Development programmes often ask the poor to invest time, capital, learn how to manufacture a specific product and then leave them to struggle with markets and through the initial challenges of starting a business. Government and banks also focus only on skills rather than working backwards from market demand. This often leaves the poor with livelihood options that are not market-driven and therefore unsustainable.
BPF has created a major livelihoods innovation called MOVE (Market Oriented Value Enhancement) which won an award from the World Bank-ILO-YEN MarketPlace. BPF’s innovation branch in Dharwad has worked for two decades on livelihoods with a fair degree of success. The innovative elements of this model include:
Organisation’s Goal: BPF aims to create at least 20,000 businesses over the next 5 years and to scale up MOVE by partnering with METSCON to create a Centre of Excellence.
In the last three decades, government agencies and civil society organisations (CSO) have created community-based organisations (CBOs) to implement their programmes. BPF through a multi-stakeholder partnership with other like-minded organisations have come together to further the efforts of 12 federations in four states of Assam, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana.
The current need is to build on the existing strength of these CBOs and federations and work towards creating models of autonomous, sustainable organisations that can be used by agencies working with CBOs nationwide. If these federations and CBOs can liaison with the gram panchayat and government departments to access entitlements, they can help these programmes achieve their targets. This will also enable CBOs to mobilise members, strengthen existing programmes, revive defunct collectives, form new federations, and build their capacity to take their work forward. Skilling CBOs would include training on book-keeping, managerial skills, communication, proposal writing and documentation. Along with inculcating leadership abilities to run programmes independently, we equip them with the skills to manage meetings, handle conflict, and also undertake visioning exercises.
Best Practices Foundation has grown multifold in recent years. Along with continuing to implement our flagship livelihood programme, MOVE (Market Oriented Value Enhancement), BPF together with an alliance is pioneering a sustainable, autonomous model of community based organisations.
To know more about our current work, click here.