Provision of Empowerment

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“When we work using an Inclusive Value Chain we try to involve the unemployed in the process of supply, distribution and retail”

 

By Tamzidur Rahman

JITA, derived from the Bengali word Aparajita meaning ‘undefeated’, originated from CARE Bangladesh’s pilot project Rural Sales Program (RSP). The idea of the project is to generate income opportunities for the destitute women of rural Bangladesh. RSP has proved to be sustainable and commercially practical business transformed into the independent social business, JITA, through joint venture of CARE International and Danone Communities.
In the context of Bangladesh, a vast majority of the poor people live in the countryside and the women are the most deprived. Saif Rashid, CEO of JITA shares, “I learnt a very interesting bit of information working at CARE: if a woman was given 20 taka, they’d spend 18 taka for their family whereas a man would spend that amount on himself. Learning this was striking and thought provoking.”
“I didn’t want to start an NGO because no matter how much is accomplished as an NGO, the sustainability of the projects remains questionable. For instance, a woman is trained and then linked with micro-finance but after some time they give up. We identified the core issue to be the NGOs lack of engagement with the private sector. The private sector and the market are constants – they will endure, they are in demand. The development sector is an evolving and organic entity,” shares Saif on why JITA is a for-profit social business. “As an NGO limits are applicable. So what we’re trying to do different from NGOs is attempt to sustain our efforts over time. Donor dependent projects are only good until the money runs out.”
JITA employs the concept of a market driven Value Chain. The idea is to add additional benefit in both the distribution chain as well as the supply chain. “When we work using an Inclusive Value Chain we try to involve the unemployed in the process of supply, distribution and retail. It is only ‘inclusive’ when people who are not directly capable are incorporated – their capability is developed during the procedure. This also means sacrifice of the competitive edge, initially, with the objective to ensure that the underprivileged players included may gain some of the benefit from the business.”
Another thing JITA does is to ensure that everyone involved gets benefitted in the process. Regarding this Saif said, “As an example we can look at the organic produce which is bought from a farmer for a minimal price then value is added to it through packaging and marketing, and in turn sold for much higher prices. It becomes ‘inclusive’ as soon as it is warranted that the farmer receives his fair share of the profit. On the other hand an Inclusive Supply Chain will have the exporter providing the farmer with technical knowledge, seeds and other resources for him to grow the produce with a promise to buy only from him. This way the farmer benefits as much as the supplier. The Value Chain is very effective when it comes to what JITA is trying to achieve as it guarantees sustainable progress for both sides of the businesses involved.”
JITA started different kinds of activities related to woman empowerment. They try to provide the rural women with skills that are in demand at the market. They consider whether the skills being provided have a market or not. It is important to understand the market first and then offer the training. According to Saif Rashid, JITA goes by the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Although it’s a very fundamental philosophy, it is still missing from the development sector. “So before we trained individuals to work on a product, we’d first find a buyer who was willing to buy regular supplies. That way the product has an opportunity to be marketed properly. This way the skill provided will remain useful in the long run,” says Saif.
There are lots of stigmas regarding women working outside home or simply having an income in rural Bangladesh. “Such mindsets dictate that women should stay at home and take care of their families while the men earn a living. Overcoming such barriers and attitudes is also part of what JITA does. To empower women by giving them income opportunity, skill and links with the market – that is the core objective.”

 

 

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