmanirbhar’ is the buzzword among the moms in Vadodara since the lockdown was lifted by the government last month. A group of mothers have come together to promote women entrepreneurs in the city and ensure that their start-ups survive amid the slowdown in the economy post-lockdown. Priyanka Kapur, who runs a group Moms of Vadodara, has initiated a campaign ‘GoLocalBuyLocal’ that is fast picking up among women in the city.
“Due to the lockdown, so many businesses, especially run by small entrepreneurs, suffered over the last two months. These entrepreneurs included many moms who run business and are financially independent. They need support in this hour of crisis,” Kapur told TOI.
“Post-lockdown, there have been campaigns to buy local products and support Indian entrepreneurs. So we decided to encourage people to buy local products sold by moms in the city. I began the campaign from my group that has more than 2,500 moms as members,” Kapur said. She added that now she is reaching out to Barodians and urging them to buy products and services offered by entrepreneur moms.
“I have a small business of manufacturing and selling sanitary napkins. Since the GoLocalBuyLocal’ campaign took off, I have been getting calls from women for buying napkins. It is a very good initiative for our businesses that have suffered due to the lockdown,” said Asha Pandhre, mother of a five-year-old son.
“I have always believed that one can support our country’s economy by buying local products. This campaign will surely help women entrepreneurs from the city and ensure that their businesses survive and grow,” said Mohini Rastogi Desai, another entrepreneur and mother of an eight-year-old daughter. She sells various products including garments and handicrafts on her online store.
Kapur said that she will be holding an online meet on June 21 to reach out to a wider audience of mothers who either want to start a new business or buy from local entrepreneurs.