SAFI Keithel – Empowering women and local industries
Manipur, a state in the north eastern part of India, is in the turmoil due to insurgency by rebel groups and high unemployment rate. Insurgency is also fuelled by steep rise in unemployment as a means of livelihood. According to Employment Excgange, 6, 86,568 educated youth are still unemployed out of 2500000 total population. This means 25.2% are unemployed as against 9.8 % of all India average!
What is SAFI Keithel?
Solution ? Employment generation.
SAFI Keithel (Keithel = market) is an initiative of SAFI (Society for agriculture, Food and Innovation) to fill the gap deperately required local food processors – market. Most small, local entrepreneurs do not have the capacity to set up their own marketing network since it involves huge manpower and money. However, success of an enterprise entirely depends on its capability to sell its product. It is no surprise that many start ups are closed even before completing three year of production! SAFI Keithel will procure and sell directly to customers through women hawkers. SAFI Keithel is a unique initiative to help local food producers to directly reach their products to customers. This way it helps to create employment through backward and forward integration.
Who we are?
‘Society for Agriculture, Food and Innovation’ (SAFI) is a non-profit organisation established in 2010 in Manipur, India. SAFI is engaging with farmers, food processors and innovators of the state. One of the steps we undertook is publication of AgriManipur – a periodical on agriculture and food processing. We are also planning to launch another periodical on entrepreneurship and innovation ‘Yenning’ by the end of 2012. We are also launching an interactive website for innovators for which funding is already accepted from NAMA (North American Manipuri Association). SAFI Keithel is another landmark initiative.
Why SAFI Keithel?
Biggest challenge for local (small) entrepreneurs is marketing since it involves huge capital, manpower and expertise. Also, many producers often lack marketing skills.
Established marketing agencies are often not interested in local products because of low brand value if not necessarily quality.
Fact is that large numbers of small enterprises fail to survive even for three years. We believe, with successful entrepreneurs, we can build a prosperous society.
Creating large pool of women employee as saleswomen (hawkers).
How is SAFI Keithel unique?
Non-profit system. More profit to producers and women hawkers.
SAFI Keithel not only assists in marketing but also improve products quality and entrepreneurs’ business strategy by SAFI advisory panel and experts’ team.
Women are central to this initiative. Hawkers will be recruited from women only. Bonus will be awarded according to group performance.
How can you help?
You can help us in many ways. To make sure to launch this initiative your monetary contribution will always be grateful. Also you can help to make the campaign louder by forwarding to your friends and making a personal appeal.
Your valued contribution will be used for shop deposit, publicity/ promotion, food processing/ quality control training, social security for sales women (Eg. health insurance, scholarship for meritorious kids, etc.) and many more socially constructive services.
You can choose any convenient mode of payment
1. SAFI Keithel fund raising campaign is also running in other crowd funding platform ( like indiegogo). If you are international donors, please click the link.
http://www.indiegogo.com/project/111378/widget/621534
2. To pay through cheque /demand draft/ pay order (accepts only Indian donors):
| Drawn in favour of: | A. Hemchandra |
| Mailing address: | Society for Agriculture, Food and Innovation Ningthem Pukhri Mapal Imphal East – 795001 Manipur (India) |
| Reference: | SAFI Keithel (kindly quote this reference while making payment) |
3. To donate through bank transfer (accept only Indian donors):
| Name of Beneficiary | A. Hemchandra |
| Address of Beneficiary | Society for Agriculture, Food and Innovation Ningthem Pukhri Mapal Imphal East – 795001 Manipur (India) |
| Bank name | State Bank of India |
| Bank address | Porompat, Imphal East – 795001 |
| Bank Account No. | 32295218377 |
Don’t worry! Besides contributing to society, you will get something in return.
| If you donate more than | ………….you will get |
| 100 INR | A ‘thank you’ card will be posted to you. Your contribution will be cherished forever + Re. 5 gift card |
| 500 INR | In addition to ‘thank you’ letter you will be appeared on the SAFI website as well as facebook page. That will be there forever! + Re. 25 gift card |
| 1000 INR | + Your name will be permanently mark on the wall of SAFI keithel marketing office + a surprising gift + Re. 50 gift card |
| 2000 INR | + You will be in the list of donors whom we will be consult most. Performance and progress report will be posted to you + Re. 100 gift card |
| 5000 INR | + you will be given special status when you visit Manipur. If you are already there, a 3 dinner will be hosted). Re. 200 gift card |
| 10000 INR | + you will be on the advisory panel. That means each and every word of yours will count + Rs. 400 gift card. |
Society for Agriculture, Food and Innovation (SAFI) 