Tier 1 Programmes

ACCESS Development Services has been empanelled by Reserve Bank of India for conducting awareness programs under their Depositor’s Education and Awareness Fund (DEA Fund). This also entitles us to establish Center for Financial Literacy across the country. Towards that, ACCESS has received work orders for establishing the following number of CFLs in different states of India:

In addition to establishing CFLs in the above states and districts, we would be conducting trainings and awareness trainings under the DEA Fund across the country, primarily in the states where we have our operations.

Each CFL will be responsible for 3 blocks and the project duration is for 3 years. The project activities would entail providing awareness trainings on financial literacy and financial education to adult population (18 to 60 years) in a particular block to at least 15-20% of the adult population and facilitate at least 10% within this with financial services including opening of bank account (PMJDY), credit (MUDRA loans, Bank loans), convergences with Government schemes (PMJJBY, PMSBY, MGNREGA), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), among others.

Project Digi-Sashkt aims to economically empower women entrepreneurs in Jaipur by building their capacities to successfully own and manage operations of micro-enterprises (small businesses), access business support services and strengthen their agency in household and business decisions. The project emphasises a twin-track approach of gender empowerment and digital literacy of women while focusing on enabling womenpreneurs to develop and realise their potential for sustainable business growth. The theory of change for this project states that if women-preneurs are imparted business improvement training, and alongside sensitised and empowered on gender issues and the opportunities and risks of adopting digital tools, they will eventually register sustained business growth and digital and social empowerment.

ACCESS is implementing the flagship program of LaCaixa Foundation titled as “Work4Progress”.  The Work4Progress (W4P) programme, launched in India towards the end of 2016 and subsequently in Peru and Mozambique by the ”la Caixa’’ Foundation, seeks to create new employment opportunities. Social innovation is at the core of the W4P approach and brings with it advanced tools and methodologies for key processes of listening, co-creating, prototyping and accelerating.

ACCESS commenced this project in October 2023 and has already promoted 108 Listening Groups covering approx. 1,115 smallholder farmers and established 118 enterprises at smallholder farmers level through vermicompost cluster development. ACCESS aims to promote a total of at least 430 new enterprises from existing prototypes of (Vermicompost beds, multilayer farming, goat rearing, 1 acre horticulture, and kitchen garden) models. In addition to this, ACCESS will also promote its new prototype in the program “Greenpreneurs” where approx. 25 local green entrepreneurs will be promoted as last mile extension / service / product delivery providers on incentive basis to supply climate friendly products & technologies amongst smallholder farmers.

With support of Walmart Foundation, project UDAAN aims to strengthen the functioning of 20 existing Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO), to enhance women’s participation in the FPOs and to create model women FPOs. It also aims to promote climate resilient practices among member farmers of the FPOs.

ACCESS will work to enhance income of individual small holder farmers and build the sustainability of FPOs by incorporating value addition of commodities to their existing marketing practices for obtaining competitive prices for their products. ACCESS will also create model FPOs for learning and for providing models of capacity building that could be emulated for other FPO promoters, Govt agencies and funders. It will provide supplementary trainings on FPO governance, management, oversight, and leadership to women farmers to enhance their agency in household and collectives through greater ownership of and active participation in the FPOs and will introduce climate resilient farming practices through the program.

ACCESS aims to improve farmer and FPO incomes by improving price realisation and by assisting in developing value added products for the FPO. The project will also lead to adoption of climate resilient agri-practices by the farmers, enhance women’s agency in household and collectives through greater ownership of and active participation in FPOs.

The project funded by Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and USAID, aimed at enhancing women’s agency and decision-making within the household and business to impact financial well-being and business management.

ACCESS selected 3000 women kirana owners in three cohorts and provided training on various financial inclusion, digital literacy and business skills training themes to enhance the social and economic empowerment of women by building their capacity to own and manage their kirana enterprises.

The women entrepreneurs have reported improved sales, and business management knowledge hence have a clear business plan than before for their businesses. They are active users of financial institutions for saving, credit and of digital banking platforms for transactions in their business.

To revitalize and provide a competitive edge to the handloom weavers in four clusters (Nuapatna, Bankura, Kota, Maheshwar) through design, technology and market interventions, and position them in highest value markets.

ACCESS has provided market linkages to the weavers under the Living Looms of India brand, operationalized the LLI e-commerce portal, strengthened governance of the LLI Producer Company, and facilitated the weavers access to government entitlements. Apart from this, ACCESS has also improved fly shuttle looms to increase efficiency in production, established Common Facility Centers (CFCs) and organized design intervention workshops to improve the product marketability.

In the first phase, the project has enabled the livelihoods of around 1000 weavers through the creation of a producer company under the brand name of Living Looms of India. Around 700 weavers were provided with various training on technical skill enhancement, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. With the help of market linkage support for their products, the weavers have been able to enhance their income by at least 40 percent.

To alleviate child labor from the handicraft sector for concerned household in some of the pocket of Jaipur city by providing appropriate skill, business development services and sustainable market linkage to the women artisans from these households.

In this project, ACCESS has established a Producer Company with 600 women artisans where they were engaged in making hand-crafted products viz. lacquer products, garments, and embroidered lifestyle products. This Producer Company was created to promote sustainable livelihood to ensure better income for the producers through an organization of their own. ACCESS has also established a production cum training center in Paharganj area of Jaipur with the capacity to run 100 sewing machines at a time and provided market linkages to these women artisans and helped the Producer Company achieve a turnover of Rs.78 lakhs since its inception.

The Producer Company established by ACCESS have provided the women artisans regular employment opportunities and their incomes by at least 30 percent. This in turn has helped in allievating the engagement of child labour in the handicraft industry of Jaipur. Now the Producer Company has a strong board of women artisans who are highly skilled workers in lacquer, stitching, and embroidery artwork. The company now has around 800 members.

Providing dignified livelihood opportunities to the refugees living in Delhi and Haryana through skill development, entrepreneurship and market linkages.

As a part of the project deliverables, ACCESS provided counseling services to all the 2,000 refugee households in 2015 and another 1,500 refugee households in 2016; provided training on life skills, financial literacy, functional literacy, and vocational trade to 600 refugees who were doing menial jobs before the intervention.

600 refugees from the vicinities of Vikaspuri, Bhogal, Okhla, Wazirabad, and Khajuri Khas in the National Capital Region of Delhi, India have taken up dignified livelihood options such as running their own small business and other formal jobs in various sectors.

Supported by Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and HSBC, BuddhiMoney aims to equip MSE business owners with tools and resources to help improve their business and financial acumen, thus increasing their productivity and profitability.

ACCESS created a unique blend of technology and innovative training methods through an animated character – BuddhiMoney to educate the MSMEs business owners on mobile banking, registering their businesses, using the Internet as a tool, and accessing credit in an easy-to-understand manner. Short messages from BuddhiMoney were also sent to the business owners via social media.

What was the impact outcome – A very high percentage of MSMEs reported improved access to financial services and understanding of financial planning. The project enabled inclusion of MSMEs in the mainstream financial sector through enhanced digital financial literacy and innovative solutions.