Goodbye to Paper!
How it works...
It is our dream that we can support each one of the women we work with to set up their own businesses, based on their age, capacity, skills, dreams and the needs of their families. Our financial assessments have found that it costs at least 200rs/day to sustain each family of 5, and so we have worked with each woman to develop a workable business model that will generate enough to cover their needs, and to start putting money towards the future- paying off debts, sending children to school and starting to think about a home of their own, as well as repaying their loan so that another family will have the chance to break the cycle of poverty.
However, for a business to flourish, the women must first learn technical skills, quality assurance, entrepreneurship, marketing techniques and learn to manage their money effectively- skills they have never had the chance to develop before. This is why we work in 4 phases to build their capacity:
Phase 1: Table mosaics
Learning to make table mosaics builds team skills, creativity and an eye for aesthetics. The women learn in this phase to understand the need for symmetry, attention to detail in sticking the tiles neatly, and managing money, dividing it, and coming to work on time.
Phase 2: Lamp making
Through learning to make lamps, women learn not only the technical skills of designing with wire, buying materials, managing logistcs and basic electrical wiring, but they also have to manage their time well, manage their money, and assist with marketing the finished products.
Phase 3: Getting a bank account
In this phase Seb's staff work with the women to help them accumulate enough ID to open a bank account. The Indian Overseas Bank works in partnership with Seb's Projects India to make this possible. A bank account can open so many doors- making proper employment, loans and microfinance a possibility. It is a door out of the world of poverty.
At this point Seb's staff also identify donors who can subsidise the loan, making repayments more manageable in these crucial but challenging early stages of business development.
Phase 4: Building a business
In this last phase, the women plan a business with Seb's staff and mentors experienced in small business management, working out their financial need assessments and their capacity to run a business (based on literacy, disabilities, time etc).
Once planned, the women invest in the essentials for their chosen business, and start work! Repayments are made on a weekly basis and weekly meetings are held with Seb's staff to monitor their progress.