SKImfi recipient, Precious Saunyama
For SKI Charities, keeping things at a micro level is essential to the organization’s success. Charity founder, Shyam K. Iyer asserts, “When you’re doing microfinance at such a local level, it’s not just about these women creating their own wealth and creating their own businesses. What about the spillover effects?”
Shyam notes that SKImfi beneficiaries often use their profits to pay their children’s school fees. This helps to invigorate the social and educational system, and provides encouragement for schools to run better. Beneficiaries may also employ some of their friends or sisters, which further stimulates community growth and provides jobs for people beyond those who participate in SKIC. Further, beneficiaries buy from other suppliers, who, in a sense, are part of the SKIC program by association. By giving a handful of women the tools that they need to create their own businesses and succeed financially, they subsequently stimulate the whole community. The spillover effect starts out micro, but eventually has a much broader reach.
Keeping the organization specific and directed brings more attention and support to our participants.
“Our women are micro-entrepreneurs. They run small businesses, usually informal ones, so it makes much more sense for us to be consistent with their micro-activities. And broadly speaking, the idea of micro does connote community-mindedness,” Shyam says. “Nothing too unwieldy or dispersed. ‘Micro’ is focused on a particular community and economy. We are a community-minded organization, and that means focusing on these specific areas in a micro sense to build up their own ideas of community and responsibility.”
When asked if he would like for SKI Charities to be more large scale in the future, Shyam adds that he would love to grow as long as the focus on community remains. He hopes that every SKIC participant feels included and supported, and is working on maintaining their sense of responsibility and self-respect. “I want to make sure that we never dilute our support of them. I would rather see one woman really excel than five women not reach the same level of success and self-sufficiency,” he says.
Ultimately, for SKIC it’s quality first and quantity second. For both programs, SKImfi (SKI Microfinance Institute) and SKIpgo (SKI Program for Girls’ Opportunity), Shyam emphasizes getting to know the beneficiaries and helping them reach – and exceed – their potential and goals.
