Four years ago, Deepa Rawat grappled with uncertainty about her academic future. Central Himalayan Rural Action Group’s (CHIRAG) scholarship program for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds enabled Deepa to successfully finish her education and secure a job at the rural business process outsourcing unit set up by a private limited company in partnership with CHIRAG. Deepa is now the primary bread winner for her family.
Since 1986, CHIRAG has developed an expertise in many different areas, from soil and water conservation to community health care to girls leadership. CHIRAG has also focused on primary education for nearly two decades. CHIRAG engages with nearly 50 government primary schools to improve the quality of education, and runs a primary school of its own. CHIRAG offers scholarships to girls from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them to complete their education.
95% of CHIRAG’s staff is from the surrounding region. This has allowed the organization to develop strong relationships within their communities and maintain a truly grassroots approach by using local knowledge to find local solutions. CHIRAG’s field-workers traverse the mountainous terrain of the Kumaon region everyday, often walking from village to village to address themes ranging from agriculture to animal husbandry and from preventive health to primary education.
Today, CHIRAG’s activities encompass 220 villages in the Kumaon region of Uttrakhand. Collaborating with village community-based institutions, panchayats (village level governance structures), and the local schools and health systems has empowered leaders at the village level to join CHIRAG’s efforts. Another large focus has been natural resource management. Joining forces with villages, CHIRAG has been successful in reforestation efforts, and raising awareness about sustainable forestry. CHIRAG’s approach of community-based and community-driven action has helped build the capacity of individuals and communities themselves to better address their needs. In addition, CHIRAG operates a primary health care clinic, a cottage hospital, two training centers and two organic farms for experimentation and demonstration.
Need for the Project:
In 1996, CHIRAG set-up Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU), a not-for-profit company to support the marketing of products from CHIRAG-sponsored income-generation programs. KGU is now a fully functional company that operates independent of CHIRAG. KGU products include hand woven and hand knitted textiles; apricot skin care products; and organically grown culinary herbs, cereals, and spices.
In a region largely dependent on subsistence agriculture and unreliable crop cycles, KGU provides a meaningful income to rural families. KGU products directly benefit the community: agricultural products are sourced directly from farmers; artisans are paid on a piece rate ensuring a fair wage. Over the past two years, KGU has re-invested 12 million rupees into CHIRAG's health and educational initiatives out of its surplus and has given an ex-gratia payment to its weavers, knitters and staff for three years in a row.
The success of KGU has spurred an interest in entrepreneurial activity locally. Today there are three community-based groups that have initiated small enterprises which: (1) manufacture cattle feed; (2) produce home-based remedies for basic ailments in livestock; and (3) aggregate agricultural produce for direct sale to other 'mandis (wholesalers) and organized retail. However, all three groups require assistance with planning and financial management. Additionally, CHIRAG wants to encourage more groups to take on entrepreneurial activities, especially value addition in agricultural produce. In the coming months, KGU may set up a small fruit processing unit and possibly one for processed milk products.
As an August 2010 Indicorps Fellow, you will support existing KGU enterprises and encourage more locals to set up micro-enterprises.
You will spend early days with existing entrepreneurial groups getting to know the start-up teams and understanding business operations. You should quickly get to speed on the local business arrangement: cash flows, supply chain networks, accounting systems and the culture of the company(s). To support the existing businesses, you should identify gaps and coordinate workshops that may include refresher training on accounting systems, project planning, presentation skills, management, marketing and cost cutting measures. You may have to engage outside resource people and experts to come to the Kumaon region for workshops/trainings. You may also want to arrange exposure trips for local entrepreneurial groups to go visit successful ventures.
In time, you should expand your network and strive to understand the community, its current leadership, community aspirations, and know how. An appreciation of the local ecology, lifestyles, regional needs, and available resources may spark interesting conversations and ideas about new micro-ventures. You should organize a social entrepreneur mela and smaller meetings at the homes of interested SHG members to share information and build excitement. You should be prepared for multiple follow-up meetings with individual entrepreneurs and their families to help them assess the risk(s) and gain confidence. Also, to re-invest the wealth of local knowledge and experience, you should create a mentoring and peer group support program for new entrepreneurs.
You may need to provide basic trainings on financial planning and management. Depending on the financial circumstances, you may approach local banks to encourage them to provide hassle-free and soft loan packages. You should also assist with a marketing strategy for local sales and urban exports – ideally to fair-trade centers. You should assist with certification and other such documentation to capture higher premiums.
You should keep good notes, document processes, and share them with your team to improve strategies. You should periodically present your findings to CHIRAG and establish best practices to ensure continuity after your departure.
Target Community:
KGU and CHIRAG focus primarily on farmers who depend on the land and on animal husbandry for their survival. CHIRAG currently procures fresh-fruits and vegetables, cereals, pulses and spices from farmers with less than one acre of land. For its textile business, KGU has partnered with young people (mostly men) who have been trained in weaving – a non-traditional skill in the area; some women knit to supplement their income and learn a new skill. CHIRAG and KGU may focus on the youth to support new small enterprises and produce new crops on their lands.
Objectives:
• To strengthen existing community-based micro-enterprises.
• To encourage more community-based groups to take up entrepreneurial activities
• To support the existing groups with financial planning and management
Challenges:
• Coordinating meaningful workshops which account for travel time, farm and household responsibilities, harvests and festivals
• Understanding limitations on meeting business deliverables
Team Based Model:
Each project is designed as a three-way partnership between you, Indicorps, and a partner organization. Each grassroots partner organization – in this case CHIRAG – will be hosting two to four Fellows. Consequently, the August 2010 fellowship will have both an individual and a team component.
As a team of Indicorps Fellows, your focus is to infuse new creative and innovative elements in CHIRAG’s key activities. Team members will focus on different areas, including raising interest in science and math in government school children and supporting community-based entrepreneurial activities.
You will be living in a combination of home stays and at the CHIRAG campus in Simayal village. Simple vegetarian food will be provided. You will be expected to do your own laundry and assist with household chores and team responsibilities. Internet is available at the CHIRAG campus for three hours every day. The closest international calling facility is available in Nainital. For local transportation, you will either walk or travel tandem with staff on motorcycles. The closest rail head is Kathgodam. Kathgodam is connected to Delhi by the road and railway network. Delhi is well connected to all major cities in the country.
The language spoken at CHIRAG is Hindi, and the local dialect is Kumaoni. For this project, a basic knowledge of Hindi is required. If you do not have basic knowledge of Hindi, you can still apply if you commit to learning the language before the start of your Fellowship year.
Please explain the qualifications that make you a strong candidate for this project - be sure to elaborate on any experiences in working with start-ups.
2.
CHIRAG has had significant success with its income generating activities in the past. Given that at least fifty percent of all new businesses fail, how will you manage the expectations of the entrepreneurs in your communities? How will you encourage responsible risk taking?
3.
Tell us about a time when you held yourself to a higher standard than your peers or colleagues. What motivated you then and how do you plan on sustaining this commitment to excellence during your Fellowship year?
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