Introduction



“niiti”, a Sanskrit word means, in different contexts, policy, ethics, tenets. To us, who belong here, it is our raison d’etre, our touchstone. So we constantly turn to our ethics and tenets when we re-examine the basis of what we do and how we do it over and over again. This is our space to engage with our core, with you, our readers and companions on the path towards an equitable society in the deepest meaning of the word. Over the past years, there are several social issues and organisations that we have engaged with and been enriched with both experience and knowledge along the way. We believe that in creating a conversation platform for those engaged in the field, including some of our clients, partners, all of you out there who have reached this site wanting to be the change and others who have expertise to comment and critique, we can actually crowd-source actions and solutions for some of our most pressing social issues.

Some of these stories feature organisations and people who have been the change; others highlight innovative approaches to long-entrenched social issues; yet others point to ways in which change can be facilitated, simply. If you are inspired by them as well and motivated to replicate their work, or want to share inputs on other bright examples like these, do write to us at info@niiticonsulting.com.

This is your platform. Feel free to contribute, critique, and most importantly, converse.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Empowering India's Rural Workforce: DesiCrew

It is hard to decide where to start when writing about DesiCrew.. The only thought that comes to mind is, AWESOME. Few can top the flair they infuse in their business. Whoever said that businesses are like people, would surely find exemplary conduct in the behavior of this particular team. DesiCrew found its purpose from the social and market conundrums holding India back from reaching its maximum potential in geo-political growth. When we think of India’s problems of over-population, poverty and pollution we do not consider that these are problems caused primarily by the extreme overcrowding of cities due to high rural to urban movement of the population. With the current rate of urbanization, in approximately two decades, India’s urban population is set to reach 600 million, a figure twice as high as it is today. One possible solution to the resulting urban poverty and income inequality would be to include and integrate poor migrants into the urbanization agenda. Another solution would be to nip the problem at the bud. DesiCrew seeks to do exactly this by focusing on the development of social activism amongst India’s rural population.

Founder Saloni Malhotra at a DesiCrew micro-center

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) estimates indicate that there are 130 million educated workers in rural India with little or no access to meaningful employment. DesiCrew’s decentralized business model stimulates profit-accumulating social enterprise that benefits clients as well as educated, unemployed Indians.

The DesiCrew network is composed of carefully selected rural and semi-urban micro-centers of about 25 facility workers. Each center runs under the guidance of a professional and provides back-end services to global clients. These micro-centers are usually located in territories with populations ranging from 10 to 100 thousand people and the workforce manning these centers are trained by the DesiCrew staff.

DesiCrew's workforce

This business model seems to benefit the community above all by introducing IT-knowledge and computer based jobs, lowering attrition rates amongst families of the community and offering viable but lower costing production for clients. The performance of DesiCrew in managing to cater to multiple industries, geographies, and Indian languages/ dialects hopes to encourage the reversal of currently trending migration. By the looks of their impact and success so far, there is no doubting they will. It comes as no surprise that their priorities seem to be in constant auto-correct mode after having read their vision statements and “Quality Charter.”

The current portfolio of DesiCrew enjoys a strong world-wide reputation for outstanding delivery and an average 40% cost saving from existing clients. In addition to the growing projects, clients and contracted clients, DesiCrew is living proof that a certain stereotype of rural people’s incapacities is indeed unfounded when push comes to pull. The success of DesiCrew reflects the dedicated efficacy of rural BPOs. It is certainly worth keeping an eye out for this organization as they seek to expand the number of employees and clientele of leading companies. Visit http://desicrew.in/index.html to meet the board of directors, management team and partners involved in driving this group forward.
Iliana Foutsitzis is a recent graduate of Northeastern University's Political Science curriculum. Before embarking on a law degree Iliana is spending a gap year in New Delhi, India interning with the Niiti Consulting team. Contact Iliana at ifoutsitzis@gmail.com.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Using Communication Technology to Help Farmers Become More Productive: Digital Green

Digital Green (DG) has been a revolutionary example of how communications technology can change the lives of many. Digital Green has succeeded in providing opportunities for communication between people of a targeted interest, specifically, farming. Their aim is to impact the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the developing world through the targeted production and dissemination of agricultural information via participatory video and mediated instruction through grassroots-level partnerships.

Digital Green is unique in that it has used social networking to improve farming knowledge. It has created “Wonder Village,” a virtual game for getting acquainted with rural realities and various farming techniques, as well as “Farmerbook” an online social platform for farmers to upload videos, share insights and create venture opportunities.

A video in the process of being shot

The DG system provides structure to a traditional, informally-trained vocation. Small and marginal farmers have come together like never before from across seven states -Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh in India. Recently the organization has extended its work to Ghana and Ethiopia, as well as sending a research team to work in the Philippines with the partnership of International Rice Research Institute.

The Digital Green model promotes inclusive growth by diffusing sustainable, high-productivity agricultural methods to all interested members of a community, regardless of class or caste. And it works. The DG model has been found to be 10 times more effective per dollar spent and 7 times more impactful when compared to conventional agricultural extension systems. Further, a preliminary sample analysis found that in the first eight months in which the Digital Green system was deployed, there was an average cumulative increase in incomes of US $242 per farmer relative to control sites. Hence it is no surprise that Digital Green has gained attention from US-Secretary General Hillary Clinton. Addressing a US-India Innovative Solutions seminar earlier this year, Clinton commented: “For decades, scientists, engineers and social innovators from India and United States have worked side-by-side, the most famous example perhaps are the agricultural improvements that led to the Green Revolution. Today I met entrepreneurs from an organization called ‘Digital Green’, who are carrying on that work. Using technology to share agriculture-based practices with farmers themselves (it) is now possible…for farmers to be in their villages (and) look at videos about agricultural techniques that they can apply in their own work.”

Rikin Gandhi (CEO, Digital Green) explaining DGs model to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, India on May 8, 2012

Ingredients involved in the making of Digital Green involve a video-centric database, farmers and distribution management. India is an agriculture-based economy where over 60% of the population relies on home production for livelihood. However due to rapid social, economic and environmental change, farming has been unable to make money as well as maintain its inherited traditions. The video based approach therefore has many advantages for both economic and cultural reasons. Farmers can now watch comprehensive video content without the barriers of language, expert terminology, grass-root practicalities or a sea of scattered media. Aside from the online platforms, means of disseminating content from the Digital Green database is shipping DVDs to a village. Villages are provided a minimum of a TV and DVD player that is operated by NGO field staff and managed by local farmers.

Screening of DG carried content with a TV and DVD player that is operated by NGO field staff

In the next three and half years Digital Green hopes to expand its out-reach to 500,000 small and marginal farmers in partnership with the National Rural Livelihood Mission. In future, this initiative will be co-funded by the Government of India and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and will eventually transition to larger alliances of partners, donors, and supporters coordinated by Digital Green. Visit www.digitalgreen.org to know more or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
Iliana Foutsitzis is a recent graduate of Northeastern University's Political Science curriculum. Before embarking on a law degree Iliana is spending a gap year in New Delhi, India interning with the Niiti Consulting team. Contact Iliana at ifoutsitzis@gmail.com.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Taking Control of a Tourism Industry: Mountain Shepherds Initiative

Nanda Devi, one of the tallest mountains along the Garhwal Himalayas, takes its name from Hindi meaning Bliss-Giving Goddess. Nanda Devi stood for a long time as the tallest peak in the Indian country and in the entire British Empire, hailing people with a passion for climbing from all parts of the Western World and otherwise. The first ascent was made by four American undergraduates of the Harvard Mountaineering Club coupled with four experienced British Mountaineers and was the first of what has totaled to 13 complete ascents to this day.

Anglo-American Summit Team first to ascend Nanda Devi, 1934

One of Britain’s first climbers and explorers Eric Shipton expressed his joy while treading on the mountain terrain in the diary that he kept in 1934 in Nanda Devi: “Each step I experienced that subtle thrill which anyone of imagination must feel when treading in hitherto unexplored country. Each corner held some thrilling secret to be revealed for the trouble of looking. My most blissful dream was to be in some such valley, free to wander where I liked, and discover for myself some hitherto unrevealed glory of Nature. Now the reality was no less wonderful than that half-forgotten dream; and of how many childish fancies can that be said, in this age of disillusionment?”

This set the stage for subsequent climbs of this summit and inspired the Mountain Shepherds Initiative to focus on a new model of tourism, leading to capacity building and employment of youth from the region.

Snow capped Nanda Devi in daylight

The Mountain Shepherds Initiative represents a grassroots effort to evolve a new model of tourism in the Himalayas. Beginning with the Nanda Devi Campaign for cultural survival and sustainable livelihoods in 2003, Mountain Shepherds has promoted communities and activists to come together to promote community-owned ecotourism.

The all-women activist group led by Gaura Devi carved a place for the Chipko community as one of the world’s greatest global environmental movements in history. The inspiring story of their movement was put in a book, “Emancipated Women-Folk of Uttarakhand”, by the Himalayan Action Research Centre. An abridged version was recounted by C.S. Lakshmi in her Hindu article, Lessons from the Mountains: The Story of Gaura Devi.

The reunited women of the activist campaign, 2001

The main interests of Mountain Shepherd are to preserve both the biosphere reserve and the unique trans-Himalayan culture of the Chipko heritage community. The villagers outlined their tourism approach in the ‘ Nanda Devi Declaration ’ in 2001, representing efforts to actualize Mountain Shepherds with a focus for equity and conservation. Up on a mountain, at the clearest and finest points of our world, we find a movement to savor a clash of culture and ecology.

Mountain Shepherd ensures that local culture and way of life is not lost at the expense of Nanda Devi climbers.
  • It has built capacities of more than 70 youth from remote areas in a variety of skills necessary for responsible tourism in the Himalayas ranging from search and rescue methods, energy medical response, life saving techniques, nature guides, yoga and cooking.
  • To ensure minimization of ills of tourism, a systematic garbage management system has been put in place. The exposure of local communities is increased through direct interaction with visitors and through participation in tourism fairs.
  • Some of the avenues through which the locals earn apart form daily employment include direct sale of carpets and woolen products from remote villages, homestays, mule services for treks, porters/guides for treks, and local transport.
A painting from Mountain Shepherd organized artist camp, 2004

Mountain Shepherds has transformed from a seasonal trekking company to become one of the most popular lodges for trekking and skiing. The future plans involve improving infrastructure to strategic locations, expanding the network of people and promoting the capacities of youth in other tourism potential areas.

Taking control of a tourism industry with community responsibility, cultural survival, and ecological sustainability at the forefront.
Contact: Dr. Sunil Kainthola, Director
Phone: 9719316777
Email: kainthola@gmail.com Website - http://mountainshepherds.com/
Iliana Foutsitzis is a recent graduate of Northeastern University's Political Science curriculum. Before embarking on a law degree Iliana is spending a gap year in New Delhi, India interning with the Niiti Consulting team. Contact Iliana at ifoutsitzis@gmail.com.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Broadening Our Vision Of Empowerment: Braille Without Borders

Sometimes the people most capable of saving the world are the ones who don’t expect anything in return. Sabriye Tenberken lost her sight at age 12 and while studying Central Asian Sciences at Bonn University, Sabriye developed a Braille script for the Tibetan language that would later become the renowned standard text. Sabriye went on to initiate Tibet’s first school for the blind, wrote a bestselling book that has been translated into 13 languages and participated in the making of an award winning documentary, Blindsight, that follows six blind Tibetan teenagers on their journey to climb a mountain in the shadow of Everest.

Together with an inspired social engineer, Paul Kronenberg, the two have changed the landscape of the blind and broadened our vision about what it means to be truly empowered. This is the kind of vision that really matters in the world today.

Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg: helping the blind attain equal opportunity in society

In addition to Braille Without Borders, helping the blind attain equal opportunity in society, Sabriye and Paul co-founded Kanthari formerly known as the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs. In Trivandrum, Kerala Kanthari offers a seven month curriculum, preparing future change-makers to turn their dreams into reality. Focusing on social solutions, movements, campaigns and innovation, a new class of social entrepreneurs within India and Nepal now have the resources for taking the lead in advocating focused and sustainable change. Exemplary alumni and their impact can be seen on Kanthari’s website.

Graduates of a recently concluded seven-month Kanthari programme

Khom Raj Sharma is one of the alumni of the Kanthari programme, who sought to voice the concerns of the blind in order that they are able to access the same goods and services as the rest of society. His goal is to fight discrimination against the visually impaired, who are often neglected due to religious and cultural stigmatization. With entrepreneurial vision however, Mr. Sharm started the Inclusion Empowerment Center. In the town of Pokhara, Nepal, I.E.C. trains the visually impaired in the English language and computer technology, empowering them to feel capable of inclusion in sectors of the labor force and of higher education.

Other organizations with various goals continue to spring to life across different parts of the world. From rights of women, rights of Albinos, fighting female circumcision in Kenya and setting up programs for ex-child soldiers in Sierra Leone, a new paradigm of leadership has evolved and been realized at the hands of critical doers for ethical social change. If that simple fact is not inspiration enough, they come to us from the margins of society.

Kanthari and Braille Without Borders are lighthouses for great things to come.

Meet the 2012 Participants here: http://www.kanthari.org/participants/ and follow Braille Without Borders on Facebook.
Iliana Foutsitzis is a recent graduate of Northeastern University's Political Science curriculum. Before embarking on a law degree Iliana is spending a gap year in New Delhi, India interning with the Niiti Consulting team. Contact Iliana at ifoutsitzis@gmail.com.