In 1978, displacement via a national dam project gave Jyotirmaya Khara (Jyotirmaya Ji) his start in community organizing. A 35-day march. 20,000 villagers. A mass movement for potable water, roads, electricity, and schools.
In 1991, Jyotirmaya Ji launched Sahara to promote village self-sufficiency and holistic community development including economic, public health, and education activities. Formerly a technician with Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Jyotimaya has leveraged technology as a tool for community development. Accordingly, Sahara runs a virtual technology laboratory behind its administrative offices where staff members experiment with housing materials and farming methods. Young members of the Sahara staff have modified inexpensive bricks and roofing tiles. Through these efforts, Sahara has developed and promoted a micro-concrete roofing tiles technology which is more durable and helps save trees (as it eliminates the need to bake mud roofing)
Similarly, in 2007, Sahara developed its own energy-efficient solar LED system to replace sooty kerosene lamps. To date, Sahara has distributed the LED lamps to 2,000 families. Sahara hopes to replace one million kerosene lamps with solar LED lamps by 2020. To help in the upkeep of the LED light system, Sahara has formed village energy committees (VECs). Sahara provides the VECs with tools and training to maintain the LED systems. The VECs collect a monthly maintenance (Rs. 10) fee from the villagers to buy necessary replacement parts.
With respect to farming, Sahara has tested and implemented paddy cultivation using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology which doubles the yield of rice for almost the same input cost. Sahara promotes diversification of crops, encouraging farmers to grow sugarcane, corn, and vegetables. This has increased the farmers’ income 1.5 to 2 times from the same land. Sahara has promoted vermin-composting, seed improvement techniques and organic fertilizer to improve the soil fertility and reduce the input cost. Sahara is in the process of developing a soil-less agricultural technology where sand on plastic sheet is used to grow plants. Plastic below the sand reduces water wastage and heated sand in the sun kills insects.
With 13 full-time and 8 part-time employees, Sahara currently reaches 30,000 villagers in 105+ villages. Sahara has formed over 50 women self-help groups (SHGs). SHGs promote savings and micro-loans among women. SHGs also collaborate on women and children’s health, technology solutions for livelihood, and education. Sahara SHGs support families engaged in a variety of livelihood activities, including selling pickles and running flour mills.
Sahara has organized SHG groups in two large cooperative units, called federations, which represent over 25 SHGs each. Sahara plans to empower these federations to run mini village-level banks (“micro-banks”). These micro-banks will provide services to the individual members of the associated SHGs. Advantages of such micro-banks include:
• Interest paid on loans will remain within the village and help maintain the micro-bank
• Villagers will have easy access to the micro-banks
• Villagers will develop basic banking skills
At present, CENDERET center at the Xavier Institute of Management at Bhubaneswar supports the micro-bank with training in banking activities and pays the micro-bank salaries.
Sahara has motivated the villagers to regenerate the degraded forest of their respective villages. Approximately 500 hectares of degraded forest have been regenerated through Sahara’s effort in Koraput district. To ensure long-term protection of the forest, Sahara has formed 30 forest protection committees. Villagers protect trees from being cut in designated areas of the forest.
Need for Project:
Sahara has implemented a savings scheme with the SHGs where SHG members each contribute Rs. 50 per month. The SHG then deposits the group’s money in banks to earn interest. SHG members may take loans for income generating activities and other personal needs.
Sahara has two full-time staff members focused on SHG and federation development. Sahara has registered the federations. However, the recently-incorporated federations still operate at a rudimentary level. The members of the federation require skill trainings on bank operations, documentation, law and regulations, etc. Sahara selects SHG members to keep the accounts. The CENDERET center at the Xavier Institute of Management at Bhubaneswar is training these bookkeepers in banking activities such as account book maintenance, ledger maintenance, and interest calculation.
As an August 2010 Indicorps Fellow, you will help create skills training and awareness programs to empower the federations. You should begin by taking part in the current activities of the SHGs and federations. This will help you learn about the functioning and structure of the SHGs and their interface with federations. You will also begin to develop relationships with SHG members. You should understand the nuances of SHG dynamics and how the SHG has impacted the lives and families of its members. You should learn about the current banking needs, loan practices of villagers, and the federation's current level of activities in providing banking services.
Next, you will partner with the Sahara team to explore ways to mobilize resources and build banking services. You may draw upon government institutions, banking organizations, or individuals to provide basic information, training, or other assistance. You should help coordinate the content and delivery of banking skills training. Next, you should start a pilot operation of the micro-bank. You will create an awareness campaign to advertise the micro-bank’s services and its advantages. You can involve the SHGs to spread information about the micro-bank.
You should also develop leadership training for federation members to ensure effective operation of the federations’ micro-banks. Leadership training should include values of integrity, communication skills, and the power to motivate. You should instill tools for constructive problem solving, self-confidence, and overall management skills. You will need to explore culturally-appropriate and creative mechanisms such as role plays or visual representations to highlight important aspects of the federation and demonstrate both personal and collective benefits.
Documentation of the pilot program and its learnings will be tremendously important to make your work sustainable. At the end of your Fellowship, it will be important for you to present your work such that your assessment and suggestions can be incorporated into the larger Sahara vision.
Ideally, the Fellow should have a finance background, and human resource development training. Skills or experience in microfinance, management, or community organizing would also be valuable.
Target Community:
Self-help groups at Sahara are almost exclusively comprised of women. Farming is the main vocation in Koraput and more than 80% farmers are below poverty level. Thus, your target community is almost exclusively women from the local farming community. They range in age between 25 and 50. Village families’ income averages Rs. 15,000 – 20,000 per year. Most families do not earn enough to save and rely on banks for loans.
Objectives:
• To provide skills development program for the federation
• To develop banking services at the federation
• To spread awareness about banking services and programs
Challenges:
• Contending with diverse opinions and levels of understanding of economic and banking jargon
• Training women who are not accustomed to classroom-style learning
• Engaging government officials and navigating the government bureaucracy
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 Sahara – 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 empower villagers through technology and skill trainings. Team members will focus on different areas including expanding the reach of solar LED lamps, assisting farmers in improving their livelihood through use of technology, and capacity-building to run federation micro-banks.
You will be provided accommodation with a family in the village or in an apartment in Similiguda village. Simple vegetarian food will be provided. You will do your own laundry and assist with team chores. The nearest major town Koraput is 25 km from Similiguda. Buses and jeeps service Similiguda from morning 6 am to 9 pm. International dialing is available in the village; internet facilities are available in the village and at Sahara’s head office. For local transportation, you will travel by bus or tandem with staff on motorcycles.
The language spoken at Sahara is Oriya. For this project, a basic knowledge of Oriya is required. If you do not have basic knowledge of Oriya, 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 with mobilizing teams and managing multiple moving parts in a pilot program.
2.
The husband of one of the federation members is exerting undue pressure on his wife at home to take a loan on his behalf. How might you help the women address this situation?
3.
The women of the Sahara community come from different villages. How might you go about uniting these women and building a strong sense of team around the federation?
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