SIFE & Energy: Project Urja

“Urja hi jeevan hai, ise aane wali peedhi ke liya bachaaiye”

Vision:

To control and prevent wastage of electrical energy so that the natural resources such as coal, gas, oil etc. which are used for producing power are conserved for our future generations.

“Energy conservation means having the same comfort or performance levels while using less energy & without incurring any additional cost”.

The Problem:

The basic aim of conserving electricity is to save energy cost. You will be surprised to know that, wasteful use of electrical energy costs us 25 to 30% of our energy bill, which could have been avoided had we taken adequate care.

The action we take today will have a direct impact on the economy and would decide the kind of world our future generation would have to live in Conservation of Electricity

The Approach:

Project Urja follows a strategy of solving the core issue of preventing wasteful use of energy by educating the people about the importance of energy conservation. This will be done with the help of technical experts like PCRA (Petroleum Conservation & Research Association) & mentors from the corporate industry including Tata Power & Reliance energy. The idea is to create awareness among the people who actually will make our project self sustainable by mouth publicity after seeing the tangible benefits of saving huge energy bill.

How we will do it:

Together we will do it and make it possible. The PCRA has already promised it’s technical support by providing the Banners, Handouts & brochures. The target group would be middle class and upper middle class who are educated & will understand the urgency & importance of the project. An area near Chembur has already been identified where this project would be implemented in the first phase. Awareness would be created among the target audience by educating them about the energy saving tips & this would be crosschecked by showing them the difference in their present energy fill & energy bill after implementing the energy saving tips. Plans are to rope in some corporate sponsors who can encourage this people by providing some gift vouchers if they save more than 25% of energy in any particular month by implementing the proposed energy saving tips. This will ensure a win-win situation for corporates as well as the target audience by bringing in a Corporate Social Responsibility factor for corporate & which will indirectly motivate the people to save more & more energy for future generation.

Current phase:

Currently a team is already working on persuading some corporate sponsors to sponsor this activity as a part of their CSR. Other team has already started the implementation of this project by educating the people in the identified area. Efforts for finding a mentor from corporate like Tata Power & Reliance energy are already going on. Again I would like to repeat that together we can ensure a safe future for our coming generations. Come & join us on this “project urja” with a social cause and having a national concern. Your suggestions are always welcomed……..

Project Apricot Oil

AAROHI-APRICOT OIL AND FACE SCRUB

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of the project is to help the NGO Aaorhi to increase the sales of its apricot oil & face scrub in mumbai. Aarohi’s activities are intensely focused in 54 villages in four blocks of Nainital District, reaching out to an estimated population of 24,000 people.12000 farmers are benefiting from the sale of apricot seeds and processing activities.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH FOLLOWED:
The first and foremost thing is to develop a communication strategy for the products. Once that is developed then all the premium beauty parlours will be targeted and products sold to them. The reason for targeting the beauty parlours is that once the parlours start patronizing these products then more distributors could be appointed since now not many people are willing to distribute the products because of the low market presence of the products. Also it would give Aaorhi more bargaining power when negotiating with the prospective distributors with regards to the margins.

STATUS OF THE PROJECT:
A communication strategy is being developed. We are in the process of listing out all the benefits of apricot oil and face scrub vis- a- vis the other products available in the market. Each and every benefit is being traced to the respective micro-constituent present in the oil and the feasibility of obtaining a scientific approval from any research center is being worked out. A product brochure has been developed but rework has to be done on it. Once the communication strategy is developed then the team will go to the premium beauty parlours and market the products to them.

Sankalp - Paperbags

Objective
Develop a self sustainable business for a socially challenged group (Blind/Old women) working (or inclined to work) in making a creative product (paper bags) as a means of livelihood.

Why Paper bags?
After recent deluge in Mumbai, need for an alternative to plastic packaging was aptly demonstrated. We studied the market and found that market has matured to make a shift for paper bags. It also requires a simple process to make a paper bag, which can easily be manufactured by a socially challenged group like blind.

Progress so far:
Started with an article in Mumbai Mirror, about Blind students making creative paper bags.

We visited Victoria Memorial School for blind, Tardeo and found that blind are very efficient in making paper bags. Thus we developed an understanding with them under which we will use their expertise in teaching other blind to manufacture paper bags.

Customer requirement was identified through talks with potential customers like Pantaloon. Revealed the challenges involved in establishing this business.


Methodology
Our project will be phased in two phases
We will proceed by identifying a community which can be benifited with this plan identifying and developing market for paperbags
1) By making people more aware about the use of papaerbags
2) By roping in retail store (crossword, jweallery shops..) to purchase these paperbags
3) By identifying various potential customers that is, retailer or shops where product sold is of higher value and light in weight.

Next Step
Identify a group working or inclined to work in making paper bags.

Vikalp: Sife & Financial literacy

Vision:

To make the young, impressionable population of the country more aware of the financial opportunities that lie ahead of them by getting together the best money managers from among them to teach and guide the others towards a bright, financially viable future.

Plan Of Action:

The youth project will take off with the help of a business plan competition, which will be thrown open to all students between the ages of 18 and 25. Eminent personalities from the world of banking and finance will select the 5 best entries from the proposals received based on effective financial budgeting of the proposed plans. The students so selected will aid us in enabling the underprivileged sections of society (16 to 25 age group, in particular) to understand the importance of financial management. This will be done through periodic lectures and games conducted by us under their guidance
A three-day workshop will be organized for women entrepreneurs women students who come from weaker economic backgrounds as well as young from vocational training institutes in the city.
The workshop will consist of programs on attitude and personality development, business proposal writing, team skills, basic computer literacy for business and simulated business workshops.
Speeches by successful women entrepreneurs in the community, films on business ventures run by women and incentives for the best business proposal will also form a part of the workshop.

Sustainability:

Superior performers will be identified from the youth workshops and encouraged to continue the literacy project in the similar fashion, the following year. Similarly, in the women’s workshop, all participants will be encouraged to write business proposals of their own, which will be given to bank managers to judge and process. The best ones will receive bank loans for their venture and will serve as role models for the following year when another workshop will be conducted.

Mehndi: The SIFE way to a colourful life..

“Mehndi - The colour of life”

The Opportunity:

Mehndi (Myrtle) leaves are widely used in India for drawing a temporary tattoo on hand and feet. It is quite popular among women during festivals and a must at the time of marriage as per Hindu traditions. People from various religions like Islam, Christian and Sikh et al also use it widely. This highlights the unique cultural integration and Unity in Diversity of India.

The Idea:

We plan to set up Kiosks in five star hotels and malls for providing service for applying Mehndi on the hands and feet. In second stage we plan to start a home service, special service for marriage and perpetuate this to other cities.

This project will provide employment opportunities to women associates of an NGO. This service will give us first a platform to sustain our tradition of applying Mehndi. As part of our business plan, we also see new jobs being created as an outcome of our endeavor. This will further perpetuate the very essence of entrepreneurship across the board.

We are targeting foreigners, working women and upper class income group of Mumbai, India.
We will provide them Mehndi in the ambience of an ethnicity, relinquishing their interest in Mehndi.

The Present Situation:

At present, the subject industry is an unorganized one crowded with a gamut of parallel service providers like beauty parlors, roadside operators but the toughest challenge is from ladies who visit home and apply Mehndi

The Plan:

We shall partner with chain of 5 Star Hotels in Mumbai. We will involve leading fashion designers and page 3 people to create an interest in our product. We will also team up with dermatologist to add reliability to concept.

We will design the kiosk on Mehndi theme with special seating arrangement, lights and an exclusive shelf for displaying designs of Indian relics. A special focus would be laid on experiential marketing wherein each element would be well thought of right from the time a prospect enters our premise till she exits with our receipt. Our workers will be trained to handle each and every nitty gritty of the service that will be extended. Each element to service would project our passion for Mehndi in turn exemplifying a whole new experience for the prospect.

Ø We will use technology to enable quick dry feature for wet Mehndi on hands and feet.

Ø As Mehndi is used at the time of festivals, we will start providing other services like audio CDs of ethnic music, providing service of Pundits, Bengali Alta, Chandan, Tattoo for kids, Mehndi Agarbatti etc.

Ø Organize contests in school and colleges for designing Mehndi.
Sell Mehndi packs and accessories for use at home.

the other dimension

Students in free enterprise!
WE ARE THE SIFE TEAM OF SIMSR,MUMBAI,INDIA.
SIFE philo:

Community service-
Give me a fish, i eat for a day; teach me to fish and i eat for a lifetime.

Teaching-
tell me and i will forget
show me and i might remember
involve me and i will learn.

Leadership-
People support what they help create.

Founded in 1975,SIFE has grown to become one of the largest university based organization in the world. SIFE teams are active in colleges and universities in more than 45 countries througout six continents.

The challenge to SIFE teams is not simply to inform,but also to empower -to help their target audiences reach their full potential through a better understanding of the principles of free enterprise.
Individually,SIFE teams are improving the quality of life and living standards of their communities.
Collectively,the focused effort of hundreds of SIFE teams and the thousands of faculty,students and supporting community leaders driving these teams, has created a positive and sweeping force for change that has an impact upon the lives of millions and is literally changing the world.

SIFE SIMSR team is currently undertaking six community based projects.
Subsequnet posts will put more light on the subject. Flow of ideas is the basic objective of this forum.
vague to vivid
constructive to destructive
analytical to technical
political to social
Lets set the square rolling..........

cheers!
JK

SIFE @ SIMSR goes digital

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