Trickle Up, a US-based non-profit international development organisation, has decided to tweak its involvement strategy in India.
After lifting some 12,000 odd ‘poorest of the poor’ out of abject poverty in eight districts of four eastern states since 2006, it is preparing to have an Indian identity.
“We are going in for registration as a not-for-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act. We have also decided to take Government and private funds to expand our grassroots activity,” Jui Gupta, Trickle Up Head for Asia, told
The unique micro-enterprise development agency provides seed capital grants for micro-enterprises and helps create sustainable economic empowerment to the families living below an income of $1.25 a day at purchasing power parity.
Since setting up an office in September 2005, it has been working with the field-level local NGOs and focused on women to lead the family in their tiny enterprise-based economic salvation.
“So far, Trickle Up in India has been depending entirely on the funds provided by its New York-located principal and could not attain a scale we would love to achieve. We believe the work we are doing is a responsibility of a welfare state and the society at large. We felt broad-basing the partnership in development would help us achieving the goal better,” she added.
In the past few years, Trickle Up through its Asian operational headquarters in Kolkata has pumped in about Rs 26 crore.
At present, Trickle Up is focusing on Purilia, South 24 Parganas and West Midnapur (in West Bengal), Sundargarh, Nuapara (Odhisha), Lohardaga, Gumla, Dumka, Godda and Pankur (Jharkhand).
In May this year, it completed its programme cycles in Bihar — in five districts of Gaya, Nalanda, Bihar Sharif and Mujaffarpur.
jayanta.mallick@thehindu.co.in