As part of its ‘Digitalisation Initiative’ for women vendors, the Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA) on Wednesday distributed QR codes to 26 women street vendors at Sokhriezie Market, Kohima. The initiative was undertaken under tEA’s “Uplifting Women Street Vendors Program” with the objective to connect the women in their workstations and make the program an integral part of their work life.

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Neikule, Executive Director, tEA, informed in a press release that the women street vendors who received QR codes were from various locations, including Officers Hill, Red Cross, Upper Chandmari, South Police Market, Red Cross, South Point Market, New Ministers Hill, PR Hill, Bamboo Market, and Sokhriezie Market.

During a brief program, tEA’s Operations Supervisor, Chunjanglu Gracy emphasised tEA’s commitment to empower women vendors across the state and beyond, sharing that the QR code stands were being provided to simplify transactions for women street vendors and include them in the digitalisation process. Highlighting the need for women to update their skills to remain relevant in evolving markets, Gracy added that for the upcoming festive season, the usage of the QRs will be profitable for the women as tourists visit the State.

Earlier, an invocation was pronounced by Evangelist Shetoli Swu, Cross Wonder Church.

Upon receiving the QR codes, many women expressed their gratitude towards tEA for the assistance.

Soneinuo Metha, 54, expressed her delight and shared, “Earlier, some of the customers would come and leave without buying, as they would not carry cash and I didn’t have a QR code scanner. But now, I’m confident that my sales will be bountiful owing to this.”

Asanuo Kerestü, 32, noted, “My customers used to have issues with online payment through my phone due to poor network connection in the market, but now with the QR code they can easily make their payments. I will forever be indebted to tEA for this assistance.”

Anungla Longmisa, a vendor from Sokhriezie Market, received her first digital transaction of Rs 700 within the first hour, followed by a second transaction of Rs 100, bringing smiles to the tEA staff present.

The Entrepreneurs Associates launched the “Uplifting Women Street Vendors Program” in October 2017 to empower women involved in the network of marketing farm produce. The program engages with women street vendors, producers who also sell their yields, and aggregators who link rural products with the urban markets. It was informed that to date, tEA has trained and worked with 7000 women street vendors in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam with plans to spread to other states in the North East over the next year.

Under the program, tEA has been providing training on financial and business management, skills training, health and legal services, mentorship and linkages to markets and Zero Interest Loans. tEA hopes to impact 10,000 women street vendors under the program by 2024.