The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
NAYA JEEVAN has already successfully engaged multinational corporations operating in Karachi in enrolling their low income staff into out health insurance plans. A similar partnership is being nurtured with our microfinance partners, KASHF, to disseminate Rocket Stoves for our Breathe Easy program.
NAYA JEEVAN’s primary activities, i.e. provision of health insurance plans, include:
Annual medical check-up, which promote the early detection of disease.
A 24-hour tele-medicine helpline managed by doctors available to all beneficiaries to handle any concerns or emergencies that may arise.
A Health Rescue Fund, which assists beneficiaries for uninsurable conditions or when their hospital management/health care exceeds the maximum annual insurance coverage.
Preventive Health workshops that detail the causes, symptoms, treatments and prevention against most common maladies to allow individuals to be better able to protect themselves and their families.
The Breathe Easy program complements these activities, and simultaneously ensures a reduced household spending on preventable (respiratory and eye) illnesses; thereby securing insurance for unforeseen and catastrophic health expenses.
For proper dissemination of this program the stove needs to be:
Compatible with local fuel and cooking techniques,
Addressing the requirements of local people,
Rolled out within the community using a participatory approach.
The Stoves will be available via micro-credit options through pilot projects in the following areas: Malir, Baldia, Organgi and Lyari. The choice of areas has been deduced by the location of our microfinance partners, KASHF. Since 1996 they have supported 500,000 clients by disbursing US $ 256 million. KASHF has 157 branches nationwide, with a large number of clients in their 4th loan cycle.
This all-inclusive approach ensures scalability and makes the project easy to replicate in other localities.
In accordance with our ecosystem approach, Naya Jeevan's model for the Breathe Easy program has a three pronged approach:
1. Rocket Stoves will be made accessible to the community members and affordability will be assured through micro-credit. Our microfinance partners will introduce a KASHF Stove Loan to enable purchase of Stoves at a reduced cost (with mandatory attendance to workshops described below). Paybacks on the loans will be plugged back into the project. A portion of this grant will be used to develop stoves. In-situ rocket stoves can be built for less than Rs. 80.00 (<$1) within half-an-hour. The building materials are 16-18 bricks or a mixture of mud and rice husk/wheat-straw and donkey dung (strong enough to sustain heat and does not burn out). Portable, metal rocket stoves are more expensive- but provide users with a flexible option. They can be constructed out by beating together a metal sheet or reusing large tin canisters.
2. The importance of having cleaner indoor air will be instilled by providing free participatory workshops for the entire community on improving the way biomass fuel is treated and used for cooking and also how to create better ventilation when cooking. Therefore, if community members cannot afford to buy stoves immediately, they can attend workshops and improve on their current cooking practices. A portion of this grant will be used to organize the initial series of workshops.
3. Thirdly, as the stoves can be made by hand using locally available materials, we will provide training in stove making. This will enable the entire community and program to become self sufficient.
