INDEX

Entrepreneurship – An Introduction Types of Entrepreneurs Social Entrepreneurship Series Of Social Entrepreneurs

I. Grameen bankII. Lijjat

III. AmulIV. Conserve IndiaV. Barefoot College

Entrepreneurship – An Introduction

Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who

undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations

into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing

mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity. The most obvious form of

entrepreneurship is that of starting new businesses (referred as Start-up Company).

When entrepreneurship is describing activities within a firm or large organization it is

referred to as intra-preneurship and may include corporate venturing, when large entities

spin-off organizations.

Types of Entrepreneurs

Classification on the basis of:

I. Type of business

II. Use of Technology

III. Motivation

IV. Growth

V. Stages in Development

VI. Others

I. Type of business

• Business entrepreneur: Convert ideas into reality; deal with both manufacturing and trading

aspect of business (Small trading and manufacturing business)

• Trading entrepreneur: Undertakes trading activities; concerned with marketing (Domestic

and international level)

• Industrial entrepreneur: Undertakes manufacturing activities only; new product

development etc (textile, electronics, etc)

• Corporate entrepreneur: Interested in management part of organisation; exceptional

organising, coordinating skills to manage a corporate undertaking (Ambani, Tata families)

• Agricultural entrepreneur: Production and marketing of agricultural inputs and outputs

(Dairy, horticulture, forestry)

II. Use of Technology

• Technical entrepreneur: Production oriented, possesses innovative skills in manufacturing,

quality control etc.

• Non technical entrepreneur: Develops marketing, distribution facilities and strategies

• Professional entrepreneur: Uses the proceeds from sale of one business to start another one. Brimming with ideas to start new ventures.

III. Motivation

Social entrepreneurs: New breed of entrepreneurs; people who not only consider material rewards but who address the most pressing social and environmental issues of our time and solve them.

A social entrepreneur is motivated by a desire to help, improve and transform social, environmental, educational and economic conditions.

• Pure entrepreneur: Psychological and economic rewards motivates him

• Induced entrepreneur: Incentives, concessions, benefits offered by government for entrepreneurs motivates him

• Motivated entrepreneur: Sense of achievement and fulfilment motivates him

• Spontaneous entrepreneur: Born entrepreneurs with inborn traits of confidence, vision, initiative

IV. Growth

• Growth entrepreneur: One who enters a sector with a high growth rate; is a positive thinker

• Super growth entrepreneur: One who enters a business and shows a quick, steep and upward growth curve

V. Stages in Development

• First generation entrepreneur: Innovator, risk taker, among the firsts in family to enter business

• Modern entrepreneur: Who considers feasibility of business, which can adapt to change and dynamic market.

• Classical entrepreneur: One who gives more importance to consistent returns than to growth; concerned about customer and marketing needs

VI. Others

• Area- Rural and Urban entrepreneur

• Gender/Age- Men and Women entrepreneur

• Scale- Small and Large scale entrepreneur

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur

recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and

manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture). While a business entrepreneur

typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on creating

social returns. Thus, the main aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and

environmental goals. Social entrepreneurs are most commonly associated with the voluntary

and not-for-profit sectors, but this need not preclude making a profit. Social entrepreneurship

practised with a world view or international context is called international social

entrepreneurship.

Defining Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs are people who have noticed a need in their community or somewhere in

the world, and have come up with a way of remedying that issue. The remedy could be

creative, innovative, “out of the box,” etc. since most entrepreneurs tend to think in this

manner. In general, social entrepreneurs did not start out with the goal of making money, but

in the long run, switch to a for-profit business. Also, the majority of social entrepreneurs are

faced with an issue in their youth that motivate them to do something about it in adulthood,

such as poverty, sanitation, etc.

Series of Social Entrepreneurs

1. MOHAMMAD YUNUS, founded GRAMEEN BANK.

2. SEVEN WOMEN famously known as SEVEN SISTERS, founded LIJJAT.

3. THE FARMERS founded AMUL.

4. ANITA AHUJA founded CONSERVE INDIA.

5. BUNKER ROY founded BAREFOOT COLLEGE

GRAMEEN BANK

Grameen Bank (GB) has reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for

collateral and created a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation

and creativity. GB provides credit to the poorest of the poor in rural Bangladesh, without any

collateral. At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst

in the over all development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept

outside the banking orbit on the ground that they are poor and hence not bankable. Professor

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of "Grameen Bank" and its Managing Director, reasoned that

if financial resources can be made available to the poor people on terms and conditions that

are appropriate and reasonable, "these millions of small people with their millions of small

pursuits can add up to create the biggest development wonder."

 

As of October, 2011, it has 8.349 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women. With

2,565 branches, GB provides services in 81,379 villages, covering more than 97 percent of

the total villages in Bangladesh.

History

The origin of Grameen Bank can be traced back to 1976 when Professor Muhammad Yunus,

Head of the Rural Economics Program at the University  of Chittagong, launched an action

research project to examine the possibility of designing a credit delivery system to provide

banking services targeted at the rural poor. The Grameen Bank Project (Grameen means

"rural" or "village" in Bangla language) came into operation with the following objectives:

• extend banking facilities to poor men and women;

• eliminate the exploitation of the poor by money lenders;

• create opportunities for self-employment for the vast multitude of unemployed people

in rural Bangladesh;

• bring the disadvantaged, mostly the women from the poorest households, within the

fold of an organizational format which they can understand and manage by

themselves; and

• reverse the age-old vicious circle of "low income, low saving & low investment", into

virtuous circle of "low income, injection of credit, investment, more income, more

savings, more investment, more income".

Highlights

1.0   Nobel Peace Prize, 2006    

October 13, 2006 was the happiest day for Bangladesh. It was a great moment for the whole

nation. Announcement came on that day that Grameen Bank and Mohammad Yunus received

the Nobel Peace Prize, 2006. It was a sudden explosion of pride and joy for every

Bangladeshi. All Bangladeshi's felt as if each of them received the Nobel Peace Prize. The

world has given recognition through this prize, that poverty is a threat to peace. Grameen

Bank, and the concept and methodology of micro-credit that it has elaborated through its 30

years of work, have contributed to enhancing the chances of peace by reducing poverty.

Bangladesh is happy that it could contribute to the world a concept and an institution which

can help bring peace to the world.

2.0   Owned by the Poor    

Grameen Bank Project was born in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh in 1976. In 1983 it was

transformed into a formal bank under a special law passed for its creation. It is owned by the

poor borrowers of the bank who are mostly women. It works exclusively for them. Borrowers

of Grameen Bank at present own 95 percent of the total equity of the bank. Remaining 5 per

cent is owned by the government.

3.0   No Collateral, No Legal Instrument, No Group-Guarantee or Joint Liability    

Grameen Bank does not require any collateral against its micro-loans. Since the bank does

not wish to take any borrower to the court of law in case of non-repayment, it does not

require the borrowers to sign any legal instrument. Although each borrower must belong to a

five-member group, the group is not required to give any guarantee for a loan to its member.

Repayment responsibility solely rests on the individual borrower, while the group and the

centre oversee that everyone behaves in a responsible way and none gets into repayment

problem. There is no form of joint liability, i.e. group members are not responsible to pay on

behalf of a defaulting member.

4.0   97 per cent Women    

Total number of borrowers is 8.35 million, 96 per cent of them are women.

5.0   Branches    

Grameen Bank has 2,565 branches. It works in 81,379 villages. Total staff is 22,124

VI.0Over Tk 684 billion Disbursed

   

Total amount of loan disbursed by Grameen Bank, since inception, is Tk 684.13 billion (US $

11.35 billion). Out of this, Tk 610.81 billion (US $ 10.11 billion) has been repaid. Current

amount of outstanding loans stands at TK 73.32 billion ( US $ 968.31 million). During the

past 12 months ( from November’10 to October'11) Grameen Bank disbursed Tk. 107.30

billion (US $ 1480.53 million). Monthly average loan disbursement over the past 12 month

was Tk 8.94 billion (US $ 123.38 million).

Projected disbursement for year 2011 is Tk 110.00 billion (US$ 1557.63 million), i.e.

monthly disbursement of Tk 9.17 billion (US $ 129.80 million). End of the year outstanding

loan is projected to be at Tk. 78.00 billion (US $ 1105 million).

7.0   Recovery Rate Over 97 per cent    

Loan recovery rate is 96.67 per cent.

8.0   100 per cent Loans Financed From Bank’s Deposits    

Grameen Bank finances 100 per cent of its outstanding loan from its deposits. Over 56 per

cent of its deposits come from bank’s own borrowers. Deposits amount to 145 per cent of the

outstanding loans. If we combine both deposits and own resources it becomes 160 per cent of

loans outstanding.

9.0   Borrower-Deposits Keep Growing    

Besides building financial strength of the poor women by encouraging them to build up

significant amount of personal savings, borrower deposit is also a very important element in

Grameen Bank. Forty-two per cent of the branches have borrower deposits equal to 75 per

cent or more of outstanding loans of the branches.

One-fifth of the branches have more borrower-deposits than the amount of loans outstanding.

In some branches borrower-deposits are as high as 50 per cent above the outstanding loans.

In eight zones, out of forty, borrower deposits are equal or more than the outstanding loans in

zones.

10.0   No Donor Money, No Loans    

In 1995, GB decided not to receive any more donor funds. Since then, it has not requested

any fresh funds from donors. Last installment of donor fund, which was in the pipeline, was

received in 1998. GB does not see any need to take any donor money or even take loans from

local or external sources in future. GB's growing amount of deposits will be more than

enough to run and expand its credit programme and repay its existing loans.

11.0   Earns Profit    

Ever since Grameen Bank came into being, it has made profit every year except in 1983,

1991, and 1992. It has published its audited balance-sheet every year, audited by two

internationally reputed audit firms of the country.

12.0   Revenue and Expenditure    

Total revenue generated by Grameen Bank in 2010 was Tk 17.74 billion (US $ 252.05

million). Total expenditure was Tk 16.98 billion (US $ 241.29 million). Interest payment on

deposits of Tk 9.23 billion (US $ 131.09 million) was the largest component of expenditure

(54 per cent). Expenditure on salary, allowances, pension benefits amounted to TK. 4.64

billion (US $ 65.92 million), which was the second largest component of the total expenditure

(27 per cent). Grameen Bank made a profit of Tk 757.24 million (US $ 10.76 million) in

2010.

13.0   30% Dividend for 2010    

Grameen Bank has declared 30% cash dividend for the year 2010. This is the highest cash

dividend declared by any bank in Bangladesh in 2010.Highest record of dividend declared by

Grameen Bank was in 2006. It was 100%.The bank has also created a Dividend Equalization

Fund to ensure distribution of dividends without much fluctuation in successive years.

Receiving of dividends each year greatly inspires our shareholders, 97% of whom are our

borrowers.

14.0   Low Interest Rates    

Government of Bangladesh has fixed interest rate for government-run microcredit

programmes at 11 per cent at flat rate. It amounts to about 22 per cent at declining basis.

Grameen Bank's interest rate is lower than government rate.

Microfinance Transparency an internationally reputed pricing certification agency also

verified the pricing of Grameen Bank loan products and found that GB actually charges the

same interest as it publicly claims.

There are four interest rates for loans from Grameen Bank : 20% for income generating loans,

8% for housingloans, 5% for student loans, and 0% (interest-free) loans for Struggling

Members (beggars). All interests are simple interest, calculated on declining balance method.

This means, if a borrower takes an income-generating loan of say, Tk 1,000, and pays back

the entire amount within a year in weekly instalments, she'll pay a total amount of Tk 1,100,

i.e. Tk 1,000 as principal, plus Tk 100 as interest for the year, equivalent to 10% flat rate.

15.0   Deposit Rates    

Grameen Bank offers very attractive rates for deposits. Minimum interest offered is 8.5 per

cent. Maximum rate is 12 per cent.

16.0   Beggars As Members    

Begging is the last resort for survival for a poor person, unless he/she turns into crime or

other forms of illegal activities. Among the beggars there are disabled, blind, and retarded

people, as well as old people with ill health. Grameen Bank has taken up a special

programme in 2002, called Struggling Members Programme exclusively for the beggars.

Over 111,296 beggars have joined the programme. Total amount disbursed stands today at

Tk. 162.60 million. Of this amount of Tk. 130.89 million (80% of the amount disbursed) has

already been paid off.

19,678 beggars have left begging and are making a living as door-to-door sales persons.

Among them 10,185 beggars have joined Grameen Bank groups as main-stream borrowers.

Beggers members have voluntarily opened their personal savings accounts. Cumulative

deposit in these savings accounts amounts to BDT 22.41 million; present balance stands at

BDT 8.08 million.

Basic features of the programme are :    

1)Existing rules of Grameen Bank do not apply to beggar members; they make up their own

rules.

 

2)All loans are interest-free. Loans can be for very long term, to make repayment instalments

very small. For example, for a loan to buy a quilt or a mosquito-net, or an umbrella, many

borrowers are paying Tk 2.00 (3.4 cents US) per week.

 

3)Beggar members are covered under life insurance and loan insurance programmes without

paying any cost.

   

4)Groups and centres are encouraged to become patrons of the beggar members.

   

5)Each member receives an identity badge with Grameen Bank logo. She can display this as

she goes about her daily life, to let everybody know that she is a Grameen Bank member

and this national institution stands behind her.

   

6)Members are not required to give up begging, but are encouraged to take up an additional

income-generating activity like selling popular consumer items door to door, or at the place

of begging.

    Objective of the programme is to provide financial services to the beggars to help them

find a dignified livelihood, send their children to school and graduate into becoming regular

Grameen Bank members. We wish to make sure that no one in the Grameen Bank villages

has to beg for survival.

LIJJAT

Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, popularly known as Lijjat, is an Indian women's

cooperative involved in manufacturing of various fast moving consumer goods. The

organization's main objective is empowerment of women by providing them employment

opportunities. Started in the year 1959 with a seed capital of Rs. 80, Lijjat has an annual

turnover of around Rs. 650 crore, with Rs. 29 crore in exports.  It provides employment to

around 42,000 people.  Lijjat is headquartered in Mumbai and has 67 branches and 35

divisions all over India

HISTORY

Lijjat was the brain child of seven Gujarati women from Bombay (now Mumbai). The

women lived in Lohana Niwas, a group of five buildings inGirgaum. They wanted to start a

venture to create a sustainable livelihood using the only skill they had i.e. cooking. The seven

women were Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, Parvatiben Ramdas Thodani, Ujamben Narandas

Kundalia, Banuben. N. Tanna, Laguben Amritlar Gokani, Jayaben V. Vithalani, and one

more lady whose name is not known.

The women borrowed Rs 80 from Chaganlal Karamsi Parekh, a member of the Servants of

India Society and a social worker. They took over a loss-making papad making venture by

one Laxmidasbhai and bought the necessary ingredients and the basic infrastructure required

to manufacture papads. On March 15, 1959, they gathered on the terrace of their building and

started with the production of 4 packets of Papads. They started selling the papads to a known

merchant in Bhuleshwar. From the beginning, the women had decided that they would not

approach anyone for donations or help, even if the organization incurred losses.

Products and divisions

Lijjat's manufactures several products, of which the papad is the most famous:

Papad (Fourteen flavours, including lasan, moong, mirch, Punjabi and urad)

Khakhra

Appalam

Masala

Vadi

Gehu Atta (Wheat flour)

Bakery products

Chapati

SASA Detergent Powder

SASA Detergent Cake (Tikia)

SASA Nilam Detergent Powder

SASA Liquid Detergent

Role in Women Empowerment

The growth of the Lijjat is often seen in the larger canvas of women and their empowerment.

The organization has undertaken various efforts to promote literacy and computer education

for member-sisters and their families. A literacy campaign for sisters began through literacy

classes at Girgaum on June 18, 1999. Later, the managing committee decided to start such

classes in all its branches. From 1980 onwards, Lijjat started giving Chhaganbapa Smruti

Scholarships to the daughters of the member-sisters.

The member-sisters used their organization as a medium to promote their and their families'

welfare. In the Valod centre they set up an educational and hobby centre for the rural women.

Orientation courses in typing, cooking, sewing, knitting and toy making as well as other

courses like child welfare, first aid and hygiene were taught. The first ever pucca (tarred)

road in Valod to be built and inaugurated in 1979 was with the help of the Lijjat, Valod

branch.

In 1979, Lijjat teamed up with UNICEF to organize a seminar in Mumbai on "Child Care and

Mother Welfare", as part of the International Year of the Child celebrations. In October 1984,

Bhadraben Bhatt represented Lijjat at the UNESCO sponsored international workshop on

"The role of women in the assimilation and spread of technological innovation" held

atNITIE, Powai. Alkaben Kalia represented Lijjat at the national level meeting on women

convened by the National Commission on Self Employed Women.

At the behest of Mother Teresa, the member-sisters also took part in some activities of Asha

Dhan, an institution to care for destitute women.

Lijjat member-sisters also tried to start a co-operative bank, but the effort was not very

successful.

Contribution to Social Service

On several occasions, the Lijjat member-sisters have undertaken social service activities such

as distributing nutritious food for poor children, donating money for conducting community

marriage, instituting prize-money for spread of primary education, undertaking blood

donation drive, organizing health camps, plantation drives and even making donations to

Government bodies. In 1999, the Mumbai City felicitated Smt.Rukminiben B.Pawar, Lijjat

President, as an outstanding woman in the field of social work.

Lijjat undertook the rehabilitation of Chincholi (Jogan), the earthquake affected village in

the Latur district of Maharashtra. The institution provided the finance and supervised the

work of construction of fifty-eight houses for the people of the village. Member-sisters

donated money from their daily vanai (wage). After the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, all the

branches of Lijjat gave a total donation of more than Rs 4.8 million, including Rs 1 million

from the central office. Lijjat built forty houses for the rehabilitation of the people of Bhujpur

(Bhachau) in Kutch District.

AMUL

The Birth of Amul It all began when milk became a symbol of protest

Founded in 1946 to stop the exploitation by middlemen

Inspired by the freedom movement

The seeds of this unusual saga were sown more than 65 years back in Anand, a small town in

the state of Gujarat in western India. The exploitative trade practices followed by the local

trade cartel triggered off the cooperative movement. Angered by unfair and manipulative

practices followed by the trade, the farmers of the district approached the great Indian patriot

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for a solution. He advised them to get rid of middlemen and form

their own co-operative, which would have procurement, processing and marketing under their

control.

In 1946, the farmers of this area went on a milk strike refusing to be cowed down by the

cartel. Under the inspiration of Sardar Patel, and the guidance of leaders like Morarji Desai

and Tribhuvandas Patel, they formed their own cooperative in 1946.

This co-operative, the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd. began with just

two village dairy co-operative societies and 247 litres of milk and is today better known as

Amul Dairy. Amul grew from strength to strength thanks to the inspired leadership of

Tribhuvandas Patel, the founder Chairman and the committed professionalism of Dr

Verghese Kurien,who was entrusted the task of running the dairy from 1950.

The then Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri decided that the same approach should

become the basis of a National Dairy Development policy. He understood that the success of

Amul could be attributed to four important factors. The farmers owned the dairy, their elected

representatives managed the village societies and the district union, they employed

professionals to operate the dairy and manage its business. Most importantly, the co-

operatives were sensitive to the needs of farmers and responsive to their demands.

At his instance in 1965 the National Dairy Development Board was set up with the basic

objective of replicating the Amul model. Dr. Kurien was chosen to head the institution as its

Chairman and asked to replicate this model throughout the country.

ORGANIZATION

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), is India's largest food

product marketing organisation with annual turnover (2010-11) US$ 2.2 billion. Its daily

milk procurement is approx 12 million lit (peak period) per day from 15,712 village

milk cooperative societies, 17 member unions covering 24 districts, and 3 million milk

producer members.

It is the Apex organisation of the Dairy Cooperatives of Gujarat, popularly known as

'AMUL', which aims to provide remunerative returns to the farmers and also serve the

interest of consumers by providing quality products which are good value for money. Its

success has not only been emulated in India but serves as a model for rest of the World. It is

exclusive marketing organisation of 'Amul' and 'Sagar' branded products. It operates

through 47 Sales Offices and has a dealer network of 5000 dealers and 10 lakh retailers, one

of the largest such networks in India. Its product range comprises milk, milk powder, health

beverages, ghee, butter, cheese, Pizza cheese, Ice-cream, Paneer, chocolates, and traditional

Indian sweets, etc

GCMMF is India's largest exporter of Dairy Products. It has been accorded a "Trading

House" status. Many of our products are available in USA, Gulf Countries, Singapore, The

Philippines, Japan, China and Australia. GCMMF has received the APEDA Award from

Government of India for Excellence in Dairy Product Exports for the last 13 years. For the

year 2009-10, GCMMF has been awarded "Golden Trophy' for its outstanding export

performance and contribution in dairy products sector by APEDA.

For its consistent adherence to quality, customer focus and dependability, GCMMF has

received numerous awards and accolades over the years. It received the Rajiv Gandhi

National Quality Award in1999 in Best of All Category. In 2002 GCMMF bagged India's

Most Respected Company Award instituted by Business World. In 2003, it was awarded the

The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award - 2003 for adopting noteworthy quality

management practices for logistics and procurement. GCMMF is the first and only Indian

organisation to win topmost International Dairy Federation Marketing Award for probiotic

ice cream launch in 2007.

The Amul brand is not only a product, but also a movement. It is in one way, the

representation of the economic freedom of farmers. It has given farmers the courage to

dream, to hope, to live.

CONSERVE INDIA

Born of a desire to reduce India's mountain of waste, improve energy efficiency, and help

some of Delhi's poorest out of the city's slums, Conserve India achieves all this by turning

plastic bags into high fashion. 

Conserve started as a fledgling recycling project but quickly adapted to confront the biggest

challenge it was facing – what to do with the thousands of plastic bags that could not be

composted or recycled locally.

After much experimentation, the Conserve team hit upon the idea of not recycling, but up

cycling by washing, drying, and pressing the bags into sheets.  Handmade Recycled Plastic

(HRP) was born and designs for handbags, wallets, shoes and belts quickly came flooding in. 

The challenge was obvious: Use high fashion to support better lives for the poorest and a

cleaner environment for all. 

Today, Conserve India employs and trains hundreds of people from Delhi's most

disadvantaged communities to clear their streets of the plague of plastic bag waste.  Once the

waste bags are turned into HRP products they are sold for profits which can be spent in those

same communities on education and welfare programmes. 

By buying a Conserve bag, belt, wallet, shoe, or necklace, you not only get to be a trend

setter with a beautiful, funky piece of high fashion – you will also be helping some of

India's poorest people, and its environment.

THE FOUNDERS

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, 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 lay in upcycling the bags into sheets of plastic that could be

reinvented as fashion accessories. They named this material Handmade Recycled Plastic.

Shalabh and Anita combined his expertise in engineering and her creative talents to get the

most out of their solution to this huge problem. As well as cleaning Delhi's streets, they have

worked to provide hundreds of jobs for some of the poorest people living in their city. The

income they generate by selling products made from Handmade Recycled Plastic, is then

spent on social welfare projects.

Today they continue to realise their vision. Conserve India bags are being sold around the

world. The proceeds of this work are put to good use. Firstly, better wages for Conserve

employees - a ragpicker collecting bags for Conserve earns on average three times more

selling to us than they would earn elsewhere. Secondly, training opportunities for all staff at

Conserve India so that they can get more skilled jobs either within the organisation or

elsewhere. Thirdly, a school in the slum where many of the ragpickers we work with live.

Finally, loans for Conserve workers to develop their own start-up businesses, and most

recently a health clinic for the entire workforce.

Projects

Conserve India employs some of Delhi's poorest inhabitants, whose lives are blighted by

insecure living conditions, poor sanitation, and scarce opportunities to get the education or

training they need to lift them out of poverty. They help its workers with the difficult and

dirty job that they do by

Firstly they pay a fair wage to everyone working for them. An average rag picker

earns $25 a month. A rag picker working for Conserve will earn on average $70 a

month. But even with a better wage, no one would be happy to stay in this work, and

Conserve is not content to leave its workers at the bottom of the employment pile.

Conserve offers training to its workers so that they can do better jobs throughout the

organisation – from manufacturing to working in the head office. Conserve also

supports schools in the slums where many of its employees live – helping many

children to get the better chance they so desperately need.

Beyond training and education, Conserve is also starting two new projects which will

track the general welfare of its workers and provide health clinics for those with no

other access to medical help. 

BAREFOOT COLLEGE

Established in 1972, the Barefoot College is a non-government organisation that has been providing

basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities, with the objective of making them self-

sufficient and sustainable. These ‘Barefoot solutions’ can be broadly categorised into solar energy,

water, education, health care, rural handicrafts, people’s action, communication, women’s

empowerment and wasteland development.

The College believes that for any rural development activity to be successful and sustainable, it must

be based in the village as well as managed and owned by those whom it serves. Therefore, all

Barefoot initiatives whether social, political or economic, are planned and implemented by a network

of rural men and women who are known as ‘Barefoot Professionals’.

Rural men and women irrespective of age, who are barely literate or not at all, and have no hope of

getting even the lowest government job, are being trained to work as day and night school teachers,

doctors, midwives, dentists, health workers, balsevikas, solar engineers, solar cooker engineers, water

drillers, hand pump mechanics, architects, artisans, designers, masons, communicators, water testers,

phone operators, blacksmiths, carpenters, computer instructors, accountants and kabaad-se-jugaad

professionals.

With little guidance, encouragement and space to grow and exhibit their talent and abilities, people

who have been considered ‘very ordinary’ and written off by society, are doing extraordinary things

that defy description.

Founder’s Philosophy

The organization was established to solve grave problems like drinking water quality, female

education, health and sanitation, rural unemployment, income generation, electricity and

power, as well as social awareness and the conservation of ecological systems in rural India.

Bunker Roy, born to a wealthy Indian family, received what he described as a "very snobby,

elitist, expensive education," which he believes imparts arrogance without providing the kind

of practical knowledge needed in poor villages. His decision to leave the city for the village

estranged him from his parents, furthering his conviction that "such an education can destroy

you."

The policy of the Barefoot College is to take women from the poorest of villages and teach

them to become professionals without requiring them to read or write. In extreme cases, there

are students without verbal fluency in the languages of their teachers. It is the only school

with such a policy, as well as the only school in India that is entirely solar-powered. Keeping

with the principles of the Barefoot College, solar panels were installed by a Hindu priest with

only eight years of schooling, and many of the builders were themselves illiterate.

History

In the late 60’s, a very small group of determined individuals in India, coming out of a sound

educational system, felt it necessary to look for alternative ways of living, thinking and

looking for rural solutions. With very little resources and no long term ideas, they chose to

start a process of re-learning in different rural parts of the country by living in remote villages

with the people. There was no fixed agenda.

By the early 70’s, India witnessed coming together of minds and different ideologies. Urban

educated persons and professionals started their own search for working models. The

processes set by them were in terms of approaches and methodologies. While some of

individuals chose to live in villages, others thought it better to base themselves in big towns

and cities of India.

The Barefoot College was the coming together of urban educated persons and professionals

in 1972 including Bunker Roy; as its founder, a cartographer and a typist. The coming

together was validated by this collective registering itself as the Social Work and Research

Centre (SWRC) that is more popularly known as the ‘Barefoot College’ today. The term

originally comes from the Chinese health workers who were villagers trained to assist their

own rural communities in the 1960s. The name emphasises the organisation’s commitment to

poor, neglected and marginalized sections of society.

In 1972, forty-five acres of Government land and an abandoned Tuberculosis Sanatorium

(consisting of 21 buildings) was leased from the Government at Re.1 a month, to serve as a

campus. Barefoot College started working in the village of Tilonia in Rajasthan, with a

population of about 2,000 people.

The early 80s saw a substantial change in the nature of the College work force, with locals

forming 80% of the organization. Such a change was partly due to the departure of urban

trained professionals who could not stay in rural areas for a long period of time as most of

them eventually moved on for ‘good jobs’ and parental pressures. However, this also meant

that the locals, for whose development the organization was set up, were taking charge of

activities and initiatives right from planning to completion, thereby reducing dependency on

external aid and learn to self sufficient.

The Barefoot College aimed to adopt a new approach and understanding of social work and

community development by using the local skills to achieve people-centric and participatory

development that was sustainable rather intimidating them by using knowledge from outside.

Respect the wisdom of traditional knowledge and mould it with the involvement of rural

communities to meet their needs. It identified and worked for only poor and marginalized

farmers, landless peasants, rural artisans, women, children, and scheduled castes and tribes as

its target group.