| How does Boond work? |
|
* This means that you as a supporter (if you need to or are unsatisfied), you can ask for the refund of your amount or can reinvest after one year. As an Indian supporter, we can offer you the money back instantly with a check and international customers can claim Amazon or Ebay Gift coupons for the same amount.
Boond operates by four key actors:
1. YOU !
You are instrumental in development and we promise you that your effort, however small, will have a sustainable social impact in the Boond movement.
You, as a Boond supporter, will pay for buying beautiful rural artisan made products at the market price. This will help us provide the entrepreneurs with the Boond development products (Solar Lamps, Water filters and mosquito nets etc.) along with no interest payment plans. This is important since the consumer in the remote areas do not have the money on hand for a lump sum payment to purchase these products and neither do we. Hence your support will help us get these products manufactured and transported to the remote areas. But this is not charity since you will be buying the rural artisan products and you can get your money back after one year (if unsatisfied or desired).
This helps the consumers will pay the cost of the products in small low interest installments, which Boond will collect and accumulate ensuring sustainability for all parties involved. Hence you are the most important part of this chain as without you, we will not be able to get the products manufactured or shipped.
2. WE !
We will get these products (Solar Lamps, Water purifiers and mosquito nets) built at a low cost and transported to the remote areas.
We will collect your money from the Boond.net website, and with it, we will get the products manufactured from our dedicated manufacturing partners. The Boond products have been specially designed by us and the manufacturers keeping in mind the segment being addressed and utilising innovative methodologies to keep costs low while maintaining a robust and long lasting commodity.
We manufacture the products in bulk keeping low overheads and also store the lamps and purifiers in a warehouse in Delhi. We also constantly talk to NGOs and other development organisations for growing our business and getting the products to as many people as possible. We are a hybrid business (non profit foundation for the training and Entrepreneurship Development Programs along with a social enterprise for sales and servicing) because we realise that in order to be sustainable we need money and since we don’t want to depend only on grants or aid, we charge a small commission on the products (explained more in our financial transparency section).
3. BOOND OFFICER or RURAL ENTREPRENEUR
We employ local young educated people on a commission basis as our sales and collection agent who also spread awareness and conduct education campaigns in the villages.
The Boond Officer is a resident of the village and is selected and recruited for us by our NGO partner working in that area. He works on a commission basis and educates, sells, services and collects payments from the rural consumers. His commission is based not only on the number of products sold but also the kind of person he sells it too (for example reaching a product to someone who is below the poverty line - earns him a higher commission). He is very important to the Boond movement because he ensures that our products reach the right places, and we can penetrate deep into areas where even government support is non-existent. He receives basic tools and training from Boond and also accessories like a Boond shirt, i-card, business card, cell phones etc.
This gives him respect and credibility on the ground and we have seen that as his self-respect soars, he stays motivated to work towards our goals better. The Boond Officer is like a micro entrepreneur and his/her development is also a key secondary goal for Boond. He/She is our representative and also helps us conduct difficult research and validate our hypothesis.
4. OUR CUSTOMERS (POOR AND REMOTE)
We are passionate to reach those who have been deprived of the opportunity to grow and develop, and plan to reach 1 million individuals by end of 2015.
Most of the Boond consumers live below the poverty line or very remote places. They have no access to proper lighting, clean water or pest control and hence their productivity is very low. Life is unfair for these people and our efforts are necessary to get them out of this poverty trap. By providing them adequate light, clean water and pest control we take a small step in generating the opportunity to create a better future for them. But during our research, we also discovered that the one thing that is most important to them, even while they struggle to live on a daily basis, is respect. Hence, we do not believe in charity but want to provide them the respect that they get from ownership and as a consumer.
|
|
