Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust - BYST

Interview with Lakshmi V Venkatesan, founder of BYST : http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/17/slide-show-1-turning-the-underprivileged-into-entrepreneurs.htm

MIT Poverty Action Lab

Link to some interesting work done at MIT Poverty Action Lab : ttp://www.povertyactionlab.org/
This could possible help to frame a business model for Torchbeares : http://ideas42.iq.harvard.edu/ideas42_media?page=1

The story so far ...

Its been almost five months since Torchbearers was launched and I was looking back and seeing how much progress have I made. The progress, well is not measurable enough at the moment but I have learnt many valuable lessons.

1) I have observed people are not very open to receive help at an individual level, they suspect some kind of a 'scheme' or a hidden interest and some ulterior motive, example I being paid commission from banks :). They question why do you want to help me ? This has happened on a few occassions.

2) I also observed that a lot of people at the grassroots are looking for security and the entrepreneurial spirit is a survival mechanism. Given a choice many from this group would opt for salaried clerical or class 3 jobs in private and public organizations. They have asked me to help them get jobs -- they want stable jobs not some crappy advice :). There were two painters from Satara, Ganesh and Gyaneshwar, very enterprising guys but wanted stable jobs.

3) I have also read that many people who are recepients of micro-finance use the money to meet their immediate needs rather than start a business. A study conducted on recipients of small loans from Grameen Bank has highlighted this fact.

Well, at this time all I have to say is - I am learning and my journey continues...and there is hope :)

An opportunity and a potential beneficiary group

I was reading this article on CNN about the informal sector in Indian economy. I somehow sense a huge opportunity for Torchbearers here :

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/10/14/india.informal.economy/index.html

Annual case study competition

Dhriiti, The Courage Within, an NGO focussed on grassroots entreprenuership has announced the launch of a case study competition : http://www.dhriiti.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=24&Itemid=26

Enough food to make people fat

There is enough food in the world to make people fat. The world grows enough food to provide 3200 calories to every person on this planet and that does not include nuts, vegetables, milk, fruits, meats etc. The problem is food distribution not food production ; an eye opening article :

http://food.change.org/blog/view/sustainability_and_hunger

All about volunteering

How to volunteer and resources to find organizations that you could help :

http://ngopost.org/story.php?title=How_to_start_Volunteering_Mumbai_Edition-1

MBAs without borders

Interesting concept -- similar to the idea of Torchbearers :

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/06/11/without.borders/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN

Cash cow investment

In these recessionary times, some French people have figured out that investment in dairy cows yields 4-5% whereas banks give only 0.5% interest. An interesting article :

http://francofiles.org/cash-cow-investment/

The Initiative - The idea

I have launched a social initiative called Torchbearers on May 11, 2009. I believe in this quotation by Anne Frank 'Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!'

Based upon the ideal propounded by Anne Frank, the mission of Torchbearers is to give the gift of knowledge, time and experience to people who haven't realized their true potential, who haven't been fortunate enough to receive a good education, who want to come up in life but don't know how, who do not have access to resources or specialized knowledge. These are people who help run our lives and we call them the 'small people'. These people have a right to a good life as much as everyone else and this is the philosophy behind Torchbearers.

I am limited by the knowledge and skills I possess or have access to. Currently, my focus will be on providing business and entrepreneurial knowledge to people who do not have access to business knowledge. As I move forward with this initiative, I hope to get support from people with diverse knowledge and skills and at that time I will think of reviewing the beneficiary group.

As an example - I had a conversation today with a paani-puri vendor who mentioned how the recession has impacted his business. He said that these days anyone who can sell anything has opened a paani-puri stall and there is intense competition among paani-puri vendors. In order to differentiate himself from his competition this paani-puri vendor sold nine paani-puris for Rs. 10 as opposed to others who sold seven paani-puris for Rs. 12. However, despite the low price and better taste this man does not get enough business and finds it very difficult to make ends meet. So I gave a deep thought to his situation and realized that this man does not advertise his price. If he starts doing advertising his price may be his business picks up. Also, he sells Kolkata-style paani-puri while his competion sells Mumbai-style paani-puri. The difference in styles can be used as a product differentiator. If this man is advised advertising and differentiating his product don't you think his business will pick up?

This is one example. There are many people and many situations where people can benefit for the knowledge and skills we have acquired. Consider a woman who wants to supplement her family income but does not know how. If this woman asked about her interests and suppose she says sewing but does not have money to buy a sewing machine. Wouldn't sharing with her how she can access a microfinance institution help her?

Consider another situation - with the retail boom coming in India a lot of small retailers have been displaced. These people need encoutagement and guidance to start a new business and a new life. Our gift of knowledge has the power to show the people the way. These are just a very few examples. In reality the number of people who can use our help is huge. So, the idea is to give back the gift of knowledge and time to someone who is less fortunate than us.

This blog is the very small beginning, the first step, the seed. I need your support and encouragement to evolve this idea. If you would like to be a part of my initiative - as advisors, as business consultants or simply supporters, please let me know. I will really appreciate it and I need your help.

A small contribution from us has a power to touch and transform countless lives around us!

Please do let me know your feedback on this idea. Also, I will also appreciate if you could share with me some thoughts on how to make this idea better and how to reach the people who need most help.