The Development Alternatives Group, a New Delhi-based organisation working towards sustainable development and Princess Cristina of Spain hosted JobsWeMake event focused on “la Caixa” Foundation’s Work4Progress (W4P) programme for job creation, at the Residence of the Embassy of Spain.
The event featured an experiential ‘chaupal’ with entrepreneurs, a presentation on the ‘Impact of Inclusive Entrepreneurship on the Local Economy’ by the Development Alternatives Group, and a panel discussion on ’10 million jobs – The Inclusive Entrepreneurship Imperative’. Princess Cristina, Director of the International Area at “la Caixa” Foundation, was the keynote speaker for the evening. The event was hosted at the of Ambassador of Spain’s residence in Delhi H.E. Jose Maria Ridao, Ambassador of Spain to the Republic of India. He went onto inaugurate the event. Also present at the event was Shri Charanjit Singh, IFoS, Additional Secretary, Rural Livelihoods, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
A global think-tank and leading social enterprise, Development Alternatives (DA) aims to design and deliver sustainable solutions so that the marginalised can lead better lives and be assured of dignity of labour. One of the ways in which DA does this is by connecting actors across the micro-entrepreneurial ecosystem and initiating constructive dialogues around concerns that matter. The JobsWeMake event ties in with DA’s overall vision of co-creating green and inclusive economies.
A platform for learning and exchange of knowledge on entrepreneurship-led job creation, JobsWeMake imagines the many possibilities inherent in ‘Micro-movements of Inclusive Entrepreneurship’, in which micro-entrepreneurs can potentially transform India’s employment scenario, and go a long way to solving the nation’s perennial dilemma of livelihood insecurity, by empowering local communities.
‘Micro-movements of Inclusive Entrepreneurship’ aim to achieve equity and inclusion in entrepreneurship (#SAMUDYAM) and dignity of labour, by seeking to unleash entrepreneurial energies through ‘Kaun Banega Business Leader’, providing access to timely and low-cost credit (‘Peer to Peer Lending’), connecting last-mile digital services to entrepreneurs (‘udyaME’), building a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem (‘District Entrepreneurship Coalition’), creating co-working spaces for young women (‘Brave Spaces’), mainstreaming bottom-up innovation (‘Innovation Amplifier’), and pioneering a network of women-led e-rickshaws (‘Safe Mobility’).
Sharing her thoughts on the event, Princess Cristina, Director of the International Area at “la Caixa” Foundation, said, “Our commitment to the progress of people translates into a long history of defending social causes, which we have always tackled in collaboration with many organizations like DA and Action AID India, trying to maintain a global and transformative vision and promoting innovation and rigor in all our actions. We have been implementing Work4Progress in India for five years now and we are extremely happy with the results. More than 7.000 micro companies have been started up and more than 14.000 jobs created.”
In the words of Mr. Ashok Khosla, Chairman, Development Alternatives Group, “Entrepreneurship has emerged as a response to the changing paradigm of employment in the country. And evidence suggests that we can help tackle the job crisis by becoming micro-entrepreneurs. By changing how people find fulfilling work, a systematic move toward “Inclusive Entrepreneurship” might effect radical change. This is the kind of impact we at DA have in mind, the transformative impact a platform like JobsWeMake can spark.”
JobsWeMake, W4P’s programme on inclusive entrepreneurship, has been recognised as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) ‘Good Practice’, as well as being recognised by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Organisation.
TARAgram Yatra 2022
Under an umbrella theme of ‘Co-creating Inclusive and Green Economies’, TARAgram Yatra 2022 will be focusing on resource efficiency and circular economies; livelihood security and inclusive entrepreneurship; and climate resilience and ecosystem restoration. The Yatra, comprising a mix of dialogue and field visits to Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh), Orchha (Bundelkhand), and Delhi, will be organised from 22 November, 2022 to 24 November, 2022. It will have a mix of Yatris from academia, business, civil society, and government, and will engage in deep discussions about social and institutional change experiments at the grassroots, providing a learning-sharing knowledge.
About Development Alternatives Group
Development Alternatives (DA) is a premier social enterprise with a global presence in the fields of green economic development, social empowerment, and environmental management. It is credited with numerous innovations in clean technology and delivery systems that help create sustainable livelihoods in the developing world. DA focuses on empowering communities through strengthening people’s institutions and facilitating their access to basic needs; enabling economic opportunities through skill development for green jobs and enterprise creation; and promoting low carbon pathways for development through natural resource management models and clean technology solutions.
Work4progress- ** W4P programme – Launched in India in 2016 and subsequently in Peru and Mozambique by the “la Caixa“ Foundation, it seeks to create new employment opportunities that are inclusive in nature and systemic by design. Social innovation is at the core of the W4P approach and brings with it advanced tools and methodologies for key processes of listening, co-creating, prototyping, and accelerating. In India, the W4P programme has two networks. The network led by Development Alternatives (DA) joined the W4P platform in November 2016, and is currently in the acceleration phase with national-level partners Transform Rural India Foundation and Rang De. ActionAid Association (AAA) and its partner in Spain, Alianza por la Solidaridad joined the platform in March 2020 and have been joined by Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sai Jyoti. The W4P India programme is operational in 345 villages across Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand, and works with socially and economically disadvantaged communities, women, and young adults.
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