By: Leigh Mante and Saba Ahmed 

Rationale: In order to support the development and enhancement of SEWA's enterprise support system (ESS), a study was conducted to gather additional documentation and analyses of existing social enterprise incubators and accelerators across South Asian countries outside of India. This study builds upon SEWA’s Enterprise Support System Report and delves into key components of efficient and sustainable social enterprise support services. Objectives:

● To understand the various landscapes of social enterprises in South Asia ● To understand methods of support and evaluation by ESSs of social enterprises

towards their respective communities Methodology: The Enterprise Support Systems evaluated were selected based on (1) its direct work with social enterprises, (2) its work with “bottom of pyramid” and/or predominantly female communities, and (3) clear evidence of positive social impact. For each selected ESS, information on program details, cost/revenue models, operation strategies, team structure, as well as context on the program country’s political economy, if applicable, was gathered. Data and information was gathered from organizational material available online such as annual reports, impact and evaluation statements, website information as well as secondary literature reports.

Name of ESS Location Incubator/ Accelerator

Income Bracket

Mission

BRAC Social Enterprises

Bangladesh Accelerator Lower Middle Income

BRAC is a non-governmental organization dedicated to eradicating poverty through social and financial empowerment of the poor. BRAC uses a community-based model to develop and scale enterprise programs and reinvests the revenue from these programs towards development resources and activities. Currently BRAC operates 16 social enterprises in Bangladesh and reinvests 50% of surplus revenue towards BRAC development activities.

Entrepreneurs du Monde: (Pratiques - Microfinance & Energy Platform)

Multiple

Incubator Low to Lower-Middle Income

Entrepreneurs du Monde works with communities in developing areas and provides resources for them to pursue their own economic initiatives. EDM focuses on promoting social microfinance, social entrepreneurship, and the creation of very small businesses. In regards to social entrepreneurship, EDM functions as an incubator for social and

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Political Economy Landscape Analysis: Bangladesh The realm of social entrepreneurship in Bangladesh is heavily regulated by innovative approaches and hand-holding by non-governmental organizations. Current NGOs that are involved in social enterprise activities are governed by laws that regulate companies. There are currently no government policies directly regulating social enterprise activities in Bangladesh. However, there are policies relevant to the general structure and function of social enterprises such as the 7th Five Year National Plan for 2015-2020 which acknowledges access to finance, small and medium sized enterprise (SME) development as well as the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (Alternative Investment) Rules (2015) which addresses private equity funds, venture capital funds and impact funds. Impact funds are especially important for social enterprises in that they invest in the equity of organizations engaged in activities aimed at creating a positive social or environmental impact. Both of these policies do not explicitly acknowledge social enterprises, but they are inextricably linked. 1

Pakistan

1 https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/bc-report-ch2-bangladesh-digital_0.pdf

environmental innovation by cultivating a local network of social enterprises led by local entrepreneurs.

Sarhad Rural Support Program: Value Chain and Economic Development

Pakistan Accelerator Lower-Middle Income

Established in 1989, Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) is a non-government and non-profit organization operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that aims to promote sustainable livelihoods and reduce poverty. SRSP’s Value Chain Development (VCD) program strengthens rural enterprises, business relationships, and strives to improve market structures.

UNDP:Micro-Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP)

Nepal Incubator/Accelerator

Lower Income

The UNDP established a four phase Micro-Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP) from 1998 to 2018 in Nepal to enhance income generating opportunities for the rural poor and socially-excluded ethnic communities. The multi-sectoral and integrated program has not only assisted the country in alleviating poverty through livelihood creation, but it has also strengthened the government’s role in sustainably supporting micro-enterprise development.

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There are currently no policies in place that explicitly mention or support the formation of social enterprises. There is, however, a Center for Social Entrepreneurship in the Planning Commission of Pakistan. Developed in 2015, this is the country’s first entity surrounding social entrepreneurship that works to promote innovation and enterprise development. 2

Nepal In recent development plans, the government has taken on the responsibility to promote employment opportunities by sharing knowledge and skills and developing national human resources to compete with national and international labor markets. The Thirteenth Plan was created by the government to “make people feel directly changed in quality of life by reducing income poverty and human poverty.” Current policies in place addressing micro-enterprise include the Industrial Policy of 2010 which emphasizes ME development and the Micro-Enterprise Development Policy (2008) which promotes micro-entrepreneurship by mandating the cultivation of an enabling environment for ME creation and growth. Although the country has recently undergone a violent 10 year conflict and a long political transition, government-led development initiatives are still focused on alleviating poverty. BRAC Social Enterprises http://www.brac.net/sites/default/files/Overview-BRAC-enterprises-and-investments.pdf BRAC was selected due to its well-established community-based approach, innovative techniques, ability to effectively synergize programs, and provision of holistic support to their beneficiaries. BRAC has successfully grown and scaled 16 social enterprises, having created opportunities for 138 million people across different sectors. Background BRAC established its first social enterprise, Aarong, in 1978 to support existing initiatives to engage women in productive income generating work. BRAC’s social enterprise sectors have evolved to include health, retail, livestock & fisheries, agriculture & food, green enterprises, and printing & packaging. Vision The objective of BRAC’s social enterprise model is to alleviate poverty through social and economic empowerment. Mission BRAC’s social enterprise program aims to address the challenges of sustainable livelihood generation and market access that inhibit economic growth and social empowerment for women in rural areas. BRAC assists microentrepreneurs, farmers, and producers by establishing vital linkages across value chains and reinvesting enterprise income into

2 https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/bc-report-ch5-pakistan-digital_0.pdf

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development programs. Their surplus-generating model allows for “scalability, greater outreach, and maximum impact.” Geography BRAC prioritizes its outreach and enterprise support work to the poor and women in rural areas. However, BRAC also targets enterprise support to urban areas, having outlined new strategies to address urban poverty. These guidelines include piloting integrated programs in 4-5 slums, maintaining tenurial security at the center of its interventions, avoiding the creation of identical services provided by other NGOs, conducting a baseline survey to personalize each program to its respective slum environment, collaborating with the government to provide basic services, partnering with the media to strengthen slum dwellers’ awareness of basic rights, and laying out the conditions and systems that define the urban space. Engagement in Community BRAC’s first enterprise Aarong has developed to become a national retail outlet, currently assisting more than 65,000 rural artisans in marketing and selling their products to the urban market. The linkage and retail process begins with a design team conceptualizing the design strategy for the season and then sends this material to the rural artisans for production. Aarong supports the development of artisans’ skills through training programs and ensures that products are bought at a fair price. BRAC collaborates with the Ayesha Abed Foundation to provide free skill-building opportunities, transportation of goods, quality control, storage, management, finance, and marketing assistance as well as access to a daycare center for working mothers and retirement benefits. Extra revenues gathered from Aarong go towards microfinance and primary education initiatives. For example, employees in rural communities obtain additional support from BRAC such as micro-credit services; agricultural inputs (seeds, poultry, livestock); free education for children; healthcare check-ups and optometry appointments; free health education; free tuberculosis treatment; and legal awareness. Operation Strategies BRAC’s success can be attributed to three operational strategies. Firstly, BRAC’s three prong Investment, Enterprise, and Development program model allows them to harness and develop synergies between its programs. Next, BRAC aims to minimize its dependency on external and donor funding by forming strategic relationships with donors. Lastly, BRAC dedicates time and funding towards essential development projects and training initiatives within its existing programs. In its projects, BRAC follows the mantra: “pilot, perfect, scale up” as well as a “fail fast, fail often” innovation strategy to increase its outreach and impact. BRAC also created a Social Innovation Lab to nurture continued enhancement of programs and stay up to date with technological advancements. The Social Innovation Lab is a space dedicated to incubating and mainstreaming innovations; research and partnership development; conducting internal insight analytics; and perfecting project design. Project evaluation reports are also included on this platform. One example of a SIL initiative is the BRAC Innovation Fund for Mobile Money established in collaboration with the Bill and

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Melinda Gates Foundation. BRAC launched this project to explore how to increase the poor’s awareness and access to mobile money. BRAC evaluates and monitors the impact of all of its projects through an intense and independent research and evaluation division. Analytical Framework 3

Accelerator Services The “BRAC model” consists of a network of Development Programs, Enterprises, and Investments.

● BRAC Development Programs ○ Fully-funded, non-surplus ventures aimed at accomplishing BRAC’s social

missions ○ These programs are focused on improving aspects of health and education for

poor communities. They are not sector specific and are created based on the needs of the community.

■ For example, after BRAC established a printing press social business in 1974, BRAC reinvested extra profits towards fighting dehydration- the leading cause of childhood mortality in Bangladesh at the time. After training 4,000 oral rehydration workers, over 30,000 families were taught how to make an electrolyte-fluid for their children. To maintain the educational aspect of the program, BRAC established a performance-based incentive system which paid ORW’s a higher salary if parents demonstrated memory recollection of the ORW’s teachings. 4

● BRAC Enterprises ○ Support mechanisms to promote the sustainability of development programs ○ 50% of the surplus from the enterprises finance BRAC’s development

programs ○ 50% of the surplus are re-invested in the enterprises to reduce dependence on

external funding sources. ○ In creating the development plan and strategy of its enterprises, four objectives

are considered. The enterprise must create job opportunities, generate surplus to minimize donor dependency, ensure support and contribution to BRAC’s development interventions, and must be able to become economically viable in the long run.

● BRAC Investments Unit ○ Consists of financially profitable investments aimed at generating financial

returns while providing social assistance such as housing, microfinance, small enterprise loans, and information technology.

Financial Support

3 Cho, S., & Sultana, R. (2015). Journey From NGO to Sustainable Social Enterprise: Acceleratory Organizational Factors of BRAC. Asian Social Work & Policy Review, 9(3), 293 - 306. 4 https://scalable-impact.com/brac/

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● BRAC gives loans to villagers to begin income-generating operations. As villagers build their enterprises, BRAC supports them through training, resources, and providing market connections.

● If an enterprise fails, workers enter into BRAC’s Targeted Ultra Poor Program (TUP) to receive different resources to keep them on the path to financial stability and away from unemployment. The TUP is funded by surplus funds from BRAC’s higher income-generating enterprises.

○ When one of BRAC’s sanitary napkin production centers closed, BRAC placed the workers in a Targeted Ultra Poor (TUP) program where they received Taka 10,000 worth of assets such as cattle or poultry in addition to training and resources. This helped the workers avoid returning back to unemployment and gave them hope for financial stability.

Revenue/Cost/Funding Model

● Instead of having shareholders, BRAC maximizes the financial and social benefits of the stakeholders who are the disenfranchised poor individuals.

● 50% of profit generated by BRAC Enterprises are reinvested within the enterprises while the remaining 50% is added to BRAC’s “core fund” which promotes the creation of development programs

● BRAC is able to self-finance its enterprises and development programs using 73% of their annual expenditure and 27% of the funding comes from donor funds.

● The government is not involved in funding BRAC social enterprise and donor funding is not always reliable. In the beginning, donor funds were partly used for financing social enterprises, but BRAC now aims for its social enterprises to be self-sustaining.

Life Cycle Support and Engagement

● “There was no prior plan to establish a social enterprise.” ○ BRAC enters the cycle when small-scale businesses need vital connections to

markets to sell their products. ■ For example, with BRAC Dairy, BRAC established a milk collection

center when small-scale businesses expressed a need for access to markets. BRAC helped connect them to the value chain and receive a fair price for their products.

Selection When selecting enterprises to invest in, BRAC invests in programs that (1) align with their social and environmental mission to uplift individuals out of poverty, (2) complement current programs, and (3) address a market need. Ecosystem

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● There is evidence of cross collaboration and cross subsidy between BRAC’s enterprises.

○ For example, within the dairy sector, BRAC’s Targeted Ultra Poor (TUP) program may enable a poor villager to own a cow and produce/sell its milk. BRAC Feed Mills can offer nutrition services to care for the cow, and BRAC Dairy can connect the villager to the market and help him or her receive a fair price for its goods. Then, the BRAC Artificial Insemination Programme can provide training and resources to scale the enterprise by helping breed more cows to produce more milk.

○ If an enterprise is running below costs or unable to create sufficient surplus, BRAC combines its excess profits from its enterprises to re-invest into BRAC enterprises on an as needed basis. This helps to prevent the closure of enterprises and loss of jobs due to lack of profitability.

Challenges

● In regards to monitoring and evaluation challenges, it is difficult to attribute changes solely to interventions.

USP and Team Competency

● Organizational culture consists of social awareness, prioritizing women, participative management, decentralization, visionary leadership, democratic organizational environment, and a shared set of core values.

● Management parallels that of a for-profit business ○ Three committees: Finance & Audit, Investment, Executive Management

Committee ■ Committees are comprised of professionals, activists, and

entrepreneurs ■ Management parallels that of a for-profit business and leaders have

good financial management skills, responsibility, and knowledge about market conditions

● USP: Integrated support system that allows BRAC to be self-sustaining

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○ 5

Impact As an NGO, BRAC emphasizes the measurement of social outcomes in the form of employment generation, poverty alleviation, and human resource development

● Assesses social development impact based on output and outcome ○ Output: product quality and volume ○ Outcome: value creation and changes within community (employment

generation for farmers and those in extreme poverty as well as protection of environment)

● Output is quantified ○ EX: BRAC Dairy processed up to 170,000 L of milk a day and established

regular business for 50,000 rural dairy farmers in Bangladesh ● Outcome is not quantified

○ EX: BRAC Seeds: farmers gain more knowledge in agro-technologies and harvestable yields

○ EX: BRAC Green Enterprises: increased production of environmentally friendly products which thus promoted green initiatives in rural and urban areas

● Monitoring + Evaluation ○ Monitoring Unit

■ Focus on transparency: conducts periodic analyses to determine whether outcomes are achieved

○ Research & Evaluation Department ■ Gathers feedback on activities ■ BRAC frequently meets with donors, government, financial

institutions, partners, etc. ● Awards and Grants: Global Justice Innovation Award (2014), AGFUND International

Prize for Pioneering Human Development Projects (2018)

5 http://www.brac.net/sites/default/files/Overview-BRAC-enterprises-and-investments.pdf

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BRAC Key Learnings for SEWA

● Adopting a system to reinvest profit to development activities supporting further growth of enterprises

● Creating a “safety net” program similar to BRAC’s Targeted Ultra Poor (TUP) System in the event that enterprises are operating below cost or unable to make profit and to support female workers in avoiding unemployment

● Adopting an extensive monitoring and evaluation system ● Establish Innovation Forums connecting SEWA members to innovative business

leaders Entrepreneurs du Monde This organization was chosen for its structured and comprehensive incubation process and transparency in its work. EDM has strong organizational capabilities, integrates itself well into local communities, and enables them with the strategies and resources to eventually function and thrive independently to better fit local needs while being socially impactful. One limitation of this NGO is the immense foreign presence in the beginning of the incubation process. Background Established in 1998, Entrepreneurs du Monde is an international charity association (NGO) that provides resources for communities in 12 low to middle income countries to pursue their own economic initiatives. EDM promotes social microfinance, social entrepreneurship, and the creation of very small businesses. Vision EDM aims to support and empower communities to be successful in making economic and social progress that includes health and environmental benefits. Their vision of development is for local, independent, and well-structured organizations to create dependable and competent teams to serve their communities. Mission In regards to social entrepreneurship, EDM functions as an incubator for social and environmental innovation by cultivating a local network of independent social enterprises led by local entrepreneurs. The ultimate goal is to ensure that social enterprises are able to gain operational, financial, and institutional independence. Geography Haiti (low income), Togo (low income), Myanmar (lower-middle income), Burkina Faso (low income), Senegal (lower-middle income), Philippines (lower-middle income), Guinea (low income), Cambodia (lower-middle income) Focus Areas:

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1. Social Microfinance: EDM supports development in rural areas through workshops promoting a community to share agricultural practices and experiences. EDM also provides flexible microloans with deferred repayment for market gardening activities. This enables farmers to repay the loans when they harvest their products. In addition to workshops, training units on agricultural techniques were instituted to promote sustainable learning on environmentally-friendly practices and to help farmers improve yield and reduce loss.

2. Support to very small businesses: EDM focuses on the inclusion of youth and women in professional training and employment. EDM utilizes a structured approach of a 3-step interview process comprising the first interview to understand the candidate’s strengths and needs; a second interview to schedule a personalized site tour to successful entrepreneurs or startup incubators; and a third interview to set a pathway for growth. The pathway is generally composed of a 3-day employment-seeking training workshop and a 5-day entrepreneurship training session which includes business-plan drafting and access to technical support.

3. Access to Energy: Using a “central purchasing unit” to identify the right equipment, EDM works with families to choose efficient and economical cooking and lighting equipment and promotes the awareness of these products.

4. Agricultural channels: EDM addresses agricultural issues related to the inclusion of women, food security & sovereignty as well as job and income creation.

Engagement in Community One particular EDM program was able to transition from a short-term project to a long-term viable social enterprise. The Save a Stove Program in Burkina Faso was established in 2009 6

with initial goals of improving living conditions, combating deforestation, and improving access to energy-efficient stoves. The program developed to become a functioning SE called Nafa Naana with the help of 3 local microfinancing institutions and a German Development Agency. EDM initially helped to market the event and assisted with production and distribution. Over time Nafa Naana became independent from EDP. The SE expanded its products to meet consumer needs and now sources products from local suppliers. Nafa Naana no longer partners with the three original microfinance institutions and maintains prosperous sales by offering payment plan options to particularly low-income customers. Nafa Naana also trains its own employees and shopkeepers and independently manages resources and business operations. Operation Strategies

6 Dumalanède, C., & Payaud, M. A. (2018). Reaching the Bottom of the Pyramid With a Social Enterprise Model: The Case of the NGO Entrepreneurs du Monde and Its Social Enterprise Nafa Naana in Burkina Faso. Global Business & Organizational Excellence, 37(6), 30 - 39. 

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In order to reach the poorest communities, EDM grants individual loans with low interest rates; gives micro entrepreneurs flexibility to set the length of the loan; establishes micro-entrepreneur groups of 15 to 30 people who engage in monthly training and experience sharing groups; provides social workers to mitigate challenges brought about by violence, illness, and handicap. EDM uses an approach based on 9 building blocks that contribute to incubating a strong social enterprise.

1. Governance 2. Social Performance Management 3. Strategic Planning 4. Human Resources Management 5. Management Information Systems 6. Operational Management 7. Administrative & Financial Management 8. Risk Management 9. Advocacy and Fund-Seeking

EDM establishes each element by providing on-site technical support visits during the initial stage of the enterprise-building process. These visits decrease in frequency as the local team enhances their skills. Once the enterprises are able to operate independently, they can request for technical support at any time. Analytical Framework Incubator Services

1. Initiation (12 months) a. Assess feasibility of program through on-site fact-finding missions and remote

research b. Create business plan, search for funding, and recruit/identify lead for program

2. Start-up (6 to 12 months) a. Program lead initiates start-up process

i. Sets up a locally incorporated organization (usually a company with shareholders from EDM ecosystem such as the Fonds de Dotation or Microfinance Solidaire)

ii. Recruits a local team and organizes its training iii. Employs relevant methodology and procedures to decide what services

or products to offer together iv. Organizes supporting functions (HR, Accounting, Audit, Etc.)

b. Steering Committee

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i. Meets every month to catch up on progress and update the action plan 3. Development (6 to 8 years)

a. Team offers services to beneficiaries b. Local partnerships are set up with public and private entities to offer free

services to the target community c. Technical advisers provide support locally and remotely until local teams are

able to lead the program independently. 4. Change of Scale

a. When the local teams are able to operate in full control of a financially viable enterprise, the next step is to expand the market to a larger number of families.

Financial Support ● Throughout the incubation period, EDM pays for the operating deficit of the program,

Microfinance Solidaire funds the loan capital and working capital. On average, it takes 4 years in Asia and 6 years in Africa for social microfinance enterprises to break even.

● In scaling the enterprise, EDM offers shares to new investors and tries to maintain a level of governance that enables them to control the social mission.

Revenue/Cost/Funding Model

● Sources of Revenue: Public Funds (47%), Companies & Corporate Foundations (15%), other foundations & associations (19%), other private (13%), individual donations (6%)

● Primary Sources of Funding: Public Funding; Family Foundations and Associations ● Allocation of Monetary Funds: Social Missions (77%), Fundraising and

Communication Expenses (8%), Operating Costs (15%) Life Cycle Support and Engagement: EDM is an incubator that provides the majority of its financial and training resources within the first year of the enterprise’s existence. The program lead works directly with the locals to provide the necessary training. As the enterprise develops, support operations are transitioned to be remote. Selection EDM identifies the countries that would benefit most from the program through feasibility studies based on 3 criteria: the HDI, the FINDEX financial inclusion rate, and the countries level of stability and security. After identifying the country, surveying its needs, and the population’s reception of EDM, EDM launches an administrative procedure to establish a local entity, identify a program lead/manager, and begins the incubation process.

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Ecosystem EDM works to establish and develop synergies between programs through cross-trainings, in-depth entrepreneurship training, and mentoring. They also hope to improve horizontal integration by enhancing the intersectionality of practices to further include environmental impact, equality of rights, prioritizing opportunities for females, and choosing ethical partners. They have also started engaging in team training sessions focused on education power, education & protection, and voices & governance. Challenges In order to address the challenge of including youth and women in social enterprise building, EDM established a “Support for VSB creation and occupational integration” unit. Their ESS (technical support team) solidifies the social performance strategy,adapts training, and provides personalized support, and implements a management and reporting tool. USP and Team Competency The EDM team is composed of 800 individuals from 4 continents. The EDM team includes a board of directors, founder, technical managers and advisors, country coordinators, and supporting teams to handle human resources,finance, communications/fundraising, donor relations, and partnerships. There are technical managers overseeing the microfinance unit, VSB unit, energy, and agriculture units for each country. There are additional technical managers overseeing information systems, risk management, social performance, and training and knowledge management. Impact

● UPLiFT in the Philippines, STEP in India, ABF in Burkina Faso, ALIDe in Benin, and ATPROCOM in Haiti are functioning independently without external support. Three other enterprises in Cambodia (Chamroeun), Ghana (ID Ghana) and Burkina Faso (ASiEnA) are also practically independent.

● EDM quantifies their impact based on the number of microentrepreneurs, percentage functioning in rural areas, operational independence, number of people supported, families equipped with tools, and monetary sales turnover. Their research website also contains a wealth of methodologies to analyze and measure social impact.

● Awards: National Energy Globe Award for Burkina Faso 2014 (awarded to Nafa Naana)

EDM Key Learnings for SEWA

● Utilize a similar 3-step interview process and workshop follow up for women seeking to create or strengthen their enterprises in order to assist them in creating a tailored business development plan

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● Engage enterprises in monthly training and experience-sharing groups ● Adopt quantifiable impact measurements (social performance indicators, social

impact assessment) Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) The Sarhad Rural Support Program was selected for its comprehensive and targeted enterprise support system that prioritizes support to marginalized communities. Although SRSP carries out short-term programs, they ensure local communities are equipped with the skills and resources to maintain the sustainability of SRSP’s initial interventions. Background Established in 1989, Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) is a non-government and non-profit organization operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SRSP works to mobilize communities, advocate for gender equality, provide humanitarian aid in environmental crises, develop human resource capacities, and increase access to financial services for rural areas. Vision SRSP aims to promote the creation of sustainable livelihoods and alleviate poverty through community mobilization. Mission SRSP’s overall mission is to “build social capital through mobilizing communities for poverty reduction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Newly Merged Tribal Districts.” Geography Rural Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Newly Merged Tribal Districts) Focus Areas

1. Building capacities 2. Leveraging resources of private sector 3. Ensuring inclusion of the poor 4. Stimulating change and innovation that grows beyond program interventions

Engagement in Community SRSP focuses on engaging the most vulnerable communities, emphasizing support towards women in rural areas. Examples of enterprise support include 1) providing embroidery machines to women to encourage enterprise development and 2) strengthening livelihood development within the dairy sector.

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1. Provide embroidery machines to women to support enterprise development

a. SRSP implemented a micro enterprise development activity funded by the Government of Australia that provided 1110 female entrepreneurs with embroidery machines and tool kits. The women produced quilt sets, baby sets, and wedding sets. The project empowered them to enhance entrepreneurial skills, mobilized them into a cloth cluster value chain group, and connected them with local suppliers to sell their products and make a profit.

2. Empowering women and strengthening the dairy sector a. SRSP organized the “WEEMD” project funded by the Government of

Australia to strengthen the fresh milk production value chain. The event kickstarted a dairy hub for 36 female and male producers. The new hub includes a milk chiller and a trained Livestock extension worker that was recruited by local female community organizers. The goal of the project is to bring in 700 liters of fresh milk and enable profits and sustainable livelihoods.

Operation Strategies SRSP’s VCD implements a demand-driven value chain approach to sustain its enterprise sector. This approach discerns constraints and opportunities along a value chain for different products. Gaps and opportunities are addressed through capacity building, training, strengthening linkages, and networking. Through a value chain approach, producers are linked to consumers’ needs and are able to cultivate a close relationship with suppliers and traders to produce goods that align with consumer demand. Examples of SRSP’s VCD sub-programs include EU-PEACE, DFAT WEEMD, PPAF supported interventions, and technical & vocational skill development programs. SRSP’s strategy to achieve sustainability in its programs is channeled through its Private Sector & Market Development (PSD) approach. This approach is implemented in most of SRSP’s field interventions, focusing on building capacities, leveraging private sector resources, focalizing on the inclusion of the poor, and providing resources for innovation that can be maintained beyond short-term program/project interventions. Analytical Framework: Accelerator Services: SRSP implements various enterprise support programs such as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Integrated Area Development Program (2006-2015) and the Value Chain and Enterprise Development (VCD) Program (ongoing).

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Sample Intervention Process: FATA Integrated Development Program One example of SRSP’s enterprise support work falls under the livelihood restoration component of the FATA Integrated Area Development Program. SRSP prioritizes its support towards women and marginalized groups. Their ESS services focus on the provision of financial and technical assistance. SRSP first conducts a needs assessment to identify community needs. Then, they identify potential entrepreneurs and local resources through community-based organizations. Then, they prepare training materials and host training sessions, ensuring that women are the primary participants. In order to sustain these processes, SRSP establishes community-based mechanisms with the cooperation of community-based organizations and compensate workers with remunerations. Sample Intervention Process: Women Economic Empowerment and Market Development (WEEMD) funded by DFAT (concluded: 2019) With AUD 5 million in funding from DFAT, WEEMD seeked to support the establishment of sustainable livelihoods for poor individuals and women in Pakistan’s Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda districts. The project focused on economic and market development, female and youth empowerment, and provision of literacy and skills training. In order to stimulate economic growth and market development, SRSP identified six sub-sectors to focalize the development process: fresh milk, meat, cloth cluster, marigold and garlands, and textile made-ups. In order to contribute to women empowerment and youth development, a Community Investment Fund was established to increase women’s access to financial resources Over 50 village banks were created to facilitate this process extending financial support to approximately 13,000 members. On average, each beneficiary received PKR 12,500 a month resulting in an monthly income increase of PKR 3,585. To date, 59 credit extension workers have been employed at these village banks. In order to increase literacy and skills straining, SRSP administered training resources through Adult Learning Centers. 24 women business centers were also established with 48 available community resource individuals to train rural women in 16 different trades. Focus on Livelihood and Skill-Building Training In order to build strong enterprises, SRSP offers micro-enterprise training, natural resource management-based (NRM-based) enterprise training, exposure visits, employable skills training, skill development training, marketing, etc. The NRM-based training sessions focus on dairy farming, milk processing, and vaccination and deworming techniques. They are short courses taught in collaboration with respective government agencies.

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Value Chain & Development Program SRSP’s VCD programs exist to maintain the sustainability of prior development plans. These programs support individuals residing in rural areas to establish and sustain the development of local and micro enterprises through a pro-poor development and value chain approach. The VCD program provides access to vocational training, early recovery support, community investment funds and a microfinance program. The goal of this program is to strengthen enterprises, business relationships, and improve market structures. Under the value-chain approach, a total of 200 individuals (171 female and 29 male) have been employed in different sub-sectors. Financial Support Entrepreneurs are able to access capital through community investment funds for extremely poor and rural areas, a microfinance program prioritizing women, and an urban micro credit program.

● Community Investment Fund ○ SRSP established the Community Investment Fund in June 2009 to address

the high poverty levels and minimal financial services in rural areas. This fund is composed of Income Generation Grants given to the poorest members and loans for women members.

○ There are currently 65,000 women who are a part of SRSP CIF. In an evaluation of the community investment funds, a large percentage of beneficiaries were seen to have greater financial stability, economic independence, and self confidence in their work. 94% of beneficiaries reported an increase in household income.

● Microfinance ○ SRSP’s microfinance program prioritizes women as the main beneficiaries. An

evaluation of Village Banks demonstrates a 96% increase in the income of female beneficiaries, and approximately 35% of the income is reinvested for the education and health of the women’s children.

○ The Women Village Banking Model was piloted in 2006 and tested in 5 districts with the support from the Government of KP, Australian DfAT and the Gender Equity Fund. It aims to minimize issues regarding a lack of ownership in communities and challenges such as accessing financial services in rural communities. These banks proved to be successful and are currently operated and managed in a decentralized manner, giving community members the autonomy to make key decisions. Local bank leaders create their own bylaws, manage and recruit staff, maintain balance of funds, and handle issues on their own terms.

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● Microcredit program ○ SRSP established the Naway Sahar Program in 2006 to accommodate the

needs of urban community members in Nowshera and Peshawar. This program hopes that providing entrepreneurs with small working capital has the potential to improve income and productivity and promote the continuation of income generating activities. These loans are short term and require frequent repayments to avoid being used for household consumption. Through this program, SRSP has distributed over PKR 373 million benefiting 30,615 clients.

Revenue/Cost/Funding Model SRSP funds its projects through connections with external organizations including KFW, PEDO, UNDP, PATRIP, UNICEF, KFW-EU, EU-CDLD, PPAF, DFAT, KFW-HRE, BISP/ RSPN, British Council, Packages Foundation, IMC Worldwide, ASi, and WFP. Partnerships with external groups facilitate the financing for long-term projects such as the Women Economic Empowerment and Market Development Program which was financed through a 10 year partnership between SRSP and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. This partnership successfully supported many women in becoming entrepreneurs and financial managers in three districts. Life Cycle Support and Engagement SRSP provides financial support in the early stages of enterprise development. Additionally, through the establishment of technical and financial support programs, SRSP sustains their support throughout the enterprise development process, ensuring that women, community activists, and the poor are given the adequate training, knowledge, and infrastructure to manage independently once the initial program ends its project cycle. Ecosystem SRSP supports its internal multi-sectoral enterprise support system by engaging in additional initiatives that allow the poor to be heard in government and policy-making settings. For example, one inherent aspect of the EU sponsored Community Driven Local Development Program is to promote need prioritization in village council planning and increase representation and capacity at the local government level. This initiative builds on a CDLD Policy Framework supporting a policy agenda focused on “people-centered development, inclusive growth, and poverty reduction.” The program resulted in the formation of over 4,600 community-based organizations with over 117,000 members. 603 community activists were trained as community resource individuals/ master trainers who serve as the main contact for program interventions such as SRSP’s enterprise support programs. These community resource individuals attended engagement events with government departments,

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local government institutions and the private sector to learn from one another and address problems in a collaborative manner. Community members attended field visits and were trained in capacity building initiatives and informational programs on community investment funds and livelihood building. Selection SRSP primarily focuses on distributing funds to the poor in rural areas, prioritizing women. They also have programs targeting the urban poor such as the Naway Sahar Program which provides microloans to fuel the enterprises of urban and primarily female micro-entrepreneurs. Challenges

● Increasing the participation of women in training sessions ○ Initially more men (64%) than women (36%) attended livelihood-based

training sessions. SRSP learned that this was because of the original program’s focus on building farm-skills. As the program expanded, it was able to engage more women in skills that were more relevant to their interests such as livestock management, stitching and embroidery work, and NRM-based enterprises.

○ SRSP found that engaging local female community activists and training them as master “Community Resource Persons” increased female participation in programs. These local community resource leaders engaged women in small groups to spearhead capacity building initiatives.

USP and Team Competency

● SRSP does not approach development with a project approach. Rather, SRSP operates on an organizational approach, building structures as they gather learnings from fieldwork in order to personalize their development approach.

● The team consists of a Chief Executive Officer, Head Office, Regions/Districts, and Sub-District/Tehsil. SRSP ensures that district offices have a strong role in decision-making and inputs remain need-based and administered through community-based institutions.

● The SRSP board includes 20 members representing public and private institutions, academia, agriculture, and industries. They meet through quarterly meetings and phone conferences.

● SRSP has an Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Audit Committee. The Executive Committee finalizes decisions in emergency and high priority situations. The Finance Committee reviews and approves of annual budgets, investments, and

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allocates finances to SRSP’s different sectors. The Audit Committee enables the transparency and accountability of SRSP’s practices.

● SRSP’s management team oversees the operations of projects. Roles on this team include Monitoring and Evaluation PM, Operations & DHP PM, Finance & Accounts PM, Internal Audit PM, HR & Administration PM, Social Sector & GI PM, Engineering team leader, social mobilization team leader, social responsibility team leader, and microfinance team leader.

● SRSP maintains the development of multiple levels of its Human Resources Program through the SRSP technical and vocational skills center.

Impact:

● In general, SRSP evaluates its projects internally and externally to inform decision making and refine intervention strategies.

○ An independent evaluator analyzed the women entrepreneurship development program and reported that it did have a positive impact on the economic empowerment of women. The female SRSP participants recorded a 150% increase in monthly income. 83% of women are successfully running businesses and 67% reported improved food security.

○ An outside firm (AiD Pakistan) evaluated SRSP’s training and vocational skills program and reported that participants were either employed or self-employed. 80% reported a moderate increase in household incomes.

● In order to measure progress of the FATA Integrated Area Development Program, SRSP tracked the number of participants at various training sessions (livestock management, agriculture, research, micro-enterprise training, etc). After 3 years, a total of 1113 men and 626 women participated in livelihood training activities.

● For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, SRSP continued collaborating with local community support institutions. The microfinance program focused on expanding women's access to the Community Investment Fund (CIF) via locally established women village banks. SRSP also established a new physical space housing resources for training and skill-building exercises. The Technical and Vocational Skills Center is home to labs, classrooms, training halls, modern equipment and a residence facility to accommodate participants. The center offers certification courses for individuals that are also valued at the market level.

● Sample of intervention planning with expected outcomes:

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○ 7

● Awards and Recognition

○ SRSP’s Monitoring & Evaluation System acknowledged internationally (2016)

○ CEO awarded Medal of Excellence by President of Pakistan (2018) ○ Ashden Awards

SRSP Key Learnings for SEWA

● Enhance ESS ecosystem through the development of platform for local community activists to connect and discuss ideas with government officials (see EU Community Driven Local Development Program)

● Adopt local community-led village banking model ● Conduct livelihood-based trainings in collaboration with respective government sector

UNDP Micro-Enterprise Development Program | Nepal The UNDP MEDP was selected because of how it prioritizes the active engagement of Nepal’s ministries and government agencies in the enterprise development and support process. In addition to providing streamlined enterprise support services, the program consistently works with the government to enhance support capacities and to promote the idea that micro-enterprises are effective forms of economic development and poverty alleviation.

7 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B10wD0PSztardVJTWjk1VWZ4OHZhQ3M5UmxxZEE5UGZRSlc4/view

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Background The Micro-Enterprise Development Program (MEDP) began its first phase in 1998 and has since undergone four different phases (Phase I: 1998 to 2003, Phase II: 2004 to March 2008, Phase III: March 2008 to July 2013, Phase IV: August 2013 to July 2018). This program was developed by the UNDP in collaboration with the Government of Nepal (GoN) in order to address the gap in income generating opportunities for Nepal’s majority rural population. It has now expanded to become a model of entrepreneurship development. Vision The MEDEP aims to address the needs of Nepal’s marginalized communities living in poverty by supporting the creation of non-agricultural forms of employment. Mission In early project phases, MEDEP seeked to target the rural poor, women, and disadvantaged groups in solidifying alternate livelihoods in enterprise development. MEDEP has since evolved to promote the cultivation of beneficial relationships with the government and enhance the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Industry to sustain future enterprise services. Geography Rural Nepal Although 80% of entrepreneurs are engaged primarily in agricultural production, MEDEP is not sector-specific and develops enterprises based on local resource availability which varies from region to region. MEDEP target groups include women, socially marginalized individuals (Dalits, indigenous groups (Janajatis), religious minorities, and unemployed youth). Focus Areas

1. Support the Government of Nepal to take on ownership and implementation of the Micro-enterprise Development for Poverty Alleviation (MEDPA) program

2. Build government capacity and NGOs within the private sector to sustainably carry out Micro Enterprise Development

3. Strengthen existing micro-entrepreneur associations to provide members with business development services

4. Continue to uplift the rural poor by encouraging enterprise engagement. a. Skill and business training support to the poor, women, and disadvantaged.

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b. Establish business support services and increase micro-entrepreneur representation

c. Enhance policy environment towards micro-enterprises. Engagement in Community

1. With the support of the UNDP MEDEP, 25 women from marginalized ethnic communities united to establish Koseli House, an enterprise focused on the production of locally-made woolen products. With the help of MEDEP, the women participated in an entrepreneurship development training where they learned about and gained access to proper markets. The women were able to incorporate new technologies such as a steel hand loom to facilitate the production process and attended training to learn more about color-mixing and detailed designs. MEDEP assisted the women in marketing their products and enabled field exposure and networking opportunities for the women in Bangladesh. The women reported to have experienced greater monthly household income, with one woman making Rs 25,000 monthly from selling carpets.

Operation Strategies ● MEDEP utilizes District Development Committees (DDC) to oversee the

implementation of micro-enterprise development, enhance targeting for programs, and enables the gathering of resources between agencies to support the sustainment of enterprises.

● In order to prevent DDCs from succumbing to political pressures and to ensure coordination and procurement of resources, the District Enterprise Development Committee was created.

● MEDEP outsources training and coaching to private business development service providers. This enables them to expand outreach to more poor individuals. MEDPA has worked with the government to ensure that the government’s role is restricted to planning, procuring, and monitoring the contracted business’s services.

Analytical Framework Accelerator Services In the initial stages, MEDEP implements a market potential study to identify what entrepreneurship activities would thrive in a certain area. In the same study, MEDEP determines potential market demand and local resource availability. Then, MEDEP carries out a six-step process composed of training and essential services.

1. Social Mobilization a. Identify target candidates and form micro-entrepreneur groups for individuals

to discuss business ideas and impact measurement. 2. Entrepreneurship Training

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a. Begin “Start and Improve Your Business” Training and Micro Enterprise Creation & Development (MECD) training

i. MEDP works in partnership with the Council for Technical Education & Vocational Training to develop an enterprise development facilitator (EDF) curriculum. The training to become an EDF consists of a 15 month-long study and training course or by obtaining a SLC certificate and passing the National Skill Testing Board (NSTB) Examinations. There are currently 510 EDFs who mainly work in remote rural areas.

3. Technical Skills Development a. Provide basic technical training specialized to the candidate’s enterprise of

choice. 4. Access to Financial Services

a. Connect enterprises to microfinance institutions and/or cooperatives. 5. Access to Appropriate Technology

a. Provide low-cost technology through Common Facility Centers. 6. Market Linkages and Business Counseling

a. Link micro-entrepreneurs with buyers and market. The start-up process generally takes 12 months, and MEDEP supports start-ups in becoming profitable businesses through higher-level training, technical support, linkage with financial service providers and markets, business counselling, branding, etc. On average, MEDEP start-ups graduate in 2 years to become profitable businesses. Financial Support For the micro-enterprise start-up phase MEDEP contracts out MED service providers to deliver support services, but continues offering support after the graduation phase to ensure resilience of MEs. These services are being implemented in collaboration with the National Micro-entrepreneurs Federation Nepal (NMEFEN) and they include:

● Financial counselling, the creation of Community Facility Centers, formation of cooperatives, training, crowd financing, enhanced market access and market information, as well as an SMS-based communication platform.

● Stronger capacity for implementing advocacy and dialogue to raise the value of revenue and membership.

● MEDEP will help partners develop and administer the concept of new services, sharing the initial cost burden of those services. MEDEP will gradually withdraw funding contributions to NMEFEN staff salaries as the services become sustainable.

In order to overcome financial obstacles limiting micro-enterprises from growing, MEDEP links micro-entrepreneurs with financial institutions and supports the formation of micro-entrepreneur saving and lending groups and cooperatives.

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Revenue/Cost/Funding Model ● The MEDEP intervention is funded by UNDP, AusAID, and CQU.

○ For phase IV of the project, UNDP funded US$2,544,279, AusAID funded US$31,652,700, and CQU funded US$73,450.

Life Cycle Support and Engagement For MEDEP, enterprises are characterized initially as “start-up enterprises” before graduating into profitable businesses and become “resilient entrepreneurs.” MEDEP supports enterprises during the incubation period while also providing accelerator support to reach the “resilient entrepreneur” stage. Upon the “graduation” stage, MEDEP begins to reduce support.

● Start-Up Phase: MEDEP and individual have established an enterprise, but profit does not yet exceed opportunity costs

○ Measured by number of micro-entrepreneurs who have started a business ● Graduation: Initial investment of enterprise is recovered, and business is profiting

beyond opportunity cost ○ Measured by number of micro-entrepreneurs operating a profitable enterprise

● Resilience: Enterprise is integrated into the market, is able to innovate and overcome economic struggles.

○ Measured by the number of micro-entrepreneurs operating a profitable enterprise two years after the “graduation” stage.

Selection MEDEP aims to reach as many individuals below the poverty line as possible as long as there is a market opportunity and local resource availability. Ecosystem

● MEDEP offers an integrated enterprise support system. For stage IV of the project, MEDEP planned to enhance synergy between key system players (DDCs, MED service providers, and Associations). The synergy of these components is essential for the sustainability of MED and independence from development partners. To do this, MEDEP will cut off connections with organizations who lack leadership that drives change.

● MEDEP documents and releases success stories, research, and evidence of impact to support the replication of processes in order to scale the initial intervention.

● MEDEP focuses on harnessing the potential of influential agents in catalyzing change and scaling enterprises.

○ Ministry of Industry, an internal government agency and its potential to help DCCs in improving current implementation practices

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○ The apex micro-enterprise association and its guiding support for local associations

○ The national MED service providers association as the central organization to direct a market approach for micro-enterprises

Challenges

● Although there is improvement in how the government allocates funds to supporting MEDPA, MEDEP still struggles to institutionalize micro-enterprise development activities. For instance, it’s difficult for DDC’s in different districts to distribute equally intense support.

● Streamlining funding from the Micro-Enterprise Development Fund to the DDC is still challenging.

● The length of time it takes to become an EDF is long and may sometimes be a barrier for companies seeking to train their employees.

● Currently, the procurement process incentivizes the MEDEP and DDC to break up large assignments into smaller contracts undermines the capability of the government to manage contracts and keep service providers accountable for their work. MEDEP is seeking to develop a procurement system that is able to deliver high quality and efficient procurement while allowing DDCs to maintain control over administration of resources.

Lessons Learned ● Agro-based and forest-based micro-enterprise activities tend to generate more

employment because they have more potential for value creation. ● Employing integrated strategies focused on connecting enterprises to market and

follow-up support is absolutely essential to sustain and grow the enterprise. USP and Team Competency

● UNDP’s implementing partner is the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Industry. ● Responsible parties for the project include the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of

Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD), Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD), Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), National Planning Commission (NPC), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI), and the Association of Youth Organization Nepal (AYON).

● The UNDP organizational program structure includes a program board composed of Senior Government Beneficiaries, the Executive Chair, and External Donor Suppliers (UNDP, DCD, AusAID). Under the board is the UNDP Program Analyst, Chief Technical Advisor, National Program Manager, National Program Support Office, and Area Program Support Office.

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Impact ● June 2017 Impact Progress

○ Created 119,085 micro-entrepreneurs through MEDEP/MEDPA ○ Created 187,359 direct and 172,425 indirect employment opportunities

shifting nearly 525,000 individuals above the poverty line ○ Average annual income contribution of micro-entrepreneurs increased from

NRs 86,581 to NRs 137,166 after participation in MEDEP program ● A “Mass Impact Study” was conducted by the Development Resource and Training

Center (DRTC) to evaluate MEDEP’s role in generating employment and income opportunities while improving the living conditions of people in Nepal. The methodology for this study included a literature review of MEDEP documents, field survey, questionnaire, and statistical analysis.

○ A review of MEDEP literature indicated that MEDEP was successful in increasing the awareness of supply and demand in addition to technical skill knowledge. However, not all local resources were used efficiently as potential resources for income generation, “marketing” of products was limited to bartering, and limited efforts were made linking products to the value chain.

8 UNDP NP MEDEP Phase IV Project Document

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○ Survey findings illustrate that over 80% of micro-entrepreneurs were found to be engaged in agro-based and forest-based products because they are more readily accepted by the MErs to pursue as enterprises. The most popular products grown include off season vegetables (297), beekeeping (110), and mushrooms (88).

○ MEDEP was able to support its target group of women and marginalized groups- with these communities able to partake in facilities such as common facility centers (CFCs), linkage for credit facilities, and packaging/labeling support.

○ Products such as strawberries, vegetable seeds, honey, and Dhaka clothes have crossed local, district, and sometimes national markets to be sold in other areas. Cooperatives and collection centers began to engage the local middleman to make this happen.

○ Agro-based and forest-based products have been found to be highly efficient due to their minimal technological base and the abundance of local raw materials. A total cost input of NPR 63,176 can generate a gross income of NPR 158,626. In order to reduce initial costs of clothes-making, mini-garment, and tailoring, the impact study found that micro-finances and procuring raw materials like cloth from big merchants on loan can reduce costs.

○ As a result of this program intervention, the poor and marginalized families of all ethnic groups own houses, have experienced an increase in labor productivity, food consumption, and household income.

■ Income is measured by 1) income earned from the micro-enterprise 2) income generated by the micro-entrepreneur and other family members as farm income or remittance/wages.

■ Following MEDEP’s 4 phase intervention, the proportion of Nepalis below the poverty line reduced from 42% to 23.8%.

○ The poor are now occupying chairperson and secretary positions at community level organizations with the help of Enterprise Development Facilitators (EDFs).

○ Key reasons for becoming inactive include labor shortages, inability to work by oneself, poor market facility, and limited skill.

MEDEP Key Learnings for SEWA ● Create streamlined system to check up on cooperatives and ensure that they operate

efficiently and with the same intensity ● Establish common facility centers to engage women in technology-centered training. ● Conduct comprehensive impact assessment measuring changes in income generation,

living situation, and changes in poverty level.

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Key Takeaways for SEWA Through this assessment, it is clear that there are a variety of ESS structures that have succeeded in supporting poor and marginalized groups, particularly women, in developing and sustaining enterprises and experiencing improved livelihoods. In comparing analyses of these systems, there are several key takeaways that can be applied to SEWA’s own Enterprise Support System. Accelerator Services Many of SEWA’s current accelerator services are comprehensive, helping to address many issues often encountered by early rising enterprises. EDM proposes a useful selection and interview process to effectively assess the capacity of existing enterprises prior to working with the women to create a tailored business development plan. This also allows them to engage the women in an onboarding process complete with specialized training workshops and valuable field exposure to other enterprises in the ecosystem. Moreover, offering frequent vocational and livelihood-based training sessions and opportunities for women to gather and share experiences was commonly used in SRSP and EDM ESSs and proved to be successful in developing positive learning communities. Collaborating with government sectors on livelihood training (SRSP) may be useful in enhancing training sessions and assist in further connecting with government leaders to SEWA’s programs. Technical training in SRSP and MEDEP were administered through “Adult Learning Centers” or “Common Facility Centers”, equipped with easily accessible resources and updated technology for women to engage with. Financial Support Although SEWA does not directly distribute funds to its women beneficiaries, another way of continuing progress towards poverty alleviation would be to offer decentralized banks the option to reinvest income towards development activities that would be most beneficial to the women and their families. For example, SRSP village banks reinvest 35% of income towards education and health initiatives for women and children. BRAC demonstrates a more comprehensive and synergetic process of reinvesting enterprise profits towards development activities that target a communal need. This has proven to be helpful in expanding the outreach of enterprises towards overall livelihood enhancement. Additionally, SRSP further demonstrated the effectiveness of decentralized rural community-led banking models in empowering women to make key financial and managerial decisions over their money. The SRSP bank helped to distribute community investment funds and increase financial literacy.

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Post Program Services & Networking There was evidence of local point persons that were specifically trained to oversee the administration of enterprise support services while also advocating for workers rights similar to SEWA’s Aagaewans and Saathis. In some instances, this took the form of local community advocates (SRSP), but individuals can also undergo credentialed training to obtain that position (MEDEP). Moreover, while there are many different cooperatives operating under SEWA, it may be useful to establish a streamlined system to check up on cooperatives and ensure that they are operating efficiently and with the same intensity. In regards to networking, BRAC developed a “Social Innovation Lab” to connect entrepreneurs to innovative business leaders at forums and to house its research and evaluation processes. Networking has also been previously achieved through platforms for local community activists and entrepreneurs to break down ideas with government officials (SRSP). Impact Organizations such as BRAC have highlighted that measuring the direct impact of an intervention to an outcome can be challenging. However, the organizations analyzed have implemented various forms of evaluation and impact analyses. EDM takes into account quantifiable measures such as effect on social performance indicators in addition to conducting a poverty assessment, carrying out a social impact assessment measuring differences in gender equality, and individually analyzing enterprises through a “social enterprise balance card” created by Social Enterprise London (SEL). MEDEP offers a similar impact assessment evaluating changes in income generation, living situation, and changes in poverty level. Additional Links and Resources on SE Landscape in Middle East, South, & Southeast Asia: Resources based on region:

● Social Enterprise Ecosystems in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Countries

● Lessons from the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative ● Database of global social enterprise ecosystems ● Overview of SE landscape in ASEAN countries ● Overview of Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East

Resources based on country: ● British Council: The state of social enterprise in Bangladesh ● British Council: The state of social enterprise in Pakistan ● British Council: The state of social enterprise in Ghana ● Article on Social Enterprise Policy in Malaysia

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● SE Landscape in Singapore Resources based on program:

● BRAC Enterprise & Investment Overview ● Invest2Innovate and Impact Hub Kings Cross: Scaling Readiness Toolkit ● Entrepreneurs du Monde SE Experience and Tool Sharing Platform

Broad Resources Related to Enterprise Development ● Argidius: What Works and What Doesn’t in Enterprise Development

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Acknowledgements Author Leigh Mante; research@sewabharat.org

Saba Ahmed; saba@sewabharat.org

Editors Paromita Sen PhD; paromita@sewabharat.org

www.sewabharatresearch.org   7/5 South Patel Nagar,  First Floor  New Delhi  Delhi- 110008 

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