From Bottom Billion to Next Billion

Republished with permission from The Grameen Foundation

Luckshmi Sivalingam is a Program Officer for Grameen Foundation’s Solutions for the Poorest program.

Before joining GF, I interviewed fifty clients of a Nepal savings and credit cooperative as part of an impact assessment. I saw that particularly for those living in extreme poverty, the solution to changing their situations can’t be limited to providing access to microfinance’s traditional product: an enterprise loan.

THP client on her new farm in West Bengal

Nearly all the clients I spoke with said that if they’d undergone appropriate skills development or received training on value addition for the goods and services they were selling, then their microenterprises could have generated the additional income required for them to progress out of poverty.

The Solutions for the Poorest team at GF is joining a small but growing group of microfinance practitioners that are looking at how the industry can better meet the needs of the very poor.  One approach we are testing couples livelihoods support with microfinance in a financially sustainable manner, contributing to what has been termed the “double bottom line.”

Solutions for the Poorest has partnered with BASIX/The Livelihood School India, a pioneering livelihood promotion institute, to design an integrated and sustainable methodology to provide financial and non-financial services to the extreme poor—individuals that BASIX wouldn’t typically serve through its everyday microfinance activities.  Also, my colleague, Malini, and I recently travelled to Calcutta to visit Bandhan’s Targeting the Hard Core Poor (THP) program.  THP targets female-headed households, like Shahida Bibi’s, with no or very erratic opportunities to make income. The program provides these women with the skills and assets required to jumpstart a microenterprise.  Supplemented with confidence-building measures, this support cultivates a seemingly limitless entrepreneurial spirit.

Shahida, her seven children, and her disabled husband survived on just $2 a week. Shahida was a housemaid, but without any productive skills and regular income, she wasn’t considered creditworthy by other MFIs.  THP provided her with four goats to help generate a more consistent income stream. This income has allowed Shahida to provide for her family while also nurturing the habit of saving.  In eighteen months, she sold one goat for $43 and diversified her income stream by buying chickens, selling eggs, and later selling coconuts and vegetables to her neighbors.   Shahida has now grown into a real business woman, generating a weekly income of Rs. 2,000 (about $42 dollars).  She’s already planning for additional ventures.

Shahida and her children share their story

Addressing the issue of global poverty in a holistic and practical way has made the past month’s immersions in Solutions for the Poorest initiatives an intellectually stimulating and inspiring experience for me.  I look forward to continuing our work to propel the bottom billion into the next billion.

Vote for Grameen Foundation & help us win a $200,000 grant to fight global poverty! Learn more about how you can help!

To make a donation to the Grameen Foundation, NetIP North America’s 2010 Philanthropy Partner, click here.

NetIP Chicago: 8 hours, 4 Members, and 1 House

Written by Kesha Parikh, Community Outreach, NetIP Chicago

On National Rebuilding Day, April 24th, volunteers from the Network of Indian Proffesionals Chicago Chapter put in a great deal of  hard work and time commitment in helping one elderly woman rebuild her home.  The purpose of the event was to renovate the homes of elderly, disabled, or low-income residents by pulling together electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters and volunteers.

This year, NetIP Chicago volunteers woke up very early on a Saturday morning and spent 8 long, hard hours re-painting and re-flooring an elderly woman’s house on the south side of Chicago.  The woman had lived there for over 30 years and was recently disabled due to a hip fracture.  A special thanks goes out to all the volunteers, Sujata, Bobby, Kesha and Amit for going above and beyond their duties.  Together, they de-greased and painted two bathrooms, a kitchen, a hallway and a living room.  Sujata was on her hands and knees helping clean and re-floor the kitchen.  Bobby did the tough job of painting all the ceilings and removing a dusty carpet from the living room.

The house captain who was responsible for managing the project was so pleased with the volunteers that he has asked NetIP Chicago to collaborate with him again next year to help a new home owner transform their house.  The granddaughter of the woman whose house we rebuilt also had some kind words to share with the volunteers as she was touched to see total strangers spending their free time helping her rebuild her grandmother’s home.

Please join NetIP Chicago in expressing a special thanks to all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication that day!

For more information on NetIP Chicago and their upcoming events visit www.NetIPChicago.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPChicago.

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nerhru, VP Of External Affairs, NetIP North America

Network of Indian Professionals 7th Annual Officers Leadership Conference

The City of Angels welcomes the Network of Indian Professionals

7th^th Annual Officers Leadership Conference

Celebrating 20 years of South Asian Empowerment

Los Angeles, CA, Feb 10^th 2010: The Network of Indian Professionals’ (NetIP) 7^th Officer’s Leadership Conference (OLC) was held Feb 5 to Feb 7, 2010 at the Wilshire Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles. The OLC served as the national kick-off for the 2010 NetIP calendar year. It provided an open forum for leadership to be recognized, for officers both new and returning to network and form good working relationships. The goal of the OLC has always been to provide an opportunity for NetIP chapter leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges, as well as to collaborate on leading practices as an organization. NetIP North America is the parent organization to its 24 chapters.

“The main goal of this leadership conference was to Inspire and Motivate all our chapter leaders from 24 cities. Based on the overwhelming response, I believe we surpassed our highest expectations. NetIP as an organization has incredible potential, and we’re on our way to becoming a household name, not just in the South Asian community but across North America.” -Shubha Rao, VP Internal Affairs, NetIP North America. Rao’s team put together and managed the conference and logistics in less than 8 weeks.

Attendees from NetIP’s 24 chapters, from coast to coast graced the conference to give feedback and learn about the goals and vision for the organization as a whole. Day one at the conference included a surprise live on-air segment with Brand Strategist Pooja Dhawan and NetIP’s media partner, Hum Desi Radio.

Sundip Arora, President, Network of Indian Professionals of North America was pleased with the conference and the performance of his board. “20 years on, NetIP has made unbelievable strides and leaders from chapters around the continent got a first-hand feel of our progress at our Officer’s Leadership Conference. My goal this year for the OLC was for Chapter Officer’s, new and returning, to Learn, Share, Inspire and Be Inspired. We achieved this through two days of intense collaborative sessions and workshops. NetIP North America is very proud to be part of the biggest OLC in our history and to have set another defining moment for our 20th anniversary.”

Along with ambitious plans to streamline technology across the 24 chapters and the North America parent Organization, NetIP revealed its new intranet which uses google collaboration to make internal communication and reporting seamless. The new VP of Technology, Anish Mistry, explained his efficient plan for the year ahead which included a revamped NetIP.org website and his goal to increase back-end content management efficiency.

Sri Narasimhan, NetIP North America’s VP of Finance and Administration, and his team went over legal, tax and financial reporting requirements for the incoming Chapter Officers. Latha Nehru, VP External Affairs, and her team explained NetIP’s Grameen Foundation initiative in Haiti as well as their plans to forge alliances with other non profits in an effort to raise visibility for NetIP.

The Los Angeles-Orange County (LA-OC) chapter of NetIP helped manage logistics and hosted the evening socials for the weekend. “I was very excited to see that months of hard work had culminated in a successful OLC. The conference setting and venues allowed chapter leaders to network and share ideas in a both professional and social environment.“ -Sapan Shah, President, NetIP LA-OC. The Los Angeles Orange County chapter of NetIP was the host for the conference.

Director of Operations, Santosh Perla, kept the momentum going right from the weeks before the conference with an eagle eye on deadlines. At the conference he kept attendees motivated and energized during a packed presentation schedule.

“More than a forum to share ideas, the OLC was a showcase of the many resources NetIP-NA provides to individual chapters seeking to make an impact in their respective communities.  Our chapter left the OLC with a greater understanding of the tools available to mobilize our membership and enhance the value of the NetIP brand locally.” Ashwin Janakiram, President NetIP Chicago

This year NetIP’s largest event, the Annual Conference is being held in Seattle on August 20-22, 2010. Conference Co-chairs Neha Sharma and Sarika Punjabi presented their conference strategy and theme “Unique by Nature”.

“This OLC was my first NetIP conference experience and I was blown away by the professionalism of the organization. The high caliber of the young professionals in leadership positions in NetIP was very inspiring. It was a great opportunity to connect with people across North America and share experiences. I hope to bring the insight, enthusiasm and strength of NetIP National and other local chapters back to NetIP San Francisco Bay Area. NetIP has great potential for national and local impact on the young professional South Asian community.” Purvi Patel, President NetIP San Francisco Bay Area.

At the conclusion of a weekend packed with valuable take-aways, action items and resources, NetIP and its chapters are uniquely positioned to forge ahead amongst its demographic. NetIP provides the only platform for South Asians in North America to network and grow in their professional and personal lives.

About NetIP

The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which they live and work.

Today, the organization includes over 5,000 members and more than 40,000 subscribers in 24 cities across United States and Canada. NetIP has become a premier networking brand over the years. It is the unequivocal voice for an emerging group of South Asians, who excel in every aspect of western society, from business to politics to the arts. The rise of NetIP and its affiliated chapters reflects a general “Coming of Age” by South Asian professionals.

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If you’d like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview contact Pooja Dhawan, Brand Strategy for NetIP North America, by email at pooja@netip.org

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Dallas’ January Third Thursdays ~ Supporting The Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund

President Riya Bhattacharjee, Professional Development Pillar Chair Hosi Kamiya, and VP of Events Jasmin Rohmam signing up a New Member

On January 21st, the Network of Indian Professionals Dallas Chapter kicked off the decade by hosting a very successful Third Thursdays networking event at Bengal Coast Restaurant in Uptown, Dallas. The event was a huge success and drew over 75 attendees, many attending a NetIP event for the first time. NetIP Dallas was able to sign up 20 new members on the spot by featuring a one day onsite membership promotion. Special guest attendee Ajay Patel ,Co-Vice-President and National Liaison of NetIP Atlanta, was quoted on saying how impressed he was with the venue, event execution, and pricing strategy, which he was looking forward to sharing with the NetIP Atlanta Board.

Due to the recent events in Haiti, NetIP Dallas donated all proceeds from this Third Thursdays event to the Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund. In line with National’s commitment towards the Grameen Foundation, NetIP Dallas felt that it was critical to donate proceeds towards an effort that not only helps with immediate disaster relief, but will also provide long term relief for the people of Haiti. Grameen’s principle of providing micro-finance loans that will create jobs and help rebuild the city of Port-au-Prince is what attracted NetIP Dallas to this organization.

Unique fundraising efforts of the night included a raffle with 2 pairs of Dallas Mavericks tickets (the best team in the NBA after all), Pearl Earrings donated by Dallas Diamonds ($300 value), and an Aveda spa package. Profits from the raffle ended up raising over $500! Bengal Coast was kind to donate delicious appetizers, which included chicken sticks, vegetable pakoras, and Goan chicken lettuce boats. Dallas’ very own DJ Masai stirred up the night by generously providing his services, getting the crowd to celebrate the new year with a BANG! All attendees went home with a NetIP Dallas t-shirt sponsored by the 2010 Census, perfect for the next NetIP Dallas community service event! This was a great kick off event for the decade and just a hint at what is yet to come!

NetIP Dallas President, Riya Bhattacharjee, was very pleased with their kickoff event and the fact that they have already tripled membership numbers from this time last year. “New year.. new board.. new start .. all you large chapters, watch out for this new addition to your competition!”

Attendees NetIP Atlanta National Liaison & Co-VP Ajay Patel and VP of External Affairs for NetIP North America Latha Nehru

Some NetIP Dallas Upcoming Events Include:
2/13 Tax & Financial Planning Workshop at Bengal Coast
2/18 February Third Thursdays ~ Supporting CHETNA at Red Room
2/20 CHETNA Gala at Fun Asia
2/23 Dinner Circle at Queen of Sheeba
2/25 Investment 101 Workshop
3/06 Job Hunting 101
3/07 Holi at the DFW Hindu Temple
3/13 Carnaval-International Dance Experience at the Hyatt Regency DFW

NetIP Dallas was formed in 1994 and received the 2009 Boscar for Most Improved Chapter. NetIP Dallas began hosting Third Thursday’s in August 2008 after their then Community Service Chair Latha Nehru attended a NetSAP DC Third Thursdays earlier that year and was very impressed with the concept. Third Thursdays continue to be NetIP Dallas’ highest attended event month after month. For more information about NetIP Dallas and any of their upcomming events please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA