About

Enactus SIMSR was formed in 2004 to serve the underprivileged by creating opportunities for sustainable development & developing entrepreneurial spirit

Mission

To inculcate knowledge and spread the spirit of free enterprise in target communities, thereby offering them the opportunity for sustainable development.

Description

In light of this thought, the Enactus SIMSR team has initiated projects that have helped the communities leverage on their potential to have a sustained source of income in life.

Location

K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research

Awards

·         National Finalist in ENACTUS India National Competition 2013

·         Winner, Walmart Special Women Empowerment Competition

·         Winner, National SIFE Faculty Advisor award

·         Received KPMG and HSBC grants

·         Winner ‘Green My Money’

·         Winner “Regional Competition - SIFE World Cup 2012 

Products

·         Warli Products - Tea Coasters, Paintings, T-Shirts, Wall Hanging, Tray Set, Krutis, etc.  ·         Kruti Products - Cotton Bags, Jute Bags, Jewellery, Laptop Sleeve, Greeting Cards, Women Tops

Projects:

1.      Project Finlit

One of the major problems in dealing with underprivileged people in financial literacy is that they are reluctant towards the options available through banks and other financial institution. They rely more on the local money lenders and shroffs without being aware of the rate of interests and other terms and conditions that are available to them in their interest from government initiatives.

With the basic objective in mind to eradicate the very same issues and make our future citizens aware of the various financial aspects, Financial Literacy was introduced under the shed of SIFE Somaiya Social Cell. The project impacts over 60 students across 3 institutes namely, Somaiya Vocational Training Institute, Adarsh Vidyalaya, Chembur and NASEOH (National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped).

2.      Project Kruti

Project Kruti is an initiative by ENACTUS Somaiya Social Cell, operational in Sameerwadi village, Bagalkot district, situated on borders of Karnataka, started in 2010, which aims to empower women by unleashing their artistic skills and provides them recognition in the world of handicrafts. We do this by means of training the village women in making a wide range of handicraft products (women clothing and accessories) and creating an urban market for the same in Mumbai. The project also aims at making the best possible use of locally available resources like eco-friendly banahati cotton grown on the outskirts of the village and Kasuti embroidery, a local art form. The target group for this project is wives of the blue collar workers and sugarcane farmers of Godavari Bio refineries Ltd. and other local women from Sameerwadi and surrounding villages, who with our constant support are now skilled at making exquisite handicrafts and train others as well in the same. Project Kruti takes pride in bringing a change to the lives of these women who now live an economically independent life, gain respect from their family and community and are able to bring a betterment in their family and children’s life and education. Initially we started with impact of 5 women which has increased to around 22 women in this year.

Key Activities undertaken by the Project members are :

• Provide training by hiring trained professionals
• Acquaint women with advanced techniques in production so as to minimize wastage & optimize the processes
• Provide resources like raw materials & infrastructure required to make the products & source them from cheapest sources in market
• Develop Kruti as a brand & provide an urban market in Mumbai
• Maximize its reach to more number of women & hence increase the impact
• Develop corporate, educational institutions & retail tie ups so as to bring in sustainability

3.      Project Mogra

Project Mogra was initiated by SIFE Somaiya Social Cell in February 2012. The pilot program started with 10 farmers and 1500 saplings in the Dahanu district of Maharashtra near Dhundalwadi village. It is held in association with Bhartiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) and Girivanavasi Educational Trust (GVET).

The main objective of Project Mogra is to alleviate these issues by increasing their financial stability and sustainability. We, with the help of BAIF, encourage and train these families on mogra cultivation. The raw material is provided to them by BAIF. They are also guided in terms of buying of saplings and fertilizers. The growth and production is checked monthly by the experts. The flowers are plucked in the morning and are commuted by train to the selected destinations for sale by the localites there. This inturn helps to eliminate the middlemen and increases their profits.

 The harvest started from August 2012 and it projected an increase of Rs 4000/farmer per month for 150 saplings by April 2013. This has increased the disposable income of this community and helped them set up a subsidiary mode of income. It is also helpful in reducing the migration and associated problems, simultaneously encouraging higher education to their kids.

4.      Project Prerna

Project Prerna is an initiative by the students of Somaiya Social Cell, where the main objective is of Slum Development. It started in May 2013 and is at a nascent stage.

The project started under the efficient guidance of some experienced experts working especially for Slum development.

The objective of the project is to change the lives of under privileged women in the slums and make them economically independent along with leading a hygienic life

Project Prerna would help these women in manufacturing high quality sanitary napkins which would be distributed among the women population of the slum with the help of self-help groups. The machine used to manufacture these napkins will be installed in the slums of Govandi.

The target group of this project is women of the Baiganwadi slums of Govandi-Mumbai

 The slum encompasses a female population of over 80000. Through this project we are planning to target this population and sell the napkins which are high on quality providing the required hygienic qualities and at the same time are affordable due to lower costs.

The young women are extremely hesitant about asking for the napkins at the retail shops, so switching to sanitary napkins which will be manufactured and distributed by the same women who are a part of these slums with the help of SHG will tremendously improve the hygiene problem the women and the girls are facing by using a mere cloth or low quality napkins. Additionally it will also help them to save some part of their income or savings as the napkins are priced reasonably.

5.      Project Warli

Warli paintings are folk paintings originated by the Warli tribe in the Thane district, about 150 km north of Mumbai. Traditionally painted on walls, Warli paintings are a vivid expression of daily and social events of the tribe and provide the only means of transmitting folklore to a community not acquainted with the written word.

Even with its proximity to Mumbai, these paintings have not been able to get their due. These paintings rich with talent, culture and their hard work are being sold for meagre amounts to the middlemen who take advantage of their ignorance. Often compared with the internationally acclaimed Madhubani paintings, Warli still needs a voice for itself. And we, a part of the Somaiya Social Cell, have taken it upon us to bring for Warli the respect, the acclaim and the credentials it deserves.

Somaiya Social Cell, the social unit of K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, is a committee comprising of students who feel driven for the welfare of the less privileged. We as a group have taken up numerous projects that reflect the concern for society at large.