A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
As success stories go, HelpUsGreen hit the ground running from the get-go.
Its model of recycling waste flowers from temples — while empowering a marginalised community — attracted enthusiastic media coverage and grants from the likes of Tata Trusts and DBS Foundation.
But in the months after Our Better World told its story last year, the social enterprise has seen its unique idea bloom in new ways, planting seeds of hope across India and beyond.
Some 560 enquiries to set up similar facilities elsewhere in India poured in, while a group of passionate students, scientists and entrepreneurs invited HelpUsGreen to Nepal to discuss the possibility of bringing the social enterprise there.
And a second facility is in the works in Tirupati, a holy city in Andhra Pradesh, sometimes compared to Vatican City for the sheer number of devotees that visit daily (50,000 to 60,000). Its municipal commissioner got in touch after watching the OBW story.
The new facility will employ 128 women and recycle 12 tonnes of flower waste a day — taking the dream of uplifting marginalised communities and cleaning India’s rivers to a new level.
This dream has also captured the imagination of consumers: its incense products sold out after the story was launched. Even now, the social enterprise continues to sell a product every minute, and sales overall have quadrupled.
“Previously, we didn’t have something that could show the impact of what we do, which is the impact of how lives have transformed,” says Ankit Agarwal, co-founder of HelpUsGreen. “The story allowed us to tell people, ‘This is the true picture.’”
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
From “Dirty” to Dignified: These Flowers Transform Lives
A NOTE FROM OBW: Our story featuring HelpUsGreen was produced and published in 2018. In September 2019, the co-founders decided to go their separate ways. Led by Ankit, the former HelpUsGreen now operates under a new name, Phool, which continues to hire the women featured in our story. Karan has since founded a new social enterprise, which he named HelpUsGreen.
We have kept HelpUsGreen's name unchanged in our video and text story, as per date of publication. The links to support this cause lead to Phool's website.
A plastic stool.
This was what one woman said she liked best about working at HelpUsGreen, the social enterprise Ankit Agarwal co-founded.
Not the fact that she earns more. Or that a bank account was opened for her — the first time she’s ever had one — or that she receives insurance and retirement benefits.
But a plastic stool, “which is not even worth 200 rupees (about US$2.70)”, says Ankit, as he recalled the exchange.
“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I'm 53 years old, no one has ever offered me a seat before.’”
For a Dalit in India, everyday dignities — like being offered a stool to sit on — aren’t taken for granted.
The caste system, a social order in India powerful even to this day, divides people into different groups based on their professions.
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
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Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Dalits are deemed “untouchable” by this system, because of their occupations: for instance, cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. As such, they face social discrimination, even though “untouchability” and caste discrimination are illegal.
It is this oppression, which consigns millions to injustice and poverty, that Ankit is trying to tackle.
But the social enterprise, based in Ankit’s hometown of Kanpur, didn’t start out with the purpose of empowering Dalit women.
It had another problem in mind: the endless stream of flowers entering India’s rivers each day, offered by devotees at temples.
“There are over 200 temples in Kanpur, and the total waste was more than four tonnes a day, ” says Karan Rastogi, co-founder of HelpUsGreen, and Ankit’s childhood friend.
Wanting to prevent the pesticide and chemical-ridden flowers from adding to the water pollution, they began tinkering in their kitchens, looking for ways to turn unwanted flowers into useful products.
Beginning with humble compost, the duo soon moved on to create incense sticks and cones — with harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead removed, using a formula they cooked up.
The brand name they dreamed up for these products? Phool, which is Hindi for ‘flower’.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Along the way, it became clear that the social enterprise could do more — empower marginalised women by hiring them.
“It’s very easy for us to ask, ‘Why do these people do these jobs? Why do they pick up people’s excreta?’,” notes Ankit. “But once a person knows that the person was cleaning sewage or drain pipes, rarely does anyone want to employ them.”
So he sought not only to hire women — to sort the collected flowers and craft the incense by hand — but also to create a working environment that treated them as equals.
The women earn 7,860 rupees a month (about US$112), which is slightly above the minimum wage for skilled workers in India.
And aside from benefits like health insurance, “the first thing that we did was to provide clean drinking water, second was a toilet.”
“Two things that make sure everyone in our company is equal. Once you start having the same water, you're all equal,” says Ankit.
Ranjana, one of the women who works for Ankit, knows what it means to be treated less than equal.
She once toiled as a hospital worker, who cleaned up after patients. “It was not dirty work, but everyone calls it dirty work, dirty work, dirty work. [But] hunger is a big thing. You have to work no matter how dirty your work is.”
Some employers, she says, think “servants should remain servants, for their whole life. I can do any work, but not as a slave,” says Ranjana.
After she found a job at HelpUsGreen through her niece, her life changed.
With pride, Ranjana shares that her bank account “always has 2,000, 4,000 rupees (about US$30 to 60), it’s never empty.”
She and her husband no longer pay their children’s school fees late. And not only did she buy an LCD television, she was the first of HelpUsGreen's Dalit employees to own a washing machine.
More significantly, “those of other castes, the Pandits, the Yadavs, today they come to my home, sit, have tea.
“They never used to speak to my children. But in five months here, it has all changed,” says Ranjana, her eyes sparkling. “What will happen in years? Only God knows.”
By 2020, Ankit and Karan want to employ 3,700 women (compared to 79 now), while recycling at least 50 tonnes of waste flowers every day.
Aside from Phool incense and compost, the social enterprise is launching a line of eco-friendly packaging material made from waste flowers, which they call Florafoam — akin to Styrofoam, but biodegradable.
While the social enterprise continues to make innovative, sustainable products, “the heart of Phool is the women who make these products,” says Ankit.
“When [the women] start working with us, there's a perspective change that happens. They feel more confident about themselves.
“So it is not only about financial livelihoods, but also about dignity and respect.”
Growing business, growing respect
For Ankit, what stands out amid the social enterprise's runaway success is how the women they hire now see themselves in a new, transformed light.
“They realised theirs was a story worth telling, people were interested in their stories, [that] they are respected, and their confidence just grew,” says Ankit.
HelpUsGreen employs women from the Dalit community to make its artisanal incense products — a community some deem “untouchable” under the caste system.
Working as cleaners of human waste (manual scavengers) and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers, Dalits face social discrimination and even violence, despite caste discrimination being illegal in India.
Ankit recalls his surprise when Ranjana — who shared her story in the original video — approached them one day, asking to buy the incense so that she could use them when making her own offerings.
“This was powerful because Rs165 is half a day’s wages for her, but she refused to take it [as a gift]. It was about respect for the product and support for the cause, and that she could do it,” says Ankit.
Take Action
Contribute to Cactus Foundation’s efforts to stop child sexual abuse and give survivors a safe space to heal.
Paving the way for future generations
The idea of more facilities sprouting across India, transforming lives and environments, is a thrilling one.
But Ankit is circumspect about growing the social enterprise, which requires more than just funds. “The people whom we hire, we partner with, they should have the right mindset... some people just want to do business, but don’t care about impact,” he says.
This year, they plans to build facilities in two more locations, in addition to the one at Tirupati.
It’s also seeing growing interest from other businesses; not just to buy their incense products, but also for their signature FloraFoam, a material akin to Styrofoam produced from the waste flowers, to be used as packaging material. “We got three very big orders, signed a month after the video,” says Ankit.
Some 1,800 people also wrote in after watching the story offering to volunteer, even though the social enterprise did not call for volunteers.
“The feeling is great, these people are our early adopters, they talk about the products, and what we do, and they’re important to us,” says Ankit.
He hopes to set up groups where people can contribute in different ways, such as independently studying the volume of temple waste, or posting about them on Facebook.
At the heart of all this growth remains the marginalised women whose lives HelpUsGreen hopes to change for the better. The Kanpur facility nows hire 93 women, up from 79 women previously.
Sharing his thoughts at the Our Better World community event in Mumbai in November last year, Ankit says: “I still have not figured out how things will go, or how it will be, but...I want to change at least 5,000 lives."
“Change will come in the next generation, it will not happen in this generation, but at least [the women’s] children will go to school, and they will not have to go the way [of their parents].”
