Mann Deshi: A Micro-Business School for rural women

The Mann Deshi Business School for Rural Women (MDBS) is a new Micro-business school program launched in India that provides training in technical, financial and marketing skills to women with no formal education and to girls who have dropped out of high school, allowing them to start and improve their own small enterprises.

One of the main criticisms of Microfinance is that it only helps the "economically active" poor, while excluding the "poorest of the poor." The Mann Deshi Business School for Rural Women will help make microfinance available to all women by providing not just business capital but also skills, knowledge and motivation. With the support of Mann Deshi Mahila Ltd. Bank, the business school will guarantee suitable loan options to its graduates for seed capital to start micro-enterprises.

MDBS does not have any pre-qualification criteria and the curriculum is entirely driven by the needs of rural women. The courses are designed to provide the skills needed to start and run a successful enterprise in the local market. The levels of the courses range from basic to advanced, to meet the varied needs and skill levels of women. Courses last between two and eight weeks, and are offered on at least a two-year rotation, ensuring that the market will be able to absorb new graduates.

Courses focus on technical skills, marketing skills, managing finances and confidence-building. Courses to develop technical skills, such as goat rearing, screen printing, selling cell phone recharge coupons, bag-making etc are being offered currently. Certificates and graduation diplomas are issued on completion of these courses which can be used to obtain micro credit.

Recently MDBS has started to reach other regions with a new program on "micro-business school on wheels". The Business School on Wheels for Rural Women is an innovative solution to making it’s range of courses accessible to women who due to financial or cultural constraints would be unable to access training in a central location. A bus has been designed and converted to operate as a mobile classroom which will travel from village to village within the Hubli-Dharwad area in India.

To learn more about this author, visit Development Gateway Foundation's Website.

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