In this newsletter:
Support from the IT Ministry
Focus on our Environment
Partnerships with Industry
The Global Leaders Internship Programme
Village Upliftment Project
The Microfinance Bulletin
Evening Tuition Centres
Vellore Residential School
Support Us!
Hand in Hand / SEED Newsletter No 4
Dear friends of Hand in Hand,
These last months have been as intense as ever for Hand in Hand. Among other things, we have scaled up our environmental initiatives, entered into several new partnerships with the private sector, received a ministerial delegation from South Africa, and hosted the first group of students as part of our Global Leaders Internship Programme. In the midst of all this, our dedicated staff members have continued with the most important work of all in the Tamil Nadu villages, schools, Citizens' Centres, waste recycling units, Evening Tuition Centres, and micro-enterprises.
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Support from the IT Ministry
Together with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Hand in Hand has trained 1,000 Self Help Group women in computer literacy. The ministry has now decided to grant Hand in Hand INR 5,000,000 (approximately USD 127,000) for our Citizens' Centre Project to support our struggle to bridge "the digital divide" between rural and urban India.
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Focus on our Environment
Hand in Hand is celebrating that the Nobel Committee has decided to award this year's Peace Prize to Mr Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change". We are working hard to show environmental concern in all our activities and contribute to a development that truly is sustainable. Our more specific environmental work is concentrated to the solid waste management project – which now manages the waste from more than 13,000 households – and the watershed management project.
The increasingly drier climate and the drastically reduced groundwater levels all over India can be limited or even reversed by managing water correctly. The purpose of Hand in Hand's watershed management project is thus to conserve both water and soil. This is done by digging out water tanks and harvesting rainwater, building terraces in hilly areas, turning wasteland into cultivable land, and forestation. We are thereby able to improve possibilities for irrigation and avoid erosion of the thin top-layer of soil while hindering the groundwater levels to sink. Hand in Hand was recently granted INR 9,000,000 (approximately USD 230,000) by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to start four new projects. Each project gives temporary work for 400 villagers.
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Partnerships with Industry
Hand in Hand has entered into a joint venture with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and MARG Constructions for starting up of a youth employment skills training. The project aims at training 2,500 youth in industry-specific skills as well as get them placements in companies. The entire project cost of INR 3,175,000 (approximately USD 81,000) is contributed by MARG Constructions through CII. To implement the project, eight of our Zonal Managers have undergone a ToT programme conducted by CII.
A similar skills training project has been initiated in collaboration with the GRT Hospitality Academy. Hand in Hand is entering into an MoU with them to provide training to youths in multi-skills utility work and catering, and to Self Help Group women to run canteen services. The training has already started for 27 youths, and, besides training, the academy will provide placement for them.
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The Global Leaders Internship Programme
Hand in Hand recently completed its first formal internship programme in which three MBA students from the Stanford Business School and two master students from the Stockholm School of Economics participated. The five graduate students worked on three projects related to microfinance; developing a five-year strategy for microfinance focus area, drafting a needs assessment and implementation plan for diversifying loan products offered by Hand in Hand, and conducting a demand assessment and supply-side analysis for micro-insurance products to be offered to Self Help Group clients. This is how one of the interns, Whit Keuer from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, described his experience.
"Working with Hand in Hand in India provided me with an incredible opportunity to experience the South Indian culture while applying the management techniques I learned in my first year at Stanford's MBA program. As part of my project, I conducted field research with over 150 women in four districts in Tamil Nadu and saw firsthand the impact of Self Help Groups and microloans on women's lives. Hand in Hand is truly changing lives and transforming communities. This experience was very fulfilling and cemented my desire to be actively involved in microfinance throughout my career. Working with Hand in Hand was certainly one of the highlights of my first year at Stanford!"
Click here for more information on our internship programme.
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Village Upliftment Project
During the last months, Hand in Hand has launched the Village Upliftment Project in especially needy Tamil Nadu communities. The initiative involves implementing all five pillars of our integrated approach for poverty reduction – (1) child labour elimination and education, (2) Self Help Groups and microfinance, (3) Citizens' Centres, (4) health, and (5) environmental protection – in one village.
A handful of donors from around the world have come forward and generously contributed USD 25,000 each to support one village. With this amount, we are able to implement a number of projects in each respective village, e.g. strengthening the government school, setting up a transit school, Self Help Group training, literacy training, promotion of family-based as well as medium-sized enterprises, computer training, health campaigns, toilet construction, demonstration plots for biogas plants, and tree plantation.
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The Microfinance Bulletin
Since April 2007, we have been the proud publisher of the Hand in Hand Microfinance Bulletin. So far, three issues have been published: the first issue focused on microfinance regulation and supervision, the second one on the emergence of micro-enterprises and medium-sized enterprises from microfinance, and the third one on partnerships as a key to development. Contributing authors have been Hand in Hand staff and consultants as well as academics and microfinance specialists/experts. With this bulletin, Hand in Hand hopes to take part in the global debate on microfinance as a tool for poverty alleviation.
If you wish to read our bulletins, click here.
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Evening Tuition Centres
Tuition Centres are yet another example of how Hand in Hand tries to deepen its engagement to achieve a lasting effect of its five-pillar programme. We do not satisfy with children quitting work and being transferred to schools; we want children to stay in school with decent grades at least up to grade ten. We have launched 50 Evening Tuition Centres as an effort to safeguard high quality in education and a lasting impact on the educational level. Children who are lagging behind or who need to improve their chances to pass the exams attend the sessions in these centres.
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Vellore Residential School
Hand in Hand was, on 21 October, happy to inaugurate our third residential school for children who have been working or who have dropped out of school. The school is functioning in a rent-free community hall with the support of the local community. It is located at the foot of the hill Penchamandhai outside Vellore town in Vellore District. Fifty children between 9 and 14 years are now studying at the school, which is run by three qualified and trained teachers, one cook, one helper, one guard, and one nurse. All facilities are provided free of cost for all children.
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Support Us!
As you can see, our scope of activities has increased and we are reaching out to more and more communities every day. In order to continue in our successful fight against poverty and marginalisation, we now seek your partnership. All donations, no matter size, are welcome, and they will contribute to our work. If you wish to donate, please visit us on www.hihseed.org, where you also can read more about our projects and programmes.
Questions, comments, or contributions to the next newsletter are welcome! Please send me an e-mail as per below and I promise to get back to you.
Yours Sincerely,
Kalpana Sankar
Chief Executive Officer
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