Mann Deshi

Since I’m in India to work, I thought I should tell you a bit about the organization I’m working for and a bit about the projects I will be working on.

The Mann Deshi Mahila Group
The Mann Deshi Mahila Group includes three organizations. They are Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank Ltd., Mann Vikas Samajik Sanstha, and Mann Deshi Mahila Bachat Gat Federation.

Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank Ltd. (Mann Deshi Bank)
Mann Deshi Bank is a microfinance bank that provides various savings and loan services as well as pension and insurance schemes to poor rural women in certain areas of Maharashtra. All of the bank’s business is conducted through field agents since women have neither the time nor the money to travel to a bank to save money or repay loans. These field agents travel to client doorsteps usually daily, but also weekly or monthly (depending on the savings or loan service), to collect/disperse funds. Daily collection is preferred for most women since they get paid at the end of the work day and cannot trust their families with their money. Mann Deshi currently has five branches in Maharashtra, and four additional loan offices through Mann Vikas.

Mann Vikas Samajik Sanstha (MVSS)
MVSS is a non-profit organization delivering non-financial services to poor rural women in Maharashtra. Initially MVSS focused on a variety of areas, ranging from health to property rights to education. In the past few years, however, it has decided to limit its scope to programs that will directly promote financial self-sufficiency and support women in utilizing the bank’s services. Some current programs include providing umbrellas as interest-free loans to protect the health of street vendors, providing bicycles to girls as interest-free loans so that they can go to school, and Mann Deshi Udyogini.

Mann Deshi Udyogini is a business school for poor rural women with the goal of turning daily wage laborers into successful businesswomen. Classes range from tailoring to technological and financial literacy to veterinary camps. Mann Deshi covers the cost of the financial literacy course since it is compulsory for all loan clients; the other courses are offered for minimal fees since the school is funded by several corporate banks. Since many women cannot travel to the business schools (there are three currently) due to financial, time, and cultural constraints, Mann Deshi has started operating a mobile business school on wheels which travels to remote locations.

Mann Deshi Mahila Bachat Gat Federation
This NGO is Mann Deshi’s Self-help group (SHG) federation. Initially women met to discuss the various issues they and their families faced, but with the implementation of the bank the focus has shifted to financial concerns and supporting female entrepreneurs. Under Mann Deshi there are about 2,500 SHGs.

My Projects (technically I work for MVSS)
NBFC
The Mann Deshi Group is looking to rapidly expand its operations. This is fairly simple for the two non-profits, yet due to RBI (Reserve Bank of India) regulations impossible for the bank. Mann Deshi Bank can only open two new branches each year. To bypass this regulation, Mann Deshi is opening a non-banking finance company (NBFC) which will allow the services of the bank to rapidly expand in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat, and then throughout India. I am working closely with other staff members to make this happen. We’ve been working with international investors, lawyers, and a non-profit based in Mumbai to get all the legal details taken care of. My role will be to write a business plan, design a MIS system, develop a roll-out plan, and then implement and monitor everything. Mann Deshi is hoping to have the first four NBFCs launched by March/April (great for me since I’ll get to see them open). This is something I thought I would NEVER EVER in a million years be doing.

Mobile Business School
Mann Deshi currently has a mobile business school up and running in northern Karnataka (a neighboring state). Mann Deshi would like to open its first mobile business school in Maharashtra. We have recently procured the funds for a bus. Now we need to buy the bus, renovate it, purchase equipment, pick locations and courses, select teachers, and advertise it. I will also be working on this over the next few months as Mann Deshi plans to have the school launched in April.

I’ll admit that a lot of the time I’d like to be doing work that relates to my background as my passions can truly be found there (gender, sexuality, health, human rights, migration). I also find myself torn over what the organization does. But my work and my wonderful colleagues are keeping me busy, thinking, and focused, and I very much look forward to going to work every day :)

So there’s a brief summary of what Mann Deshi is and what I will be doing. It took me a little while to understand the basics so feel free to ask questions!

Much Love <3