Livelihood

Live Projects

Urban Livelihood & Microfinance

Utthan, Gujarat: $195,875 over 2 years

To establish a community owned People’s Resource Center to collect and share experiences of developing livelihoods in saline, drought and cyclone prone areas (building upon a previous AIF grant for water management). The PLC will also influence public policies dealing with livelihoods issues.

Saath – UMEED, Gujarat: $46,364 over 3 years

Saath has completed 15 years as an organization working on initiatives for equity in development. Its mission is to make human settlements equitable living environments, where all residents and vulnerable people have access to health, education, essential infrastructure services and livelihood options.

The current project supported by AIF focuses on creating opportunities for alternate livelihood options for the vulnerable and lower income groups in the state of Gujarat, by enhancing skills such that the livelihood intervention becomes self-sustained over a period of time. Over 3 years, 50,000 youth will be trained and placed in various jobs, with an annual income increase of $22 - $66 (Rs. 1,000 – Rs. 3,000) per month.

CAP Foundation and Nav Bharat Jaguti Kendra (NBJK), Jharkhand: $25,000 over 3 years

To provide vocational skills training and job placement assistance to 5000 youth (including youth with disabilities) in 7-8 districts across the state of Jharkhand. The project will be implemented in partnership with NBJK, a local NGO, which has been working in Jharkand and Bihar over the past 20 years.

The key activities of the project will include: scanning the local economy to identify in demand market oriented skills, develop training modules for these skills, mobilize vulnerable slum youth to opt into trainings, deliver trainings and place the youth in jobs. The project is expected to demonstrate the scalability of CAP and AIF’s “Ek_Mouka” employability model thereby encouraging investments from state governments and corporations. CAP will build the capacity of NBJK to continue this work post grant period.

CAP Foundation and Berozgar Mahila Sewa Samiti: $83,750 over 2 years

To provide vocational skills training and job placement assistance to 1,000 youth (including youth with disabilities) in two districts of Chattisgarh. The project will be implemented by BMSS, a local women's empowerment NGO with 15 years of experience in the state.

Rickshaw Sangh, Lucknow, Allahabad, and Varanasi: $142,645 over 1.5 years

To enable cycle rickshaw pullers to increase their income, receive due entitlements and dignify their occupation by owning their rickshaws. The project will allow 1,800 rickshaw operators in three cities of Uttar Pradesh to become owners of their cycle rickshaws after 18 months. The model is based on AIF’s first partnership with the Centre for Rural Development (CRD) in Guwahati, Assam, where approximately 1,000 rickshaw pullers became rickshaw owners through loans from ICICI Bank. AIF allowed CRD to use its grant as the First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) to access loans from ICICI.

CRD will build the capacity of three NGOs (in Lucknow, Allahabad and Varanasi) to organize rickshaw pullers into groups to initiate the cycle rickshaw bank model. CRD will provide a first-loss guarantee to commercial banks, which will then make loans available to these 3 NGOs and also to the rickshaw pullers.

The key activities of the project include: forming rickshaw driver groups, providing financial services like access to credit from banks and non financial services like valid identity proof, accidental insurance, uniforms, access to health care etc. A garage facility for every group of 25 rickshaw operators will serve as a point for repayment collection, record keeping, and trainings. Finally, sponsorship from local or large companies will be generated by selling the space on the back of rickshaws for advertisements.