Social Entrepreneur of the Year, India 2007—Profiles of the Awardee and Finalists
Harish Hande—SELCO, Bangalore, Karnataka
Harish has pioneered access to rural solar electrification for below poverty line families through a combination of customized home lighting systems, innovative doorstep financing, and an understanding of market needs of different user groups (for example, solar lights on miner caps for mid wives and rose sellers). To further the effects, he has created SELCO entrepreneurs who distribute solar powered lights to low-income communities. SELCO revenues from services and products constitute up to 85% of its budget.
Rajendra Joshi—Saath, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Through working in public private partnership, Saath has created mechanisms to empower the urban poor to become willing customers of basic services and gain livelihoods. Working with the municipal government, Saath was able to ensure stakeholders would not be evicted. Then, Rajendra collected user fees to upgrade basic sanitation, water, drainage, paved roads, and street lights and allow for monitoring of public services. Saath then worked with the private electric company and government to discover a new price point at which slum residents pay a quarter of the standard connection price, the electric companies realizes a 30% increase in income, and the government has benefited from tax payment from the now willing slum residents. Rajendra then works to ensure livelihood training and financing to enable customers to improve their lives.
Pravin Mahajan—Janarth, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
It is estimated that 30 million children are taken out of school as their parents migrate in India. As these children only complete six months of education per year, they are unable to develop skills necessary to break the cycle of poverty. Pravin has pioneered education solutions for these children starting first with seasonal sugarcane migration. Janarth’s education solutions cover the full cycle of migration—with village hostels for children staying behind when the parents migrate and ‘Sakhar Shalas’ or on-site sugarcane factory schools.
Chetna Gala Sinha—Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, Ltd. (MDMSB) & Mann Vikas Samajik Sanstha (MVSS), Taluka-Mann, Maharashtra
MDMSB and MVSS together develop systems that rural women need to evolve as successful entrepreneurs and build financial assets. Chetna has launched the first rural women’s bank in India, launched through equity investments by tribal women and also run completely by local rural women. The bank innovates new financial products designed from the perspective of their client base such as micro pensions and customized health insurance schemes. Sophisticated commission schemes allow bank clients to extend the bank’s financial services to women in remote areas, penetrating untapped regions. MVSS, an independent CSO entity, works closely with the client base of MDMSB to ensure social equity and full economic citizenship for rural women.
