Deshpande Foundation has launched Sandbox Samvidha, a programme to incubate and promote the next generation Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) across India.

The first national level event was held in Hubballi’s Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship (DCSE), with participation from over 35 organisations, from more than 10 states across India.

The event was attended by more than 80 people and well received by all the participants who encouraged the Foundation to organize more such events to promote peer to peer learning.

Dr ‘Desh’ Deshpande, Founder, Deshpande Foundation, addressing the gathering stressed on contextual thinking and collaborations as a stepping stone to a culture of better social entrepreneurship in the country.

The event saw presentations by various organizations across thematic areas like health, livelihoods, natural resources and so on.

Top 5 ideas

The top 5 ideas and ideators received a cash award of Rs 1 Lakh each. These organizations were:

Saajha, Delhi - The RTE Act mandates formation of School Management Committees, comprising of parents and teachers to ensure accountability of Government schools. To address the challenge of dysfunctional School Management Committees, Saajha works on two fronts – capacity building of the School Management Committees and creation of a coalition of SMCs.

Krishhi Organics & Agri Ventures, Karnataka - Krishhi Organics have developed a unique transparency meter wherein the costs of the entire agriculture value chain are printed on the retail packet. This transparency ensures that the share of the pie for the farmer is maximized for the farmer, thereby winning the trust of the farmers, while at the same time the consumers get a premium organic product devoid of harmful chemicals and pesticides at an affordable price and creating an emotional connect between the farmers and the consumers.

Alpine Fruit Processing, Pune - has devised a Solar Dryer product for farmers to dry vegetables in a distributed way. They are working on a model wherein dried vegetables are packed in central location as per specific recipes. Alpine buys the dried vegetables at higher rate and then packages in recipe specific packages for urban population.

Sukhibhava, Bengaluru – It aims to tackle contributing factors to gender inequality through the provision of products and education that enable and empower women. Menstrual hygiene management is one of those factors and it is unfairly felt by the under privileged and urban poor. A micro distribution business model has been developed where local entrepreneurial women will distribute and sell products. Sukhibhava operates on the premise of full life cycle products.

nSmile, Bengaluru - nSmiles has created an online platform to for people to seek help anonymously at the time of need attended by experts. Focused group discussions anonymously to enable people seek help.

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