Anudip - Livelihood Initiatives Through Knowledge
Anudip’s vision is to channel the IT prosperity in India from a few metros toward rural poor. Anudip creates livelihood opportunities for marginalized people by offering computer and entrepreneurship training and placement services. Anudip’s target is to train 100,000 people, creating employment opportunities and making economic empowerment a reality.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Jessica
Last Name
Sawhney
Website
Country
India
Section 2: About Your Organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Organization Name
Anudip Foundation
Organization Website
Organization Phone
91 33 2337 7406
Organization Address
FD-286, 2nd Floor Sector III Salt Lake City Kolkata 700 106, INDIA
Organization Country
India, WB
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has this organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Your idea
Name Your Project
Anudip - Livelihood Initiatives Through Knowledge
Describe your Social Enterprise
Anudip’s vision is to channel the IT prosperity in India from a few metros toward rural poor. Anudip creates livelihood opportunities for marginalized people by offering computer and entrepreneurship training and placement services. Anudip’s target is to train 100,000 people, creating employment opportunities and making economic empowerment a reality.
Country your work focuses on
India, WB
Innovation
What makes your innovation unique?
Anudip’s goal is to enable rural youth to participate in the economic engine of India. India’s global leadership in the IT industry is shaping the country’s wealth and prosperity. The new well-being, however, has not spread to rural India. By developing a large pool of IT professionals employable in a range of formal sectors, Anudip dreams of igniting a revolution where rural people contribute to and benefit from India’s new economy.
Anudip is a pioneer in teaching IT skills to rural youth most of whom have never seen a computer before. Anudip has a unique model of operating its training centers in partnership with community-based NGOs to bring IT proficiency to their communities. This collaborative model gives Anudip the advantage of credibly serving remote, underserved communities without having to build new infrastructure. It also provides the NGOs with a new competency and a consequent win-win partnership.
Anudip follows a market-aligned skills training program that involves employers in creating course curricula based on their skill needs thus preparing students who they ultimately employ. In addition to technical and business education, Anudip offers vital job preparedness and English communication skills. For graduates keen on business, Anudip provides mentoring, equipment financing and emotional support (including working with entrepreneur’s families) for the incubation of small businesses.
Anudip’s rural BPO (business process outsourcing) centers demonstrate that its own graduates are capable of best-in-industry outsourcing work at significantly lower cost. Surpluses from these centers are plowed back into training operations so that Anudip can become a sustainable social enterprise.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Tell us about the social impact of your innovation. Please include both numbers and stories as evidence of this impact
Since 2006 Anudip has trained over 3000 youth who previously have had little or no exposure to computers and offered them IT and business skills which have resulted in over 60% gaining meaningful employment. The Asian Age published an article entitled “Anudip Raises IT Hopes of Bengal’s Youth.” This story gave credence to Anudip’s innovative partnership model in reaching a remote marginalized population.
One of our most satisfying achievements has been the conversion of our graduates into our own trainers and Merit Center employees. To date many graduates have become Anudip faculty or BPO staff. With anticipated expansion of outsourcing projects this number will grow significantly.
Since the Entrepreneurship Development Program began in 2008, Anudip has incubated 20 startup business units which translate to 65 graduates setting up their own businesses. Anudip conducts high-touch business mentoring and consequently the number of successful startups is increasing rapidly.
Anudip's Entrepreneurship Development Program was highlighted in Touch, a government newsletter, which covers the electronics industry and its leaders.
Another example of Anudip’s impact is the community wealth creation coming from its micro entrepreneurs. Anudip mentored two of its rural graduates and reviewed their proposed business strategy and location and determined they could provide desktop publishing and internet services to their local community. As they had infrastructure restrictions, the entrepreneurs were advised to start from one of their homes. After two months, their business, Power House, gained positive feedback because of its high quality services and prompt delivery. They moved the business to a nearby market and have added an e-governance kiosk. Such Anudip facilitated entrepreneurs are bringing new services to remote villages, running profitable businesses and acting as successful role models for their community.
The moment we treasure most happened when a rural graduate who previously would not look trainers in the eye, ascended the podium at our second anniversary celebration and said “Before Anudip’s training program, I did not know I could dream. Now I have a voice. I have a business. I will not be married to the highest bidder. I have a place in life and I have made place for others.”
Problem: Describe the primary problem(s) that your innovation is addressing
Approximately 250 words left (1200 characters).Rural areas of India show a high incidence of poverty. In the most underserved areas of the country where Anudip works, absence of development initiatives and industrial growth, coupled with saline soil, rising sea levels and annual cyclones result in limited livelihood opportunities for marginalized people in primarily agrarian communities., Also, geographic remoteness has resulted in a level of “book” education that does not lead to employment. A needs assessment study performed in 2005 determined that the local level of education has not transcended the gap in abilities caused by economic adversity, geographic isolation, governmental negligence and dearth of livelihood opportunities other than subsistence work.
The lack of opportunity leaves people with no alternative but to survive in acute poverty or migrate to urban centers in search of employment. Most rural people, even with basic education, are considered unemployable for entry level white collar jobs due to a lack of computer and interviewing skills, as well as proper work ethic. Yet the multi-billion dollar IT industry in India serving foreign and domestic markets faces a shortage of trained workers to service its needs. Indian companies regularly scout for basic IT-skilled, low-cost staff for front and back office operations. To link educated unemployed populations to the demands of the IT sector, Anudip has tailored a training program to offer real options to indigent communities.
Actions: Describe the steps that you are taking to make your innovation a success. Include a description of the business model. What might prevent that success?
In order to deploy the innovation of IT skills capacity building and reduce unemployment in urban areas, Anudip uses a three-pronged model to implement its programs. After students complete the market aligned skills training program they find livelihood through one of three paths: (1) IT-enabled jobs, (2) IT-based entrepreneurship, (3) Anudip BPO centers.
Anudip selects reputed community-based NGOs to operate its training centers. Students recruited by the partner-NGO, pay a nominal fee to the NGO to cover costs of training facilities. Through this infrastructure-investment-free, win-win methodology, a lasting presence is established in remote areas. Anudip provides comprehensive IT, entrepreneurship, English communication and soft skills training in addition to hands-on practice and mentoring. Courses are designed to provide students theoretical and practical knowledge of basic and advanced computer skills that are aligned to needs of employers in back-office, customer service, retail, telecom, government, healthcare and other sectors. Through Anudip’s placement services graduates are connected to employers in their localities.
After trainees complete a course, a workshop in entrepreneur development is conducted. Interested graduates can apply to join Anudip’s entrepreneur incubation program. Anudip encourages graduates to use their new skill set and launch computer-enabled businesses such as desktop publishing centers and cyber cafes. Anudip provides equipment on a loan basis and ongoing mentoring support to help entrepreneurs get started.
The third area Anudip encourages its graduates to enter is its own BPO centers. These centers hire graduates who pass a written, oral and computing ability test and can read and write English. Upon selection, graduates are tasked with data entry and other revenue-producing projects. Anudip's first BPO center has been operational in its headquarters location. Based on learnings the BPO center will be replicated in second and third tier towns.
One of the key barriers to Anudip’s success is the inherent lack of exposure and quality education which has resulted in poor English skills, work ethic and risk-aversion among agrarian communities. A divide exists in perception of rural employees by urban employers and thus such a lack of opportunity and absence of financial rewards has caused youth to be less hopeful and ambitious about finding a formal job. Anudip seeks out and involves employers to develop confidence in Anudip graduates and demonstrate they are capable and should be hired.
Results: Describe the expected results of these actions over the next three years. Please address each year separately, if possible
Over the next three years Anudip expects to cumulatively train 8000 students, expand training operations from the state of West Bengal to at least four other states in India and to at least one international engagement, incubate 100 or more successful businesses, grow the BPO staff from 15 to 500 in multiple centers, and conduct 30 or more training sessions for revenue.
More specifically, in 2010-11, Anudip will focus on its boosting job placement ratio to 80%. It plans on hiring 50 additional staff to its BPO operations. It also expects to incubate cumulatively 50 units launched by Anudip entrepreneurs,. Anudip will carry out at least one training for revenue engagement in 2010-11.
In 2011-12 Anudip will expand to at least one other Indian state, take on three training for revenue assignments, and one international training engagement. Anudip will relocate its BPO operation to a non-metro location and reach 200 staff (in multiple shifts). Anudip expects to emerge from 2011-12 with more than 50% of its expenses covered by revenues from BPO operations and training for revenue.
In 2012-13 Anudip will continue its growth into two other Indian states and add a second international training engagement and open a second BPO in one of the other states. Anudip targets 80% of operational expenses covered by earnings.
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$50 - 100
Does your innovation seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
If your innovation seeks to impact public policy, how?
Anudip believes its greatest success will come from longstanding changes and enhancements to quality of the education system in India. In order to achieve this, Anudip will collaborate with local and federal government agencies to share its experience and expertise in IT for development.. A focus for the upcoming year is to build partnerships with organizations such as National Skills Development Corporation which is a public-private partnership in India facilitating skills development. A relationship between NSDC and Anudip, with their shared mission of providing skills training to underdeveloped people, can lead to dialogues and eventually decisions that ensure rural India has access to better livelihood opportunities.
Sustainability
What stage is your Social Enterprise in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Does your organization have a board of directors or an advisory board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how partnerships could be critical to the success of your Social Enterprise
Partnerships are the foundation of Anudip’s approach. Anudip has built a unique model for operating its training centers in partnership with local NGOs to bring IT proficiency to the community. Anudip administers a comprehensive NGO-partner selection process and conducts due diligence to assure successful partnerships. Anudip verifies the needs of the local communities are served through continuous meetings and open lines of communication with the NGO. These partnerships are critical to ensure Anudip’s goal of creating a model that can be scaled.
Anudip has been successful in maintaining relationships with corporations and funding organizations that have provided both monetary assistance as well as resources. Anudip has strong ties to Cisco and Microsoft, both of which have been instrumental in ensuring our computer to student ratio is as low as 3:1 as donated computers are being used at training centers. Anudip’s partnership with Microsoft also enables Anudip’s courses to be Microsoft certified and awards graduates with the sought-after Microsoft Unlimited Potential Certificate. Anudip has also forged partnerships with American India Foundation and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust who have provided funds helping sustain the organization programmatically.
Anudip is building relationships with the West Bengal and local government bodies as these are vital for its long-term success. Anudip will gain from participating in the government’s rural employment guarantee act for greater impact and recognition. Building partnerships with the government and securing resulting funding takes patience and ongoing communication as the government provides services to thousands of districts. In the meantime, Anudip is working through its partner NGOs to gain support from local municipalities. If Anudip’s training program receives government recognition, the weight of an Anudip certificate will increase and Anudip graduates can access more livelihood options.
We would like to learn more about how your initiative is financially supported. Please explain your business plan/revenue model
As of now, Anudip has been financially supported by grants from funding agencies and by the personal contributions of its founders. Anudip's top three funders to date are:
1. American India Foundation: $120,576 Duration of support: Up to March ‘10
2. Sir Dorabji Tata Trust: $43,140 Duration of support: Nov ‘08 to Oct ’10
3. Dipak and Radha Basu: $102,174 Duration of support: Apr ’08 to Sep ‘10
As described in a previous question, the future hope is that Anudip can finance itself either through its own training program, or through franchises set up according to a train-the-trainer model. Anudip plans that in 2011-12, more than 50% of its expenses will be covered by revenues from training and its rural BPO model, while 80% will be covered by 2012-13.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
While a Reuters Fellow at Stanford University in 2005, Dipak Basu visited project sites of international nonprofit, Actionaid, in the Sundarbansregion of eastern India at the delta formed by two of the world’s major rivers, the Ganges and Brahmaputra. There he found the dramatic monsoon beauty of the estuarine mangrove eco-system counterpointed by stark poverty and absence of resources for 5.4 million farmers and fisher folk. Meetings with local groups strengthened his belief that people were poor because of absence of job opportunity and geographical remoteness.
To test this hypothesis, Dipak, in collaboration with Actionaid and Reuters, led an ethnographic study which showed that economies of desperately poor and marginalized people can be impacted dramatically by increasing local employment. The study determined that the local level of education has not transcended the economic gap because of the lack of opportunity caused by economic depression, geographic isolation, and governmental negligence and, most importantly, lack of access to livelihoods other than subsistence farming, fishing and manual labor. After numerous interactions with the communities, Dipak and his team decided to embark on the novel idea of teaching computers in rural areas in direct opposition to the hundreds of training centers in urban India.
Anudip has not looked back since.
Tell us about the person—the social innovator—behind this idea.
Dipak and Radha Basu together founded Anudip Foundation in 2006 after years of management and entrepreneurial experience with telecom, technology and social development organizations.
Dipak has spent much of his life employing technology in humanitarian missions worldwide. In 2001 he co-founded and served as Executive Director of NetHope, a technology consortium of the world's largest aid agencies, applying innovative IT solutions for humanitarian operations in the world's impoverished, disaster-affected and war-torn regions. From 1995 to 2006, Dipak served in senior management positions in Product Management and Professional Services at Cisco. During the 1980s he founded network consulting company, Informatica, and was Vice President at CMC Ltd, an Indian public sector IT company. During this period Dipak set up INDONET, India’s first public computer network, and was instrumental in the implementation of industry-wide networks for the steel, banking and energy sectors of India.
Radha Basu is widely recognized as a leading woman entrepreneur in technology companies and a pioneer in the Indian software business. Radha was CEO of SupportSoft, having led the company through initial and secondary public offerings and built it into a worldwide market leader in support automation software. Radha spent 20 years at Hewlett Packard, her most recent position being General Manager of the Electronic Business Software Organization, which she grew to a global $1.5 billion business. In 1985 she set up the company's sales and R&D operations in India, including the India Software Operation, where she served as Managing Director. In 1989 Radha became General Manager of HP's International Software Organization with responsibility for eight offshore software centers around the world.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Friend or family member
If through another source, please provide the information
Through NGO and social business networks in India
 | 102 weeks agoRaj Jani said: Dear Jessica, with great interest, I have read about your model and the comments thereupon. All I want to say here is that you must work ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 103 weeks agoGaston Wright said: Hi Jesica, this is a very interesting model! could you clarify a little bit more how by 2012 you want to have 80% of your operations ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 103 weeks agoRachna Pandey Donthi said: Hi Jessica, Would this be a rural BPO kind of an initiative or would you train people computer related skills? about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 103 weeks agoJessica Sawhney updated this Competition Entry. |
| 103 weeks agoJessica Sawhney submitted this idea. |
