US Treasury Undersecretary visit to
Mobile B-School of Mann Deshi (02 March, 2011)
Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,
Chetna Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Foundation and Mann Deshi Cooperative Bank, is pleased and honored to have official program for the visit by U.S. Treasury under Secretary to Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation.
Under Secretary Lael Brainard in her visit address the press that “when Chetna Sinha had met US president Mr. Barack Obama during his Mumbai visit at Hotel Trident and she managed to explain the principles of Mann Deshi Bank to him. Soon after that US President Office began to display interest in the innovative remote doorstep banking model”. The US undersecretary was in Satara on 2nd March, 2011 as a follow-up to the visit of US president Mr. Barack Obama.
The objective for this visit was to learn more about the innovative work Mann Deshi is spearheading in rural India, including the door step service with e-card technology through rural banks.
In her visit agenda for the day also included business school visit of Mann Deshi. Mann Deshi Foundation with the support of Funds provided by Global Giving, Washington D.C., USA arranged a function on 02-03-2011 at Ramnagar Satara where computer literacy, financial literacy and fashion designing course are going on through business school. Ms. Lael visited mobile business school and interact with the beneficiaries of business school. She said, “Mann Deshi’s projects like bicycle program, Mobile Business School, E-card technology and financial literacy are the role models.”
Ms. Brainard believed the US wants to take financial services to the poor and would like to learn from innovative efforts in India. US officials has impressed with innovative method of financial literacy. They expressed that this will help build a deeper relationship between India and US. Financial inclusion will get a boost, educational and financial opportunity will increase. More and more entrepreneurs will enter new businesses. This is a learning opportunity for us as well. We face the same problems of financial literacy, so there is a lot to learn.” Ms. Lael distributed US financial literacy module CD’s to Mann Deshi women.
The function was held at Ramnagar, Satara. The function was attended by more than 800 persons of the area. Heartfull of thanks to those who supported Mann Deshi Foundation’s cause by providing financial support to make the dream of these women comes true..
Mann Deshi appreciates our donors support.
Affectionately,
Chetna Sinha
Links:
Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,
Business School for Rural Women
Introduction:
Business School for Rural Women aims to provide technical, financial and marketing skills for women and girls to start and improve small enterprises. More than 50% of women in the Satara district either drop out of formal education or fail the 10th standard. Without this education, job opportunities are extremely limited. Most women without this education end up as day laborers with unstable wages.
The Mann Deshi Micro Business School for Rural Women provides these women with business and management training need to move from wage labor to micro-enterprise. The school curriculum also offer guidance on business start up, including loan options for seed capital. Because many young girls drop out of high school due to financial or cultural constraints (later being to get married off at an early age), Mann Deshi through business school creates entrepreneurial opportunities for students to assimilate to rural job markets and strengthen economically weak communities.
Mann Deshi Business Schools are set-up and run alongside Mann Deshi Bank. The two organizations complement each other in empowering and promoting the development of poor and vulnerable women. Our business schools provide coursework and practical training on various aspects of entrepreneurship. Women who enroll in our courses are able to utilize our banks’ financial and non-financial services towards their households and businesses in a more informed and effective manner.
Through business school more than 27000 women have graduated. CNN-IBN of India did the story on Mobile business school in Maharashtra.
Thousand Deshi Entrepreneurs: (hazaaro deshi Udyojika)
Mann Deshi Foundation, Mhaswad launched a new visionary project titled “Deshi Entrepreneur” Under the project we have mission to create business entrepreneurs as a role model help 1000 micro or small women entrepreneurs, to grow from micro to bigger and medium sized successful entrepreneurs in next 5 years. To achieve this vision 250 deshi entreperners have been selected in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The aim of this program is to make these women entrepreneurs aware about various details ranging from, how to start a business to different aspects of marketing.
As we want these women not just to become leading and successful entrepreneurs but also roll model for others in coming future, we tried to give them maximum experiences through multiple layered interaction & support to them. Through drama / play they were made to understand the whole gamut of any business.
Story of Balubai Jaggu Jadhav (Successful Deshi Entrepreneur):
Balubai Jaggu Jadhav lives in Shingnapur. She worked as a daily wage labourer. Her husband married another woman and she filed for divorce. But her husband transferred their farmland to someone else and refused to appear for court dates.
Mounting expenses and the need to support her Daughter and her daughter’s children led Balubai to start a ‘mase’. Still she continued to face many problems. This made her to take a loan from Mandeshi Mahila Bank .With the loan money she started a Bhasma Business and become the member of a self help group. She is also one of the participant of Deshi Entrepreneur's program. This program helps her to do marketing of her business and she also learnt to maintain financial diary. Today she is self sufficient and looks after her family well.
Major Milestones and article:
Impact to Date:
Achievements
Awards
Articles:
Dear Mann Deshi Supporters and Donors,
Second Phase of Business School for Rural Women
Through the vision and effort of Manndeshi Udyogini, the business school for rural women, 25,619 women in Maharashtra have been able to attend courses in practical business training and 15,370 have started micro-enterprises that have provided additional income for families and have helped many come out of poverty. By helping to reduce the risk in the farm sector through small scale businesses, Mann Deshi has facilitated the decrease in many suicides that occurred in Maharashtra in 2006.
This report describes an overview of the development of the Business School for Rural Women from 2006 to 2010 and our strategy for the next years:
Mann deshi is planning to expand the Udyogini, while processing on this Mann deshi plans bring the professionalism. Mann deshi udyogini is designing the syllabus of advance financial literacy and is in process of designing the deshi MBA program.
Our main focus areas are will be on expanding and professionalizing of the Business School. Expanding means that we want to reach and teach more women. In the following 3 years we will be expanding from 5 to 9 branches, from two to 4 four different states. Professionalizing means that we continuously keep working on the quality of our courses and programmes. We are improving our current entrepreneur programme and we develop new courses that match the demands of rural entrepreneurial woman.
What Beneficiaries gain from Mann Deshi Udyogini:
Shahin Mulla, Self Help Group of Vaduj Branch says, “After owning the property and understanding the importance of property papers in the functional literacy class it helped me to understand and closely monitor my property papers so that bureaucrats in Revenue Department cannot manipulate and change the name in the property papers.” She further added “If I know to read my property papers my husband will not mortgaged without my knowledge. This will help my family not to get bankrupts.” Such courses help women to interviewing the market and do the business successfully. For more information:
Shahin feels that Mann Deshi Business School teaches poor rural women skills (Hunnar), to provide broad financial knowledge (Hisab) applicable in life and business and to give them courage and confidence (Himmat) so they can become financially independent and self- sufficient.
Strategy and targets of the Mann Deshi Business School:
HUNNAR : Skills Training and Financial Literacy:
The Business school offered business skills trainings and workshops, which had to turn wage laborers into successful businesswomen.
HISAB: Advance financial literacy program:
The advanced financial literacy course provides information regarding budgeting, debt management, financial negotiation and investment.
Sunanda Phadtare, a vegetable vendor is a perfect example of the independent entrepreneurs that Mann Deshi helps creates by giving out loans. She took several loans, from 5000 Rs. in 2003-04 to an amount of Rs.1,50,000 in 2009, which she invested in her business and used to begin selling fruits as well. It made her income rise from 200 Rs/week to 1200 Rs./week by selling an amount of 6000 pieces of vegetables per week. With the sum of her last loan she was able to buy her mobile phone, which made contact with customers far easier: she now is able to reach customers in nearby cities, and even started delivering fruit and vegetables to market merchants. She also bought a piece of land, which she sold with a large profit: an example of Sunanda’s great business instinct.
Mann Deshi has asked her to become one of her collectors’ agents and she is now a valuable addition to the Mann Deshi team. At the same time, Sunanda upgrades her business skills by attending financial literacy classes at Udyogini; according to her the marketing module has greatly benefited her business because it taught her about customer relations, how to sell and negotiate and other skills for promoting her shop.
The programme is very beneficial for Mann Deshi since the bank’s loan default has decreased since making basic financial literacy compulsory.
HIMMAT: Deshi Entrepreneurs (MBA) Program:
As part of the Business School Mann Deshi have launched a new program in January 2010, called " 1000 Deshi Entrepreneurs", which aims to scale up the business of 1,000 rural women entrepreneurs over 5 years by providing them business management training and a mentor.
Thank you very much for all global giving donors for their continuous support.
Mann Deshi Udyogini (Business School for Rural Women) was started in 2006 sponsored by HSBC is conducting different courses like computer literacy, financial literacy, tailoring to young girls and women’s, personality development and English speaking courses to young girls and other business oriented skills. Udyogini is not just training centre or the vocational training school but it is like the micro MBA program which gives the comprehensive training with confident building to become successful business entrepreneurs.
Story of Maya Sudhir Khade: Successful Entrepreneur and Trainer of Financial Literacy Maya says, “I was an orphan. I lost my parents at very young age 3 or 4 ages. So I always knew what is poverty? Even after my marriage. My husband is working in State transport Bus garage. My financial condition did not change due to drinking habit of my husband.
One day I decided that I will not bow down to my destiny rather I will fight for improving my condition. As other ladies of my neighbor and society were also facing problem at their home because of alcohol addiction of their father, brother, husband. So with the help of these ladies I started an antiliquor campaign in the area which was initially liquor contractors but our resilience paid of and we were successful to prescribe the Government to close all liquor shops. Then I under too tailoring courses from Mann Deshi Foundation Business School and I was able to start my own business of tailoring how I am capable to earn at least 5000 to 6000 rupees per month. I had a dream to give best of the education to my children. So I want my daughter to become a nurse and serve the humanity at same time. I want my son to join army and serve the nation. So full fill these dream need more money hence I have decided to take the support of Mann Deshi group to take adequate training from Mann Deshi Udyogini and enough capital from Mann Deshi Mahila Bank to start my business.”
If women cannot come to school then school goes to women. Business school goes to women and provides business school courses at women’s door step.. Mann deshi opened the b-school, strategy of Mann deshi is to deliver the courses and also provide the capital to women to start the business. Idea is that once a woman comes to B-school then she will get all the support to start the businesses. If women cannot afford to go to school then school goes to them. For this Mann deshi mobile business school that is b-school on wheels started. Under this school class room is set up under the tent.
“Dream Come True” - Young Girl Workshop: Under B-school Mann deshi is planning to target young girls. Many girls in India do not get opportunity to go for higher education. When she reaches adolescence, a girl’s day turns to fetching water and wood rather than learning to read and write. She takes care of family members rather than herself. And their family get them marry at an early age. This makes them vulnerable in the in-laws family. Nearly half of girls are married before they turn 20. The same number bear children while still children themselves.
Mann Deshi conducts the work shop among young girls and motivates them for the better career. Mann Deshi also provides them information about different courses and if they are interested in starting some businesses or they are interested in higher studies then Mann Deshi supports them.
Mann Deshi’s focus is to shape their dreams and want them to dream about their career and future. Through this program B-school has trained 410 girls in 2009 and targeting to reach 1000 girls in 2010-2011.
Agricultural Course: (Veterinary Camp): One of the most popular courses at Udyogini is goat rearing. In Maharashtra, goat and gold are considered the liquid assets of women. The goat-rearing course was in progress when I visited Udyogini. "We are basically taught about the vaccines to be given to the goat, as well as cure for the common ailments suffered by them. Otherwise every time a goat is unwell, we have to leave all our work and take her to a vet who is not very near," says middle-aged Jayashree Narale, who is taking the course.
In continuance of its activity related to providing veterinary services & education to the women who are engaged in goat rearing activity for their livelihood, Mann Deshi Udyogini organizes a goat camp. In these camp many women shepherds came along with their goats. They took the benefit of the camp & got their goats injected with medicines which prevent the goats from catching certain specific deceases which occur during winter only.
Besides, the women were informed about various services being provided by Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank & Mann Deshi Foundation. Business School has graduated 24248 women and young girls. All villages appreciated the Mann Deshi Foundation, for providing such services at their door step & without any cost to them.
I would like to thank you very much for all global giving donors for their regular support.
Mann Deshi is very much thankful for supporting Business School. Your support for Mann Deshi has enabled us to meet the needs of women in this area in terms of entrepreneurial development and surprisingly Mann Deshi’s projects are growing from strength to strength.
Mann Deshi Business School’s Mission is to provide rural women entrepreneurial training and access to information to make dignified economic opportunities and self-sufficiency a possibility
Mann Deshi’s approach is to provide microfinance and business services and training specifically to women. Mann Deshi’s past experience shows that when women’s income increases and when women control household finances, more money is spent on the family. Women have a greater propensity to invest in health care, children’s education, and household expenditures. These types of expenditures are an investment in not only women’s futures, but also their community and India’s future.
Moreover, Mann Deshi’s skills training has reduced people’s dependency on agriculture as a source of livelihood. Mann Deshi has been able to target the farming community, and facilitate their development of new businesses such as vending, tiffin services, and processing and packing agricultural products. This breakthrough has increased not only the income of those who have opened new businesses, but also those who have stayed in farming. Moreover, local communities now have more diverse economies which can be more flexible with larger market changes. This adaptability is essential to the sustainable development of local communities.
100% of the women who had existing businesses said their income has increased following the business school class! All the women with low self esteem prior to attending the business school reported a rise in confidence! Since started in December 2006 Mann Deshi has reached to 22,609 business women.
Mann Deshi Business School is not just training centre or the vocational training school but it is like the micro MBA program which gives the comprehensive training with confident building to become successful business entrepreneurs.
With the help of Bonita Trust we launched on the 15th of May, a Mobile Business School bus in Maharashtra. Already, there has been much demand for courses, every month the bus is traveling to 3-4 villages. Mobile bus provides the same courses which we offered through business school.
Mann Deshi Business School won “Edelgave Foundation Social Innovation Award (Livelihood Category) 2010 on 5th March, 2010.
Thank you very much again for your continuous support.
Vanita Shinde
Links:
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