SumArth · Since 2014
Creating pathways to income, agency and dignity for rural women, smallholder farmers and underserved communities.
Who We Are
SumArth is a grassroots social impact organisation working at the intersection of climate-resilient livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment, menstrual health & dignity, and community-led development.
Founded in 2014 and registered as MicroX Foundation, SumArth works alongside rural and underserved communities to create opportunities that are locally relevant, environmentally responsible and capable of creating lasting change.
We believe that poverty cannot be addressed through income alone.
That is why our work brings together livelihoods, climate resilience, women’s agency, health and dignity.
Our Four Pillars
We help smallholder farmers and rural women adopt climate-resilient, low-cost and market-linked livelihood opportunities—from mushroom cultivation and high-value agriculture to circular farming practices.
Explore →We support women to move from participation to ownership—building skills, financial confidence, entrepreneurship and pathways to sustainable income.
Explore →Through PeriodShala and SABLA, we create safe spaces for girls and women to understand menstruation, challenge myths and make informed choices about their bodies and menstrual products.
Explore →We promote maternal and neonatal health through awareness, kangaroo mother care and access to care, helping rural mothers, newborns and families build healthier, more resilient lives.
Explore →Women at the Centre
At SumArth, women are not simply beneficiaries.
They are farmers. Entrepreneurs. Community mobilisers. Educators. Producers. Decision-makers. Leaders.
Whether a woman earns her first independent income through mushroom cultivation, learns to use digital financial services, starts a rural enterprise or speaks openly about menstruation for the first time, every step towards agency matters.
Our goal is not simply to reach women.
Livelihood → Income → Agency → Dignity → Leadership
Flagship: Mushrooms for Empowerment
Mushroom cultivation has emerged as one of SumArth's most powerful livelihood interventions because it can create income without requiring large landholdings.
Our model goes beyond training.
We support communities across the livelihood journey:
Mobilisation → Training → Inputs → Production → Technical Handholding → Aggregation → Processing → Market Linkage
By combining grassroots knowledge with market access, we help transform mushroom cultivation from an activity into an enterprise opportunity.
PeriodShala + SABLA
Menstruation is biological.
Shame around it is not.
Through PeriodShala and SABLA, SumArth works with girls, women, schools and communities to create informed conversations around menstruation, puberty, menstrual hygiene, myths, nutrition, reproductive health and product choices.
We are helping create communities where menstruators can ask questions without embarrassment and manage their periods with knowledge, confidence, safety and dignity.
30,000+ women reached through menstrual health interventions.
From Intervention to Ecosystem
We build ecosystems around people, from understanding local realities to connecting producers with markets and building community ownership.
Because production without a market is not livelihood security.
Explore our approachPeople Behind the Impact
Small Conversations. New Choices. Transformed Lives.
For Lalsa Devi, a woman from a Mahadalit community in rural Bihar, economic security once seemed distant.
Read the story →
During one of SumArth's menstrual health interventions, a woman from a marginalised community shared something deeply personal.
Read the story →
When SumArth began involving boys in menstrual health conversations, resistance was visible.
Read the story →
When SumArth first introduced mushroom cultivation to rural women, enthusiasm was not automatic.
Read the story →
When SumArth began conducting menstrual health sessions in rural Bihar, sometimes the greatest challenge was simply getting girls into the room—and keeping them there.
Read the story →YourStory
A feature on Dr. Surbhi Kumari’s work connecting menstrual awareness and women’s livelihoods.
Read on YourStory
The Logical Indian
Dr. Surbhi Kumari’s journey and SumArth’s work with rural women.
Read on The Logical Indian
The Better India
Coverage of menstrual education, PeriodShala and access to menstrual products in Bihar.
Read on The Better IndiaSumArth Kendra
Located in rural Gaya, SumArth Kendra brings ideas, demonstrations, communities and practitioners together.
It is a space where farmers learn by doing, women explore livelihood opportunities, communities access knowledge and partners can experience grassroots development first-hand.
Learn. Demonstrate. Innovate. Empower.
Visit SumArth Kendra
Our outreach
Our agricultural outreach spans seven districts of Bihar. We work where farming is a major livelihood and communities face challenges including water scarcity, migration and access to services.
Learn about our communities →Headquartered in Gaya, Bihar
Change Grows Through Collaboration
Over the years, SumArth has worked with government institutions, foundations, development agencies, research organisations, businesses and community institutions. Together, we translate ideas into action at the grassroots.
Accountability, innovation and impact
MicroX Foundation (SumArth), recognised by Goonj for menstrual health and hygiene.
SumArth honoured as an Outstanding Menstrual Health Organization at The Pad Project Gala, 14 October 2025.
SumArth recognised for environment conservation in Paris, France, on 22 September 2023.
Surbhi Kumari, winner in the Youth Innovators in Agriculture category.
Memento from the Bihar Agriculture Department’s Kisan Kalyan Samvad and Yuva Kisan Samman ceremony in Gaya, 31 July 2025.
MicroX Foundation selected as an awardee at the Young Social Innovators Conclave in Mumbai, 15 November 2016.
Learning and action in our communities
Explore photographs of training, community conversations and livelihood initiatives.
Practical cultivation, compost preparation, hygiene and harvesting.
View field photographs →
Conversations that support safe practices, confidence and dignity.
View community photographs →
Skills that help women, farmers and youth access services and opportunities.
View training photographs →
Ex GM, NTPC, 40+ years sustainability & environment
Founding Dean-ISB, Founder–Ashoka University, Partner – McKinsey & Co
Consultant – World Bank, 20+ year exp.,
Ex-Partner – MART
State Program Manager –Clinton Foundation,John Hopkins Medical College
Urban Farmer, 15+ year exp.,
Seed Scientist &
Agripreneur
Agripreneur, XLRI Graduate, 10+ year exp., Ex-Director
– USHA Martin Agro
Impact Investment Fund Manager, Worked with Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance and Deloitte
Build lasting change together
Let’s Build Solutions That Last.
We collaborate with organisations that share our commitment to equity, sustainability, women’s leadership and measurable grassroots impact.
Start a conversationTrust in the work
SumArth is registered as MicroX Foundation and holds GuideStar India Advanced Level Gold certification, reflecting its commitment to accountability and good governance.
Stay connected
Together, we can make a difference
Let’s build communities where livelihoods are resilient, women lead and dignity is non-negotiable.
Partner with SumArth
