Details :
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SARTHEE is aimed at providing support to Business Development Services (BDS) providers to develop high quality, effective business counselling services for pro-poor Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs).
Content :
The SARTHEE programme lasts 33 months, including workshops, coursework mentoring and a visit to Europe.
1) The first two workshops are designed for 24 BDS providers from 12 different organisations.The coverage includes aspects like:
 Market Access
Working more effectively with clients
Business Counselling techniques to build successful client relationships
2) Mentoring and Coursework-
Mentors selected by IRFT are available between the workshops to support participants in the implementation of their learning. After each workshop, participants practice their new skills on their MSE clients, with the support of these mentors.
3) European visit,August 2007-
One participant from each organisation gets to visit Germany (subject to grant of visa). This tour includes activities such as visits to local Institutions, Chambers of Commerce, SMEs, and a Trade Fair.
4) A two-day workshop will enable participants to feedback to each other on the European visit and launch the Indian network post the European visit.
5) The participant who visit Germany will attend two ‘Training of Trainers’workshops.
The coverage of these workshops:
Adult learning
Methodology
Training skills
Developing modules and content
Practical implementation
Participants from the Training of Trainers workshops will deliver, in pairs, a trial programme to practice their learning.
Why business counselling?
Effective Business Counselling leads to increased client satisfaction and stronger business performance. Through effective Business Counselling, MSEs will be able to understand better the underlying causes of why their business is not performing to its optimum and as a result address its real needs.
The benefits for a participating organization.
For each organisation:
Two participants will be trained in, and receive mentored support to:
- Provide high quality business counselling services to enterprises
- Work effectively with clients, leading to increased client satisfaction and greater demand
One participant will visit Germany (Subject to Visa regulations) to increase understanding of BDS providers in Europe, share skills and explore opportunities for future collaboration. The same individual will be trained as a trainer, to transfer learning to other employees within the organization, and beyond.
The organization will be equipped with a CD containing Training materials and specific Business Counselling Tools.
The organization will be a part of an Internet network of stakeholders within India and Europe to increase collaboration and share information on best practice, and technical issues.
Each participant will receive certificates of participation and achievement.
Information resources
Each organisation can access :
A CD comprising Training materials and Business Counselling Tools
The Internet Network of stakeholders
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IRFT and Traidcraft Exchange (Tx) UK with the support of European Commission & BTC (Belgium Technical Cooperation) started a project PROFIT (Making Trade
Work for the Poor: Promoting Fair Trade in India) which aims at reducing poverty
amongst poor and marginalized producers in India by increasing the ability of pro-poor
micro and small enterprises to benefit from trade (www.profit.org.in).
Through this project we aspire to reduce poverty amongst more than 40,000 poor and marginalized producers in India (especially in Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat (Kutch region), Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu) by increasing the ability of pro-poor micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to benefit from trade. The project targets domestic markets rather than focusing on export markets which are beyond the capacity of most pro-poor MSEs and poor producers. Specifically the project will aim to develop fair trade markets in India. Fair trade involves trading with poor and disadvantaged producers, helping them to develop skills and sustainable livelihoods through the trading relationships. With its focus on fair wages, fair treatment, long-term relationships etc, fair trade has great potential to serve the India market. With a rapidly growing middle class, India offers a huge opportunity for change. This project is the part of a long-term programme of IRFT to develop fair trade markets in India.
Key activities to be undertaken during the 33 months long Project:
Research on fair trade in India and Europe
National Workshop of stakeholders to form a collective of stakeholders
Formation of National Core Group
Development of Interactive website
Distribution and retail network for Fair Trade products
Training, mentoring and support programmes for pro-poor MSEs
Consumer Campaign
Fair Trade Festival
National Workshop to chart out future activities towards the last 3 months
Information Dissemination
Sectors selected for development of fair trade products during the initial Project phase arephase:
I. Tea and
II.Textiles, home furnishings & accessories, Gradually more products would be added.
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Rationale:
Orissa has a population of 37 million, of which 22million (almost 60%) live below the poverty line. People in Orissa depend on artisanal skills, agriculture and the forests for their livelihoods. Orissa is known for about 52 types of craft related skills based on a variety of products. Orissa has a lot of forests and a number of poor people, particularly tribals who live off these forests. Unfortunately due to lack of knowledge of the market systems, there is a great deal of exploitation during trading on these products. Trading relationships are exploitative, wages are low and there is a total lack of recognition of the skills and the time required.
The project had been developed with a clear focus on poverty alleviation and will impact some of the poorest communities in Orissa, where poverty levels are high.
The project had covered target 15 BSO’s (business service organizations) supporting MSE’s (micro and small enterprises), MSE’s are important because they employ the largest number of poor people. Project focused on product sectors including agriculture, crafts and textiles where the largest numbers of poor people work. The aim was to enable MSE’s to engage in sustainable trade thereby providing poor and marginalized producers with the sustainable income.
Objectives:
The project had been built around a model of market access that deals with key areas where a business must be successful in order to access markets effectively. The programme consisted of an 18 month capacity building exercise and gave the 15 BSO’s a thorough grounding in areas such as:
Market Information and Research
Trade facilitation/marketing support
Business counselling
Marketing strategies
International business skills
Market access for the European markets
The project was jointly implemented and managed by IRFT and Traidcraft Exchange- our international partners and got completed a year ago.
Participants:
SEWAK- Self Employed Workers Association Kendra
LALITA ART AND CRAFT MASS
SYN Handicrafts- Society You Need SWAD -
Society for Women Action Development. ANWESHA Anwesha Tribal Arts and Crafts DSS - Darabar Sahitya Sansad
KALINGA SHILPI MAHASANGH PURI CREATIVE HANDICRAFTS CPSW APARAJITA
PARAMPARA ORUPA
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Capacity building of PRAGATI, Koraput Orissa
Pragati is a voluntary organisation, established in the year 1992. Action area of Pragati is rural in nature, predominantly inhabited by tribal people like Paraja, Kotia ,Dora ,Rana, Gadba and Kondh. Most of the villages where Pragati works are located in hilly terrains and remain inaccessible during the rainy season. The main objective of the organisation is to improve the socio-economic standard of the rural people living in remote backward areas of Koraput district. The organisation is involved into no. of income generation activities pertaining to non timber forest produce like cashew, amla, spices etc. With the aim of building capacity for their business activities, IRFT is facilitating in developing various systems in the areas of business like costing and pricing, business planning and have provided various capacity building inputs in the area of marketing, pricing and costing, value addition, business planning and analysis.
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Survey on the expectations and proposals of Indian civil society parties
about tools and practical details
to make the way towards better respect of social rights in the industry.
Study Context :
The Collective De l’ethique sur l’etiquette has been following a process whereby the collective takes into account view points of Civil Societies of Southern Countries, when taking stands and making strategic decisions. The Collective wishes to promote initiatives aimed at providing workers with better information and putting them in position to defend their interests, when coping with changes in global economy.
Working conditions in textile, clothing, and leather industries are all too famous for often running under conditions breaching minimum social standards as a whole (fundamental rights such as defined by the ILO and UN Charters). In many garment and sport-shoes producing countries, the organized Civil Society generally supports initiatives from Northern Countries organisations aiming to back local undertakings with a view to make social conditions improve. However, the Southern organisations quite rightly consider that initiatives emanating from foreign countries are not to be used as an alternative to substitute for their legitimate role.
That’s why the Collective De l’ethique sur l’etiquette is in the process of in-depth dialogue with such organizations to make expertise sharing fulfil expectations. Ongoing work about monitoring procedures has notably to depend on recommendations of beneficiaries of the South. Multi-stakeholder initiatives for verification are part of social models, which give them well-established roles, and responsibilities.
The Study:
As part of this work the collective engaged IRFT to carry out a survey in India. This survey was aimed at collecting analysis and recommendations from various Indian Society’s partners (representatives of public authorities, representatives of trade unions, NGOs having a way with socio-economic rights, representatives of manufacturers from the fabric, clothing, leather sectors in India) on:
Initiatives led to date by Northern Countries Civil Society organisations – possibly linked to Southern Countries Civil Society Organizations or with international nature (unions, NGOs) – to make the human rights issue in the work place step forward in Southern Countries. These initiatives can indifferently aim at implementing and/or observing agreements set up between unions and employers, public regulatory mechanisms (even at multilateral level), private mechanisms, multipartite mechanisms (for instance Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives for verification of “social quality” or “social quality management”).
Initiatives, Northern Countries Civil Society organisations should, prior to anything else, implement over the next years in the fields evoked previously.
A report of this study was presentated in a roundtablein frame organised by the Collective.
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Support for developing Food Safety Systems in Small and Medium – sized Enterprises/Companies/industry
Introduction:
International trade in high-value food products such as fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, nuts and spices has expanded enormously in the last twenty-five years. They now account for 50% of the total value for agri –food exported from the developing countries. However, there is also an increase in the consumer concern about food safety due to the recent food scares regarding contamination of food with banned dyes, chemicals, pesticides and the links between animal and human disease. This has led to stringent product regulations and additional quality requirements, which are not necessarily required under the law but are being imposed by the buyers.
The Indian SMEs are finding it difficult to access the required know-how and skills for setting up safety and quality systems that confirm and comply with these international standards and regulations. This has led to poorly developed or absent food management systems that are hindering the Indian food processing industry’s access to the international markets.
Project Description:
Understanding this lacunae FAKT Germany, with its experience in the field of designing and conducting food quality management coursers in collaboration with IRFT India, Traidcraft Exchange UK, have envisaged a project to build capacities in the food industry to establish suitable food safety and quality management systems that strengthen the export capacities of the Indian SMEs.
Blended Learning Approach:
This 2-year long project aims to develop a blended learning module for trainers and consultants. The module will include food safety management systems, training of trainers and effective service delivery/consultancy and is designed to enable the consultants/trainers to provide effective quality management services to entrepreneurs and SME staff. The learning incorporates the advantages of e-learning with traditional face to face training. The course development will be accompanied and monitored by a small group of renowned experts from Europe and India. In addition, the programme will also facilitate the entrepreneurs by designing a road map for the food processing SMEs to enable them to export their products to European and other western markets.
Target Group:
Direct beneficiaries:
Trainers/consultants for food safety and food quality management were be qualified and supported to provide effective services to food handling/processing SMEs. They trained and received training material for their work with SMEs; furthermore, they were offered a coaching service during the period of the project. The project helped them to establish links with relevant stakeholders in Europe and India, including certification agencies, importers, exporters, entrepreneurs, etc. The networking work will be continued by IRFT once the project is complete.
Indirect beneficiaries:
The wider group of food processing SMEs that have potentials for and interest in export. They are able to use the expertise of trainers trained during this project or others trained by IRFT at a later stage.
The Training module covered the following food safety systems:
Basics in food hygiene and food safety
Food safety systems: GAP, GMP, GDP, HACCP ( BRC, IFS, Dutch HACCP ), GMP etc.
Interfaces with Total Quality Management (TQM) systems
Food legislation with regard to hygiene and safety in India and in the European Union
Institutional landscape with regard to food safety in India and the European Union
Eligibility:
The module included food safety management systems, training of trainers and effective service delivery/ consultancy and was designed to enable the consultants/trainers to provide effective quality management services to entrepreneurs and SME staff. The training course enriched the participants knowledge and increased job prospects, especially in food safety management in the export oriented SMEs.
Contact:
For more information please visit project website www.foodsafety-regulation.net
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Globalization has shaken and stirred the Indian economy but
the process of globalisation has adversely affected the poor and marginalized the world over. The primary producers, artisans and small farmers are losing out to markets forces and economies of scale which sophisticated machines and mass production bring in. Traditional arts and skills are disappearing and so are the customs and rural livelihood opportunities.
Fair Trade is the response of the civil society in the Northern countries to help the producers in south to offset the adverse impact of trade. The basic tenets of Fair Trade are care for human values, fair price, transparency in supply chain and long term relationship. Fair trade gives the most disadvantaged producers an edge as well as sustainability due to the values it supports, besides promoting environment friendly, good quality products.
Internationally Fair Trade is registering phenomenal growth rates of about 25 per cent year on year, and fair trade sales in Europe alone exceed $ 500 million a year. Besides protecting environment a successful Fair Trade business ensures that thru shorter supply chains consumers get quality products at reasonable rates. This is proof enough that fair trade is a successful business model that provides a channel for primary producer groups to access markets
We have been working in this field since our inception in 1995 with an objective to support development of Community Based Enterprises as sustainable business entities through Fair Trade.We believe that developing sustainable livelihoods relate to greater incomes, greater employment and long-term economic possibilities and mobility out of poverty.
Over the years we have realized that in an era of globalization and open markets, small producers find it increasingly difficult to compete internationally. The implications are producers have to either go out of markets or cater to local markets. There is a dire need to connect producers with Fair Trade but since traditionaly Fair Trade has been a North-South trade with buyers mainly from the developed countries, not many people in India are aware of the benefits and impact of Fair Trade for consumers as well as producers.
With global retails sales now close to half a billion Euro, fair trade has grown considerably over recent years. However markets still remain an issue. The answer we feel lies in Domestic Fair Trade. We feel that our people who have strong sense of ethics would definitely support Fair Trade if they know that buying a Fair Trade product means that close to 40% of the product price goes back to the poor producer.
We are being supported in this endevour by Hivos ( www.hivos.nl ).
Moreover, creating a fair trade market within the country has potential for immediate benefits for poor producers, who are looking for a sustainable income source rather than just access to the export markets.
Our objectives are:
 Making products with a ‘social value’ i.e a Fair Trade range of products available to consumers in mainstram markets on a regular basis.
Increasing awareness about various traditional skills
Ensuring traceability of benefits through-out the production supply chain
Creating increased sustainability for small enterprises through increased demand leading to increased employment opportunities and improvement in social and economic status.
To pursue this goal of opening Domestic Fair Trade markets, we engaged a market research firm to conduct a study to understand the potential for domestic fair trade and also study consumer perceptions and buying behavior in relation to social causes and values. The results are encouraging. There is a latent demand, which needs to be tapped thru awareness raising and promotion
We hope that with active participation and support of like-minded individuals, it would be possible to promote the concept of Fair Trade among your social circles /fraternities and communities and make a constructive difference to the lives of the less fortunate.
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We are carrying out the research on "Development of Fish Trade and Livelihood of women fish vendors for Gujarat State Mahila SEWA Cooperative Federation,Gujarat,
with focus on demand, market dynamics, value addition, and profitability. The task consists of assessing the existing marketing structure, market price, economics of trade, and also the skills of producer members and to suggest possible increase in scale.
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Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM), a corporation instituted by Government of Maharshtra,has asked Maharastra to conduct empirical research and evaluation of MAVIM's Program in Yeotmal District of Maharshtra. The study entitled "Impact of Self Help Group Programmes on the Empowerment of Women in Yeotmal District, Maharashtra" seeks to examine the impact of the micro-credit programmes conducted by MAVIM on the lives of poor women. It seeks to assess and document the process of social transformation initiated by MAVIM.
The study is currently underway and final report will be available by mid 2007.
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IRFT has undertaken a Feasibility Study on Identifying Possible Income Generation Activities in Bhal Region of Gujarat .
The specific objective of the study are :
· To identify and decide income generation activities that are possible in Bhal that could provide long term employment to 1000 odd women
· To study the market feasibility on the basis of identified income generation activity
· To prepare detailed action plan and a proposal to establish the income generation activity
· To identify the strategies for implementation of the project
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