Introduction



“niiti”, a Sanskrit word means, in different contexts, policy, ethics, tenets. To us, who belong here, it is our raison d’etre, our touchstone. So we constantly turn to our ethics and tenets when we re-examine the basis of what we do and how we do it over and over again. This is our space to engage with our core, with you, our readers and companions on the path towards an equitable society in the deepest meaning of the word. Over the past years, there are several social issues and organisations that we have engaged with and been enriched with both experience and knowledge along the way. We believe that in creating a conversation platform for those engaged in the field, including some of our clients, partners, all of you out there who have reached this site wanting to be the change and others who have expertise to comment and critique, we can actually crowd-source actions and solutions for some of our most pressing social issues.

Some of these stories feature organisations and people who have been the change; others highlight innovative approaches to long-entrenched social issues; yet others point to ways in which change can be facilitated, simply. If you are inspired by them as well and motivated to replicate their work, or want to share inputs on other bright examples like these, do write to us at info@niiticonsulting.com.

This is your platform. Feel free to contribute, critique, and most importantly, converse.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Demystifying the Company Bill 2013 - Part 1

To create sustainable social impact, funding is important but often it is not directly proportionate to the depth of impact.  The Companies Bill, 2013 (Section 135 of the Indian Companies Act) makes it imperative for corporates in India to spend a portion of their profits on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). On Dec 19th, we initiated a conversation on twitter to discuss the various aspects of the law and how organisations can leverage this for creating lasting impact and execute this in the spirit that it was intended.

We have attempted to summarize the conversation that came up during the tweet chat in the form of two Q&As for ease of reading. The first one is around the legal aspects of Section 135 of the Indian companies Act that was passed earlier this year. The one to follow is around choosing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on CSR projects.

If you have any questions on the Bill that have not been covered here, or have a point of view to share on any aspect of doing business in a responsible manner and creating sustainable social impact, please write to us at info@niiticonsulting.com or leave a message on our twitter or facebook pages. 

Q1.Which companies fall in the ambit of CSR under Sec 135 of Indian Companies Act?

A1.Sec 135 is applicable to listed public ltd companies having either of the following in a given financial year:
  • net worth of INR 500 crore (INR 5 billion) or more
  • turnover of INR 1,000 crore (INR 10 billion) or more
  • net profit of INR 5 crore (INR 50 million) or more
Q2.What are mandatory requirements under the CSR Sec 135?

A2.The companies need to:

1.  Formulate a CSR committee

2. Assign responsibilities to the committee that include formulating the CSR policy for the company, proposing the means to achieve the targets and monitor from time to time

3. Company’s board to ensure that the committee comprises of atleast three directors and one of them should be an independent director

4. The Board’s report under sub-section (3) of section 134 (o) shall disclose  the composition of the CSR  Committee

5. Approve the CSR Policy for the company and disclose the contents of such Policy in its report and also place  it on the company's website, if any

6. Ensure that the activities as are included in Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of the company are undertaken by the company.

7. Attach to statements laid before a company in a general meeting, a report by its Board of Directors, which shall include the details about the policy developed and implemented by the company on corporate social responsibility initiatives taken during the year.

Q3. What are the responsibilities of the CSR committee?

A3. CSR committee shall

(a) Formulate and recommend to the board a CSR policy that shall indicate the activities to be undertaken by the company as specified in Schedule VII. Activities which may be included by companies in their CSR policy are activities relating to:

 (i) eradicating extreme hunger and poverty;

(ii) promotion of education;

(iii) promoting gender equality and empowering women;

(iv) reducing child mortality and improving maternal health;

(v) combating human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, malaria and other diseases;

(vi) ensuring environmental sustainability;

(vii) employment enhancing vocational skills;

(viii) social business projects;

(ix) contribution to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund or any other fund set up by the Central Government or the State Governments for socio-economic development and relief and funds for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women; and

(x) such other matters as may be prescribed

(b) Recommend the amount of expenditure to be incurred on the activities.

(c) Monitor the CSR policy of the company from time to time.

Q4.What is the prescribed amount to be spent on CSR activities in a year by the company?

A4. The Board shall make every endeavour to ensure that the company spends, in every financial year, at least two per cent of the average net profits of the company made during the three immediately preceding financial years, in pursuance of its CSR policy. For eg If the profits (profits before tax calculated as per Sec 198) of the company in the three preceding years are:

2010-11 – Rs.1000cr

 2011-12- Rs.1500cr

2012-13- Rs.2000cr

Then, CSR spend for the financial year 2013-14 should be at least 2% of (1000+1500+2000)/3 i.e. Rs.30cr.

Q5.What is the penalty for not spending the amounts for CSR activities as aforesaid?

A5.Sec 135 prescribes formulation of the CSR committee, amount to be spent by the company on CSR activities and inclusion of a report by its board of directors about the CSR policy developed and implemented by the company during the year in the statement of accounts presented by the company in its Annual General Meeting.

There are no direct penalties for not spending the moneys. However, non-inclusion of a report as aforesaid by the directors will attract penalties prescribed in Sec 134 which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees and every officer of the company who is in default shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees, or with both.

Q6.How is this beneficial for the companies?
A6. Although there are a few companies feeling governments have passed on its duties to businesses and neither want to be forced to spend on social initiatives nor are equipped to deal with the implementation of such a policy, there are numerous positives to this coin:
  • Development of goodwill for capturing and sustaining markets. Therefore, CSR can be used as business strategy to reduce investment risks and maximize profits by taking all the key stakeholders into confidence
  • Long-term gains as opposed to short term profits, which are the outcome of good CSR policies
  • Environmental stability and sustainability – being an important resource for companies – is ensured
  • Social stability
  • With globalization, the negative aspects of businesses have been intensified, and exploitation is widespread – CSR policies may work to counter this effect
  • Lastly, a successful company cannot exist in a society that fails, and therefore a company being a member of the society is required to contribute
Q7.Would donations to the PMRF or others be accepted as CSR activities?

A7.Contributions to the PMRF and such funds are included in the list of the activities that may be undertaken by the companies. However a CSR committee would highly underperform if the best option they prescribe in the CSR policy is to contribute to the fund. Project based investments, and not mere donations, which involve innovative social inventions/initiatives that factor in hazards, risks and vulnerabilities. Baselines surveys, social impact assessment and meticulous evaluation including documentation along with training and re orientation of the staff will help to contribute positively to the society.

Q7.Would donations to the PMRF or others be accepted as CSR activities?

A7.Contributions to the PMRF and such funds are included in the list of the activities that may be undertaken by the companies. However a CSR committee would highly underperform if the best option they prescribe in the CSR policy is to contribute to the fund. Project based investments, and not mere donations, which involve innovative social inventions/initiatives that factor in hazards, risks and vulnerabilities. Baselines surveys, social impact assessment and meticulous evaluation including documentation along with training and re orientation of the staff will help to contribute positively to the society.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Vayali - A social enterprise for conserving folklore


The frogs are croaking and filling in the silence of the night. The rain has just stopped, but one can still hear the occasional drops falling on the ground from high trees. I am sitting with a small group of musicians in a village in central Kerala. One of them manages to hook up a weak halogen lamp from a broken electric socket. A yellow pool of light creates an island in the darkness.

The musicians begin to open black canvas bags. They take out long bamboo sticks. Thick bamboo stems. A black leather case with steel clips clicks open. It reveals an array of neatly packed bamboo flutes in varying shapes and sizes. Slowly the band sets up their bamboo instruments.

The first instrument is a thick bamboo stem with a series of notches cut into it. A stick runs over the notches and a curious sound emerges. It mimics the frogs croaking. The other members join in with their instruments. The percussionists pick up the rhythm with their bamboo drums. A large hollow bamboo section has been filled with seeds. It's called the rain stick. The seeds fall from one end of the bamboo to the other and create the sound of falling rain. The flautists join in. Their eyes are closed and a tune, hauntingly beautiful manifests itself into the dark jungle that surrounds us.

Music. One of the 2 universal languages. A language that has the power to bridge cultures and bring people together. I have traveled to a small village named Arangottukara in Kerala. Someone had told me about the Vayali folklore group and their amazing bamboo band. So I have come to see whether we can create a small music video and take their music to a larger audience across the world. I do not speak their language, but we understand each other.

Most of the band members are daily wage earners. Carpenters, painters, odd jobs at construction etc. But those jobs are for the day. When the sun sets and night covers their village, they come back to their music. Back in their village, they are masters of the bamboo band and owners of a rich folk heritage.

The bamboo band's performance extends far into the night. There are many songs, many tunes and many stories. We end with a round of smiles. Black tea is served. I sit in silence and listen to the night. The frogs are still croaking, but the bamboo band's music continues to play in my head.

Vayali is a registered non-profit. It consists of a group of young people, engaged in preserving their folk roots. Please share their music far and wide and if possible invite the band for shows and performances. Know more about them by visiting their web-site: http://www.vayali.org

Friday, September 6, 2013

Green Traveling: How to Change the World

In every city there are multiple ways to recycle and live a sustainable existence. Businesses and individuals have been bombarded with toxic chemicals and non-biodegradable materials for so many years that many people don't realize how they're contributing to the pollution of our planet. With the help of a few organizations, it's becoming clearer what we can all do to help the growth of our planet. One industry in particular seems to be at the forefront of embracing the sustainable movement. Businesses within the travel industry have been innovating the green industry.

Most businesses in the travel industry understand that comfort and class means bringing part of the indoor outside. Natural light, solar heated swimming pools; high efficiency windows and outdoor entertainment areas are a few ways that businesses have been able to cut down their dependency on utility companies. At home, individuals are looking for ways to better utilize energy. There are all types of solar heating shingles that transform rooftops into solar energy generators. Many homeowners are remodeling to include sunrooms, skylights, big windows and energy-smart appliances.

Water is a precious resource on Earth. However there's so much waste that occurs because water waste is typical of the way that we build our homes and businesses. There are better ways to cut down on water waste. For one, you can install low flow toilets and showerheads. You can also use tank less water heaters. There are even better systems for reducing water waste for landscaping.

For example, the Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas has a drip irrigation system with moisture sensors that reduce the amount of water necessary to keep planets watered and happy. They also replaced parts of their outdoor areas with artificial turf grass. This has saved eight million gallons of water per year. The Palazzo was even named the “Most Eco Friendly Hotel in America”.
 

The worldwide market for green materials continues to grow. It was at $116 billion just for this year and is expected to grow to $254 billion by 2020. However, there is a lot of work to be done in order to reach our worldwide goals. Sustainable facilities like the hotels and casinos found in Las Vegas continue to drive innovationThere are many areas that must go without water and other areas, which are overcome by landfill waste. By recycling, reducing waste and looking for sustainable options, we can reduce our carbon footprints every day and maintain this beautiful planet that we live on. It's imperative that we make the right decision for future generations and the survival of Earth.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Hippocampus Learning Centres: Shaping young minds in rural India.

In India, a large network of primary schools run by the government addresses the education needs of poor children in the 6-14 years age group. These schools have not been successful in delivering learning outcomes. Data from recent studies like ASER and others indicate that children by 4th grade do not meet the requirements of their class, with the gap widening alarmingly as they move into higher grades.

The problem begins at the early learning level.  According to a recent study by the World Bank, by the time poorer children in many countries reach school age, they are at a significant disadvantage in cognitive and social ability.  In India, a country with   200 million children in primary school, 50% of these children struggle with learning. This can be partly attributed to a lack of pre-school options for low-income people living in rural India which in return results in these children struggling at the primary school level and further leads to drop-outs and a low pass percentage at   the high school level.

A multitude of attempts (both through well-funded government programs and through high-impact NGO offerings) continue to be made to improve the situation. These range from teacher training to curriculum redesign but there is much to do still to create the desired impact.

Hippocampus Learning Centres (HLC) set up in 2010 attempts to address the learning crisis for rural children as well as provide livelihoods for local women.  Our Centres provide pre-school education services to the rural children at an affordable cost as well as provide training and employment opportunities to local women thus addressing two large societal needs- early learning and employment for women- through a financially sustainable and scalable model. HLC Centres are located in the heart of the villages making it easily accessible to all children.



As of June 2013, HLC has opened Kindergarten Centres in 104 villages in the two districts of Mandya and Davangere with plans to expand to more Districts in the coming years. We have trained and employed over 164 women from rural areas to teach at these centres, and have over 3000 students enrolled. The Kindergarten program is a full-day program targeted towards 3-6 year olds, has 3 levels of Pre-Kg, Lower KG and Upper KG. Besides early learning services, HLC also provides remedial programs in Math and English at the primary level.



We have seen demonstrable improvements in learning for the children, and are continuously updating our curriculum to maximize learning for our students.Our curriculum has been developed by individuals who specialize in the field of primary and pre-school education in India. Additionally, while preparing the curriculum we have taken into account factors such as our students' and teachers' backgrounds, focusing on aspects like language challenges, and seek to pro-actively address these factors. We also take into account the foundation necessary for our students to do well once they begin primary school. Our teachers who have been with us over the last 3 years are now stars in their communities and a strong role model to young girls.



HLC's goal goes beyond providing critical early education. It is also to make learning an enjoyable activity and build curiosity in young children to question and dream so that they will continue that approach to learning throughout their lives. 

To know more visit www.hlc.org.in  or email lilypaul@hippocampus.in


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Daily Dump - re-imagining India’s relationship with waste

Bangalore’s exponentially growing population, with ever growing consumption needs, has created a stinking trash problem.  The problem is made worse by the all-too-common “not my problem” mindset that most of us have.  Most of us think if we just throw our waste far away someone else will deal with it-the government, rag pickers, municipality, etc. Waste management is a problem in our country which cannot alone be solved by municipal waste workers and the informal trash sector. It is time for each one of us to step up and start owning our waste.

An Indian family of four produces an average of 2.2 kilograms of waste per day. In a city of more than 10 million, that is a lot of trash!  What most people don’t know is that 60% of that waste is organic material (kitchen and garden waste), which can easily be composted into nutrient rich manure at home.  There is absolutely no reason for perfectly natural tomatoes, capsicum, and mango to go to the landfill where it combines with batteries, plastic bottles, and other mixed waste slowly poisoning the ground and water.  Even worse, garden waste like dried leaves and dead branches, which make great mulch for gardens, are commonly burned, releasing dangerous toxins into the atmosphere. 


Daily Dump, a social enterprise based out of Bangalore has come up with innovative and indigenous solutions to address how we treat our organic waste by teaching individuals to compost at home. Daily Dump’s terracotta composting units, make composting household organic waste easy, turning it to nutrient rich manure in about three months.  Additionally, Daily Dump sells large, community composting units that are ideal for schools, offices, and apartment buildings. 

Think you’re too busy to compost? Composting only takes about five minutes a day; about the same amount of time it takes to brush your teeth.  Afraid of smell or pests or don’t think you have space?  Daily Dump has created products to simply composting at home easily and produce no smell, minimize the risk of pests, and look beautiful in a garden or on a balcony.  They  provides service plans for new users to get started.  And, when you’re done, your compost can be mixed with soil to provide excellent nutrition for your plants, you can take it to your favourite park and dump it under a tree, or sell the compost back to Daily Dump.


Since 2006, the Daily Dump has successfully kept more than 10,000 kgs of organic waste out of landfills and that number is growing.  They are in the process of designing new and easier products that will hopefully help to spread the habit of composting across India bringing that number even higher. It is their hope that, by showing people how easy composting can be, they can  catalyze people to begin making small changes in their buying and throwing habits that will add up to a large, positive impact on Bangalore’s trash problem.


To  know more about Daily Dump or to buy their product contact Ponnam Bir, compostwali at dailydumpcompost@gmail.com or +919916426661 or visit www.dailydump.org

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Masoom – Lighting Up Night Schools

Masoom is an NGO set up with a passion for establishing quality education in night schools, through its “Night School Transformation Programme”. Masoom began its intervention in the year 2006 with a research project supported by “Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research” (PUKAR). Having examined the conditions of night schools in Mumbai through this research, Nikita Ketkar founded Masoom in the year 2008.


Masoom's vision is to support youth “learn while they earn”, and mission is to enable night school students achieve their full potential through educational and policy support. Masoom’s model is the only comprehensive model being implemented in the history of night schools. Currently  they are working with 15 night schools in Mumbai, and will be expanding to 30 night schools in 2013-14.

Vocational guidance session
What are night schools?

Night schools are those that function in the evenings, catering to students who work during the day. Night schools are primarily attended by disadvantaged youth who have earlier had to drop out of school to take up jobs to financially support their families. However, they still nurture the desire to pursue their education – this is what brings them to night schools even after a long day at work. Night school students are typically in the age group of 15 to 25 years.

There are 210 night schools in the state of Maharashtra, out of which 150 are in Mumbai. Of the 20,000 youth that study in night schools all over Maharashtra, around 10,000 to 15,000 study in Mumbai night schools run by various trusts.

Challenges faced by night schools

Due to the lack of infrastructure and poor supervision, the quality of education in night schools is dismal, which leads to a high drop-out rate among students. Some of the hurdles are -
  1. Night schools function for only 3 hours a day as compared to the 5-6 hours of day schools, but have the same syllabus to cover.
  2. No Government policy recognizes or support night school education.
  3. Most teachers work in day schools, and teach at night schools as a second job.
  4. Shortage of funds for running the schools.
  5. Low attendance despite continuous enrolment drives due to the numerous external challenges faced by night school students. 
The Masoom Intervention


Masoom has developed a three-pronged intervention model to improve the quality of education in night schools. Called the ‘Night School Transformation Programme’, this intervention has been designed to address the unique needs of night schools and provide them with the support they need to transform to high quality educational institutions.The Night School Transformation Programme includes:
  1. Educational infrastructure building and support – Masoom provides access to critical educational infrastructure and resources. This includes textbooks and notebooks, nutrition, mobile science labs, audio-visual teaching aids, etc. For the schools with blind students, we also provide Braille learning tools.
  2.  Capacity building – Masoom works closely with various stakeholders in the school like the trustees, headmasters, teachers, parents and non-teaching staff. Students have the opportunity to improve their employability skills through english conversation classes and computer courses. Through Masoom’s Career Cell, students receive vocational guidance, scholarships, placements, etc.
  3.  Advocacy - Masoom works towards raising awareness and advocating amongst the public and key decision-makers about the urgent need of policy level changes to be made and implemented in favour of night schools.
Masoom Mobile science lab

Masoom teacher's residental training
    

The impact of Masoom’s intervention
  1. Enrolment of out-of-school students increased from 5 to 100 between 2008 and 2012. Student outreach has increased from 60 students to almost 900 in 2012. 
  2. SSC pass rate of students increased from 36% in 2008 to 72% in the Masoom supported night schools in the March 2013 SSC exam. Out of the current 15 schools, one achieved over 90% and two achieved 100% pass rate. 
  3. Access to the Braille program has increased from 12 to 50 students. 
  4. Over 100 teachers have been trained through various capacity building workshops conducted by Masoom. 
Future plans

In the coming year, Masoom will focus on the sustainable development of night schools through a strategic approach to school development. In the long term, they envisage replicating their model in other states in the country, to set up night schools where there are none.

To volunteer for enrolment drives, english conversation classes or to donate stationery, notebooks, etc. call 24713273/ 9167577131 or email nikita@masoomeducation.org

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Career big changes

The field of social business is relatively new in my country, Brazil, and also worldwide, and professionals from the most diverse areas are increasingly curious to prove whether it is possible to combine a fair paycheck (or profit) with a measurable social change.

Professionals who are coming from the traditional business sector seek a deeper meaning and impact for their MBAs. Those who have been dedicating themselves to non-profit activities, on the other hand, seek more efficient solutions, with focus and financial sustainability. The diversity is also presented in order of age: many young people now have access to the concept from an early age and therefore combining personal and professional fulfillment seems very natural for them. Professionals with 5-10 years of experience, many with promising careers or already with some recognition, question the direction where they are going.

Villgro Fellows 2012-2013 at the Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai.
It may seem easy to talk about it, but in practice we are looking for good examples to inspire new entrepreneurs, investors, the media and - not least - good talent.One way to "test" the environment and experience the hands-on social business is through fellowship programs. Fellowship programs are generally aimed at young professionals - graduates or up to 10 years of professional experience - but age varies widely, since the idea is to offer an opportunity for the fellow to understand wonders and difficulties in the field of social business, hoping that they remain in the area after completion. The programs generally range from 3 to 12 months in a single organization or through several.

On the other hand, the startup hosting the fellow have opportunity to work with highly qualified professionals with experience in very diverse environments who can bring new perspectives to the organization's strategy - even if it costs a few months of cultural adaptation.

During my induction period, I could closely see the impact of business like SELCO.


About a year ago I was participating in the selection process for some of these programs. I made my decision to leave the Corporate Social Responsibility life after 8 years to dive deeper in the entrepreneurial world. I quit my job and started talking to lots of people I admire – from writers to technicians, from entrepreneurs to consultants, from just graduates to super experienced executives. I soon realized it was my time to experience a little more of the world beyond holiday travels.

That's how I got to the Villgro Fellowship program (a social enterprises incubator based out of Chennai) in partnership with edge (a Potencia Ventures initiative to develop talent for business focused on the base of the pyramid).

edge GBAs (Growth Business Associates) working in SEs across India meet in Hyderabad for the Khemka Forum

My experience as a Villgro Fellow

I started my experience in India meeting other six fellows from different countries and backgrounds during an intense month of induction. Spending night after night in a train coach was becoming natural and doing business under banana trees while visiting rural villages too.

During my 2nd and 3rd month at the Villgro Fellowship program, I worked with my colleague-fellow Sandy on the Pune and Jaipur editions of Unconvention|L. This is a sequence of regional events focused on identifying emergent or potential social entrepreneurs, providing knowledge, inspiration and networks. The Villgro’s Unconvention platform consists of complementary strategic initiatives focused on inspiring, discovering, supporting and nurturing innovative market-based social enterprise models with high potential for rural impact in India. Another of its initiatives is the Villgro Awards, on which I’ve been working for the past 6 months.

The Villgro Awards is an unique initiative in the social entrepreneurship scenario because it focuses on the development of the ecosystem. More innovative ideas can grow and become successful social enterprises if investors, incubators, journalists, academicians and other stakeholders support them. That’s why this is not an awards program to recognize big achievements, but to give visibility and take to the next level people and organizations that are working hard to find market solutions that can overcome India’s most challenging social issues.

In December I started designing and planning the new edition of the awards. We then launched the applications and nominations period, where we received 135 nominations and applications. 50 semifinalists were analyzed by our Experts Evaluation Panel, composed by experts in media, innovation, impact investment, academia and incubation. Once the 15 finalists were defined, due diligence was executed by our Process Partner, Niiti Consulting, to be presented to a distinguished jury. Simultaneously, 4,500 people registered their support to the candidates by taking part in the online voting.

The announcement of winners was held at the Sankalp Unconvention Summit, a partnership with Sankalp Forum for the largest conference on Social Business in Asia. Around 1,000 delegates attended more than 20 sessions focused on this year’s theme “Looking Beyond Impact” - if you’re curious to learn about the finalists and winners, check out the Unconvention website. 

You can learn more about my story and from other fellows visiting the Villgro Fellows Blog.

At Villgro, my main role was to redesign, execute and evaluate the Villgro Awards.
Now, how to know if you are also ready to participate in a fellowship program:

  1. Are you ready to slow down? Especially if you’re going to another country, be prepared for your cultural adaptation - this can take several months! Even if you’re taking part of a fellowship program in the same country, you’re probably doing this to experiment something new – being in a startup, being in the social impact scenario, being in a smaller organization. So don’t expect your professional performance to be exactly as it was before. Your speed may be reduced, but the quality of your work will certainly be higher, since you’ll probably be more attentive to details.
  2.  I hope money is not your priority at the moment... Some programs charge a fee from the fellows to cover the process. On the other hand, some of them reimburse flight tickets and other expenses. They can also provide facilities like mobile phone and internet. Although programs generally offer a stipend sufficient to cover the fellow’s basic expenses - rent, food, transportation, etc, if you are inclined to some ‘extravagances’ like fancy restaurants, shopping or travel, you may have to use a bit of your savings.
  3. How piqued is your curiosity? Curiosity and empathy are the keywords for a fruitful experience. Be careful with your pre-conceptions or behaviors that you were already used to deal with. Everyone around you – with no exceptions! – will have something to teach you.
  4. Where is your utility belt? If you come from the corporate world, remember that being in a startup means playing multiple roles - strategic and operational, business and technical - and that this will be a fantastic opportunity for you to know everything about the company and feel in the entrepreneur’s shoes.
Excited? Some of the best known fellowship programs are (in addition to Villgro and edge, of course!), the Acumen, Ideo.org, Kiva, Idex and Frontier Market Scouts (FMS). See a list of 50 programs in this link (warning that the concept of fellowship varies from one program to another ... in some cases, the fellow is an entrepreneur at an early stage and supported to expand the impact of your idea).

Well I’m almost finishing my program with Villgro and I would strongly recommend it, as long as you reflect on what is the meaning of a program like this in your professional and personal life. It can be seen as an investment to gain some field experience and learn a lot about the sector, and also a moment to review your concepts and prejudices and making choices towards the life you want to have.
Good luck!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pain and Palliative Care Society


A recent study of ‘Quality of death’ in 40 countries by Economist Intelligence Unit, ranked India as 40th. The need for palliative care in India thus needs no further elaboration. 

Pain and Palliative Care Society runs a social care model which is much more than a biomedical care model usually practiced in the conventional world of health care. This is meant especially for the incurably ill and dying for whom systems in India are very poorly developed and patchy except for that in Kerala.


The society was formed in 1993 by a group of doctors and social workers who deeply felt the need for development of a system of care for the incurably ill people. The idea was to try to improve the quality of life of people living with incurable and advanced diseases with health care and much more. Its direct target are the incurably ill, chronically bed ridden and dying people living in North Kerala.

Impact :  

Pain and Palliative Care Society(PPCS) is the only organization in the developing world that was recognized by the World Health Organisation as a demonstration project way back in 1996 and it is the first charitable society for community based palliative care in Low and Middle income countries. PPCS has the distinction of initiating the first community volunteer program and the first home care program for the bedridden patients to its credit. Systems have been further refined since then and quality control has been ensured. Today there exists an established system with community participation for the care of people with advanced diseases, which in addition to providing care for thousands of patients in Kerala, could effectively show how intervention by general public can improve the quality of life of fellow human beings. The organization has been an agent in changing the way a large number of people die in Kerala, it has brought about policy change in the area of Palliative Care in Kerala. It has proved that lay people can positively contribute to health care. Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC) formed in 1999 jointly by four organizations – Pain and Palliative Care Society, Malappuram Initiative in Palliative Care, Alpha Charitable Trust and Justice Sivaraman Foundation evolved in the next few years to become World’s largest palliative care network.


Institute of Palliative Care, Calicut

The Institute of Palliative Medicine (IPM) is the leading training institution for palliative care in Asia and the training, research and outreach arm of Pain and Palliative Care Society. It is the fifth WHOCC in Palliative Care and the first one in Developing World. Designation as the first WHOCC in palliative care in the Developing World is a great honor to the institution and also to Kerala.

What do they do?

Locally
  1. Run the Palliative Care Outpatient clinic at Calicut Medical College Hospital. The clinic sees more than 250 patients every week. More than 2000 patients with advanced cancer, major problems related to old age, stroke, spinal injuries and people with HIV/ AIDS register as new patients every year.
  2. Maintain a 32 bedded inpatient unit for patients with advanced diseases at Institute of Palliative Medicine. Patients with difficult physical/ emotional symptoms, dying patients and bed ridden patients in need of a change in atmosphere are admitted for round the clock care
  3. Look after patients with advanced disease in and around Calicut. The home care program in collaboration with Palliative Care Society, Calicut has more than 750 patients registered for regular home care. Calicut is the only place in the country with a round the clock home care service.
  4. Run a Community Care Center for People Living With HIV/AIDS
  5. Train and vocationally rehabilitate bedridden patients through Footprints program partially supported by Sir Ratan Tata Trust. More than 100 bedridden patients currently earn a regular income through the program.

Regionally:

  1.  Institute of Palliative Medicine is the technical advisor agency in palliative care to Local Self Government
  2. Department Facilitates the development of palliative care programs in Government sector in Kerala. Kerala State Resource Center at Institute of Palliative Medicine coordinates the National Rural Health Mission project in Palliative Care. The project has facilitated the development of palliative home care units in all the 1000 Local Self Government Institutions in Kerala
  3. Develops Students in Palliative Care program in various campuses to involve students in the care of the bedridden and dying people

Nationally:

  1. Facilitates the development of community based programs in regions outside Kerala. Palliative care programs are being developed in Delhi, various districts in Tamil Nadu and in Karnataka under this scheme 
  2. Institute of Palliative Medicine advises Ministry of Health, Government of India on development of palliative care programs in the country

Globally:

  1. Institute of Palliative Medicine is the technical advisor to World Health Organization and Member countries on matters related to community participation in palliative care
  2. Institute of Palliative Medicine has been developing palliative care projects in Bangladesh, Thailand, Srilanka, Jordan, Seychelles, Ethiopia and Switzerland in collaboration with national agencies
  3. Institute of Palliative Medicine has been running six week Basic Certificate Course in Palliative Medicine for doctors in Bangladesh. This is the first professional course in palliative care in Bangladesh
  4. Institute of Palliative Medicine has been running six week Basic Certificate Course in Palliative Nursing for nurses in Thailand. This is the first professional course in palliative care in Thailand
Message from Pain & Palliative Care Society: Help in developing a system of care for people in their last phase of life because we all have to die one day. 


For more information, feel free to contact Dr Suresh Kumar, Director, Institute of Palliative Medicine, Calicut 673008 email: drsuresh.kumar@gmail.com

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Mountain Shepherds Initiative



While work began in 2002, Mountain Shepherds got incorporated as a private limited company in 2008. It has successfully experimented community owned tourism where all fields of operations of the company are managed by local youth, who eventually get shares in the company. It campaigns for ‘Bio-Cultural Diversity Conservation’ through tourism and promotes handicraft of Bhotiya women through in online shop ‘Angwal’. 

Mountain Shepherds is a commercial spinoff of the post chipko movement for rights over natural resources in the Niti Valley area of Garhwal Himalayas. It was set up in response to the beneficiary based approach to tourism during the early years of Uttarakhand State. The villagers outlined their tourism approach in the ‘Nanda Devi Declaration’ of 2001. Mountain Shepherds represents the efforts to actualize it with focus on equity and conservation.







Artist Camps                               Training Camps for Guides     Student Trips



Now with a turnover of more than 3 lakhs, the organization ensures that local culture and way of life is not lost at the behest of tourism.
  • It has built capacities of more than 70 youth from remote areas in a variety of skills pertinent for responsible tourism in the Himalayas ranging from search & rescue methods, emergency medical response (WFR), life saving techniques, nature guides, yoga and cooking. 
  • To ensure minimisation of ills of tourism, a systematic garbage management system has been put in place. The exposure of local communities is increased through direct interaction with visitors and through participation in tourism fairs. 
  • Some of the avenues through which the locals earn apart from daily employment include direct sale of carpets and woolen products from remote villages (approx. Rs 80000 per year), homestays (approx. Rs 60000 per year), mule services for treks (approx. Rs 2,00,000 per year), porters/guides for treks (Rs 3,00,000), local transportation ( approx. Rs 4,00,000), local agri products ( approx Rs 20,000). The organization has succeeded in transforming some of the porters/guides into responsible tourism entrepreneurs. For itself, it has transformed from a seasonal trekking company to running one of the most popular lodges at the Ski destination of Auli. 
Future : Mountain Shepherds plans to expand its network of people by building capacities of youth in other tourism potential areas. It also wishes to develop need based infrastructure in strategic locations.

Taking control of a tourism industry with community responsibility, cultural survival, and ecological sustainability at the forefront.

To know more Contact: Dhan Singh Rana or Dr. Sunil Kainthola, Email: bhotiya@gmail.com or visit - http://mountainshepherds.com/

Monday, March 25, 2013

Society for Development Activities – Project ‘KHEL’




An innovative way of building life skills is through sports. That’s what Society for Development Activities believed when in conceptualized its project ‘KHEL’ (Kids Holistic Education and Life-skills). Sports require and teach discipline, confidence, team-work, patience, tolerance, etc. which are essential components of life skills. Sports help prevent children from engaging in anti-social behaviour by navigating their energy in activities which are fun and productive. 

The Society for Development Activities (S4DA) was started by a group of non-profit professionals who wished to bring about positive change in society. Project KHEL was conceptualised by the team in an effort to improve the futures of underprivileged children by adopting sports as a medium to impart life skills. The project started off very recently in 2012, without any external funding, using the founder’s own savings in order to kick-start operations and begin making an impact.



Target Segment/Area: KHEL targets underprivileged children and youth (10-18 yrs of age) living in rural/semi-urban and urban area, both in and out of school in Lucknow and its outskirts.

The Person/s behind Project KHEL: Akshai Abraham is an MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal. He has over 7 years of experience including 6 years in the social sector in the areas of research, program development, project management and organization building and also a year’s international experience as a cultural exchange intern in Austria. A keen sportsman and enthusiast, and a committed non-profit professional, Akshai’s vision is to impact the lives of underprivileged children and youth of India through KHEL.

Impact :The project engages more than 250 children comprising of children in village schools and street children. In a short span of interaction it has been observed that children have become more participative in activities, their interaction with friends have increased, confidence levels have improved along with public speaking ability. Very interestingly their attitude towards gender equality has also improved. In a short while, simple changes like from being ‘told’ to encourage and support others in their efforts, to doing it instinctively and taking genuine pleasure when a peer performs well in a game or at a task have come about.

Future : KHEL plans to scale up not only in terms of geographic coverage but also vertically by introducing a routine curriculum, music, painting and other art forms to engage the children. Further it plans to establish linkages for further education, vocational training and job placement of the youth beneficiaries.

Message to Society: Anyone can help bring smiles to the faces of children, be it through volunteering their time on weekends, donating used sports equipment or mobilising what we call FUNDs.

For some ideas on fun ways to help KHEL, visit http://www.projectkhel.com/get-involved/raise-funds or contact Akshai Abraham, Founder and Volunteer CEO, Email- akshai.abraham@projectkhel.com


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community


Jhamtse Gatsal tells its children who are mostly abandoned or orphans from very poor families that ”You Matter” and assures them a shelter and a home on which they can fall back at any point in life. 

Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community is more than a school, it is a concept where education goes beyond academic curriculum to practicing principles of love and compassion, to create thinkers and doers. After travelling for almost three days from Guwahati in Assam and through incredibly bumpy roads, it seems that one has entered a world of magic as one experiences life in this community school located in a remote area called Lumla of Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh.

In 2000, Lobsang Phuntsok, the founder of the organization, participated in the UN Peace Conference at New York, after which he started teaching Buddhism and universal principles of love, compassion, wisdom and peace in the United States and Canada. The Community came into existence as a model to showcase these principles in action in a geographical area where development was a remote possibility in the near future.

The school looks at all round development of the children. One can witness a growing model community and school here, which nurtures academic excellence, kind heart and healthy body. It seeks to provide experiential education, build vocational skills and much more. It aims to revive the organic agriculture of the region, the Lion Dance and the Tanka painting through its community school.   


Gatsal has brought about radical changes in the quality of life of 82 children, of whom 9 are orphans and 3 were abandoned. It has successfully provided safe homes to all of them who are being brought up by their housemothers. It provides quality education and health care free of cost. There are on campus medical and dental care facilities for community and local people. It promotes good health care and hygiene practices. It has put in place a recycling and waste management system. It is tapping wind and solar energy. Its health center, family houses, classrooms, office and dining area have solar back up.  The school is reviving organic farming practices in the area. There exists campus wide wireless connectivity, the teachers have laptops, e-learning is encouraged and children get cured through telemedicine facilities. All these are distant dreams for a community that has to travel 14 hours to get an X-Ray done and remains cut off from the world for at least 4 months in a year.  


Thus this school lives up to its names which in Tibetan means Jhamtse - 'love and compassion', and Gatsal - ‘garden'; a garden of love and compassion. 

to know more contact - LobsangPhuntsok (Founder and Director), JhamtseGatsal Children’s Community P.O. Lumla, District Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh 790106
writetolobsang@gmail.com


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Conserve India

Reuse-Reduce-Recycle – the three “R’s” the mantra for environment conservation. All of us have heard of it but only few start initiatives that put words into action.

Anita and Shalabh Ahuja founded Conserve India as an NGO to recycle the waste in their neighbourhood that wasn't being managed by local authorities. They quickly realised that plastic bags pose the biggest problem in Delhi, not only because there are so many of them but also because they could not be recycled locally. After much experimentation the team at Conserve India realised that the solution lays in upcycling the bags into sheets of plastic that could be reinvented as fashion accessories. They named this material Handmade Recycled Plastic. Conserve converts the ‘nuisance’ called plastic into coveted handbags, shoes and accessories.

Handmade Recycled Plastic :


Over 300 crafts persons and rag pickers are employed with Conserve in Delhi and Haryana.


Conserve upcycles approximately 1.5 to 2 tons of waste into 5000 HRP sheets every month.  It has not only brought dignity to the rag pickers but pays them thrice as much they would be paid outside. These workers of Conserve also undergo medical screenings to help them diagnose health problems on time and send their young children to the Conserve School. It has trained more than 1200 people making of handbags and footwear.


Conserve works with different kinds of materials like plastic, rubber tubes, denim, seat belts, and old fabrics. Conserve products are sold across various international stores across the globe.


Some people behind Conserve India:

Santosh Kumar started collecting plastic bags for Conserve because he can earn three times as much selling his bags to be made into Handmade Recycled Plastic instead of selling the rubbish he collects elsewhere. Bharti has been working for Conserve from the start and has done many jobs.  Today she works in one of the most important departments of the whole organisation; quality control and packing. Alka and Aditi meet buyers and collaborate with designers, as well as maintain relationships with long standing clients, and establish new contacts with potential customers. 

To know more visit www.conserveindia.org