History
The story of Hand in Hand begin in the late 1980s with two Swedish teachers – Olle and Gunnel Blomqvist – visiting the district of Kancheepuram. Children traditionally constituted a cheap source of labour for the weaving industry in Kancheepuram, and parents who did not have permanent jobs would send their children to master weavers. Bringing such children out of labour was Hand in Hand's initial focus. At the end of 1990 the Blomqvists came in contact with Percy Barnevik, who became a sponsor to the organization. Barnevik was interested in the teachers' work in India. Hand in Hand India was founded in 2003 by Barnevik and Dr Kalpana Sankar in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Hand in Hand network has operated programs in 10 countries across Asia (Afghanistan, India, Cambodia and Myanmar) and East Africa (Kenya and Rwanda). Hand in Hand receives funding from a number of different sources including individuals, corporations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral institutions and trusts and foundations. Recent supporters include the FMO, Sida, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust,Hand in Hand network
The organizations within the Hand in Hand group actively support each other, although they are independent and each organization has its own governance and management structure as well as strategic plan. Each organization is represented by its CEO on the Hand in Hand Global Council. The Global Council coordinates policy and activities across the Hand in Hand network. Today, the Hand in Hand network extends to: *Hand in Hand India *Hand in Hand Eastern Africa *Hand in Hand Afghanistan *Hand in Hand International *Hand in Hand Sweden *Hand in Hand Zimbabwe The network has support and fundraising offices in London, Stockholm and New York.Job creation model
The Hand in Hand network uses a comprehensive business creation model, initially developed by Hand in Hand India, to fight poverty. There are four interlinked elements that deliver the Hand in Hand approach: * Social mobilization: Hand in Hand helps organize people, mostly women, into Self-Help Groups (SHGs), who meet weekly with their trainers to discuss social issues and activities. Together, they begin to save money, learn financial discipline and build up group savings funds for which they are jointly responsible. * Business training: Once a group has demonstrated stability and financial responsibility, Hand in Hand provides business training in how to start, grow and sustain a small enterprise and become an entrepreneur. * Credit access: Most groups hold joint savings in local savings accounts and learn how to manage these. Should financial resources be required beyond group members’ own savings, members are trained in credit management and offered small loans, either directly or through partners active in their area. * Market linkage support: Hand in Hand provides support in improving productivity and competitiveness, including advice on better packaging, pricing and branding; cheaper sourcing of supplies; quality control; reliable delivery; and more effective identification of and negotiation with buyers.Awards
Hand in Hand International's work has won numerous awards, including: * National Fundraising Award * Bond Outstanding Individual Award, Seema Ghani * Charity Awards, International Aid and Development Category, honorable mention Hand in Hand International has also been recognized for its range of employee benefits, including work-from-home Fridays, extended parental leave and more.Results
Globally, Hand in Hand has generated 3 million million businesses and 4.5 million jobs. An independent report published in 2012 confirmed that 97.4% of the jobs are sustainable. Another report published in 2019 found that 80% of businesses were still operational a year after Hand in Hand programs concluded. To date, Hand in Hand Afghanistan has enabled 45,000 people to join groups as a first step to working their way out of poverty, and generated more than 42,000 jobs in rural, remote parts of the country. Hand in Hand Eastern Africa has generated 400,000 jobs, and Hand in Hand India has generated 3.7 million jobs. In most countries in which the network operates, Hand in Hand has achieved sizable reach with its Self-Help Groups in comparison to other established NGOs.References
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