Village project in India

Start Sustainability Village project in India

Finja supports village projects in India

We support a village project in India with Hand in Hand, which works sustainably to fight poverty in the world. We also encourage all customers, partners and suppliers to do the same. Together we make a difference.

Finja has had a collaboration with Hand in Hand for 10 years. The largest part of Hand in Hand’s operations is based on female entrepreneurship, something that is close to our hearts.

Hand In Hand works to eradicate poverty by training women so that they can start businesses, create new jobs or further develop existing businesses. Those who need it can get a microloan to start their business. When the loans are then repaid, the money is reinvested in new microloans to more women. An initially small amount grows in this way all the time and can give more and more women the opportunity to lift themselves and their families out of poverty through their own entrepreneurship.

In the wake of the pandemic, the demand for livelihood opportunities and jobs is now increasing dramatically, which means that Hand in Hand’s efforts are expected to grow further. By being a donor to Hand in Hand, we at Finja wish to contribute to a sustainable environment and sustainable social development.

Our Christmas gift from Finja means that we continue to support the village project in the village of Kadadhe in India. Through regular reports, we get to follow developments in the village; for example, in the first six months of 2021, the project has provided training to 972 women, 55 new companies have been started and 67 new jobs have been created. A development we are proud to contribute to!

Hand in Hand’s entrepreneurial model coordinates efforts in five important areas:

Education and entrepreneurship
Self-help groups are formed in the village and there the women receive training in business and entrepreneurship, financing, saving and marketing. They are trained in how to start and run a business.

Vocational training
Some also need vocational training and basic education in reading, writing and arithmetic. The women then gain increased knowledge of trade and business development in order to expand and develop their businesses. marketing.

Financing
Right from the start, the members of the self-help groups regularly start saving small sums, both individually and collectively, to be able to invest. If a smaller loan is required, a microloan is arranged from Hand in Hand’s microcredit fund. Refund rate is almost 100%.
Expansion
When the companies are up and running, Hand in Hands’ business coaches support the entrepreneurs in matters such as distribution, quality, packaging and expansion. They can also receive support in expanding to new markets outside their local ones.

In addition to this, supplementary efforts are included according to local needs, such as extra teaching and support for children’s schooling, health checks and information about nutrition, personal hygiene and child care, as well as efforts for the environment and sustainability where the goal is to create sustainable and green companies.

About Hand in Hand

Hand in Hand was started in 1989 by the teacher couple Olle and Gunnel Blomqvist. To date, the organization has helped create or strengthen 4.6 million jobs in India, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Kenya. They have so far trained just over 3 million people in entrepreneurship. Hand in hand Sweden has 18 employees in Stockholm, and the organizations have roughly 3,000 local employees in the above countries. The money is sent directly to its destination, without intermediaries.

Village project

In 2019, Hand in Hand started a Christmas campaign where you had the opportunity to enter as your own investor or through one or more shares in a village project. The campaign involves a focused investment in support for self-employment, economic empowerment and sustainable development in an entire village and lasts for two and a half years with reports and follow-up from the specific village that you choose to support. In this project, the Finja Group has chosen to support the village of Kadadhe in the Maharashtra region of India.

In 2019, Hand in Hand collected a total of SEK 70.8 million and financed 14 new village projects in Kenya, 22 in India and two in Zimbabwe.

The effect of the project

So far, the project has helped create or strengthen 4.6 million jobs in India, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
It has also created and further developed 4.6 million businesses, lasting just over 3 million in India.
3.1 million people have been trained in entrepreneurship so far.
The project has 260,014 self-help groups.
The average income for the Indian participants in the program has increased by approx. SEK 300 – 400 per month.

Read more and support the entrepreneurs here: handinhandsweden.se.