Interviews
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AN ASSOCIATION TO DEVELOP AN INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITY
Interview with Dev, Indian Social Entrepreneur, creator of Karm Marg
You have created and developed a social enterprise that takes care of street children around Delhi. How have you done this, financially speaking?
You know, I didn’t have a choice. When I arrived in Delhi, I was struck by the number of children living on their own around the train station. I wanted to live with them to understand how they found themselves is such a situation of loneliness and fear.
I discovered that these boys and girls face immense dangers and do not know what will happen to them from one minute to the next. They must always give others the impression that they are strong whereas in their heart of hearts, they are terrified.
Little by little, we gained their trust and the first thing was to find them a place where they could live without fear. So we begged everywhere to find a place and then a few hundred rupees, just to feed them at the beginning. It was so difficult and painful that we realized the only solution was to develop our own sources of income.
Have you succeeded?
Yes mainly. We started by collecting old newspapers, paper, plastics, etc., which we used to make envelopes/folders which we sold locally. Today we make bags, accessories, furniture and decorations, entirely out of recycled materials using environmentally friendly processes. The products are of high quality and can thus be exported. This covers 60% of our needs, and the remaining 40% comes from private donations. We have chosen not to seek any government assistance.
Do you think it is important for an association to have an activity that enables it to generate its own income?
It is essential and all associations should try to do so. First, it is the best way to ensure that it is self-sustaining. But it also has great value as an example. How do you explain to youngsters that they will have to work to survive if you yourself depend on donations?
In the streets, most had to beg or steal in order to eat. When they understand that they can earn money through their work and creativity, it gives them hope and the desire to go forward. In addition, production is part of the training process.
We teach them to work together, which allows them to gain confidence. Tasks are divided among working groups: one takes the order, leads the group and allocates the work, the second deals with the equipment, the third controls the quality. The young people perform the quality controls themselves, and they know that if the quality is not good enough, they must reject the product.
In economic terms, they know they have to collect as much paper as possible, because otherwise they have to buy newspapers. They discover that costs add up, for equipment, electricity, rent, water, etc. They learn the entire process of assessing costs and calculating profit. They are involved in every phase of the process.
In some situations, an activity that relies on the beneficiaries to generate income is not feasible, for example in the case of young children. What are the possible solutions?
That can be the case, but we must then rely on their communities. It is easiest to mobilize them when the children are small. For instance, women can be helped to make craftwork which they can sell and give the proceeds to the association which takes care of the community’s children. They can do the same with pastry or clothing.
In fact there are no rules, because everything depends on the each group’s resources. First you have to work with the community, help it identify its strengths, and then see how it can match local needs. It is a slow process which requires a lot of patience, but I assure you, the results are amazing!