An Initiative for Change #WomenEntrepreneurs ( A memoir of "International Fellowship Program")
Sometimes an opportunity looks to come all of a sudden, and we might just take for a try. And, this "International Fellowship Program" was something similar, but later turned to be one of my best learning experiences journey. It was an initiative for local women to bring the capabilities through social business "Kalpavriksha", a social-business initiator of our local community in collaboration with international "Pollinate Group". The Fellowship program was a project work for understanding the situation of the women, and families of local communities, the need for the product, and the purchasing power in the community. The team comprises experts from the USA, Sweden, UK, South Africa, Australia, and three young people from the Local community including me.
This Fellowship program was a new way of seeing my local community and breaking all the perception, that I have ever made in my mind. The two-week continuous program went through solving existing problems to brainstorming new ideas and approaches through Interaction with different families, businesswomen of my local communities, and the local change-making bodies.
The whole learning was based on social business, but more than that we were continuously looking into problem-solving and generating ideas. The process went through different phases to come to a conclusion.
Solving Existing problem(in System):
This process went through understanding the local families in terms of poverty and purchasing power. Different women entrepreneurs were to be introduced with different sellable products in the village, and we were trying to measure the purchasing power to make these women entrepreneurs feasibility in selling the products. As it was the ongoing process, we were also measuring the problem of the women entrepreneurs, their skills, and their day to day problems in the supply chain.
New Idea & Strategy
After the data was collected we went through the process of idea creation. The different payment plan was created to make women entrepreneurs and customers might be able to choose according to the need. New products that might come feasible in the local are were analyzed as well.
New System
The products that were to be supplied were created under certain systems, and then the different modules of payment plans were brought in the practice. Now, the region feasible was to choose a certain payment plan. The mobility of women entrepreneurs had a direct impact on sales outcomes. This created a new system in practice, regarding payments, schemes, and offers to mobile entrepreneurs.
The testing and evaluation protocol was handed over to the respective organization. They will look into all data, introduce the system in practice, and will seek the result with evaluation. This whole process of working changed the viewing perspective in my life. The memoir of this learning experience will always hold a special place in my heart.