Capacity building of people is the most important requirement for an enterprise-building initiative. This is all the more relevant to a rural enterprise like Kaigal Trust being established for marginalised communities in remote areas.
In the early days of its formation a small group of women and men from the nearby villages who were interested to be part of this venture were exposed to a variety of training programs within and outside the organization. They became the core team – members who were able to start the business enterprise in a small way. This was soon extended to more people, through village meetings, awareness and training programs.
Awareness program on the Biodiversity Act at the Kaigal Conservation Centre
Key skills for capacity building
The team members over the period were provided the means and resources, both experts in different fields and material, to equip themselves with the key skills to operate a business enterprise-
Identifying and documenting of local bio-resources that are suitable for value addition and development of products (this being a continuous process)
Establishing value addition and processing methods for selected bio-resources through research and replication
Training in the above processes for production
Establishing hygienic environment and practices in the work area
Establishing techniques for quality control and inspection
Training in new craft- skills such as hand embroidery, tailoring, macrame’ and so on
Training in the use and maintenance of machinery and equipment used in everyday work
Capacity building in the day to day management and functioning of the enterprise
Acquiring computer skills for communication and administration
Exposure and training to participate in institutional sale
Establishing a sales network
Communicating with retailers (Dealers) and customers
Participating in meetings and awareness programs with outside experts
Interacting with local government bodies and officials (Institutional Linkages)
Pursuing higher education for their own development
Collaborating with other similar initiatives
The team now is a confident and united force equipped to understand and tackle new situations with a sense of maturity. They now know the limits of their knowledge and are eager to learn more to build the enterprise and be current in their abilities.