A Solution for Every Soul The Human Factor finds out about the projects that Arbind Singh (Executive Director, Nidan) has undertaken to help assetless workers, and how his efforts have won him the award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year-2008 |
 With a post graduate degree in sociology from Delhi University as well as a degree in law, Mr. Arbind Singh started his career with an organisation called Aditi, aimed at providing support to women. That was the beginning of his journey in the NGO (non-governmental organisation) sector. Having tremendous interest in the field of sociology, Mr. Singh as a student used to work on programmes for drought relief, communal harmony, etc. and this gave him immense satisfaction. Although he was initially interested in applying for the civil services, Mr. Singh soon realised that working in the social sector would give him the opportunity to make a real difference. He explains, “The social sector has grown through time and the problems that I saw as a student, while working in remote areas, cease to exist today . This is a very encouraging sign.” This Founder and Executive Director of Nidan (which translates to ‘solution’, as Nidan aims at ‘letting a 1000 flowers bloom’) is the winner of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award-2008, organised by The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation. Mr. Singh spearheads the organisation with the primary goal to “initiate, establish and consolidate institutions, processes and programmes aimed at the economic and social development of the poor”. The team at Nidan helps out informal workers like street vendors, agriculturalists, artisans, construction workers, etc. by organising their efforts through central groups or cooperatives that empower them. The objective is to provide them with legal support in cases of harassment or discrimination against payment of wages. Nidan also offers financial support through banks, cooperatives and own lending, while also facilitating insurance processes. Mr. Singh gives details, “As an organisation, Nidan has constantly worked towards contacting people in the unorganised sector, who could do a lot better if they are given some guidance about the various programmes available for them. As we start helping them out, they are gradually able to gain confidence, and organise themselves into groups. However, awareness is not a problem nowadays as a lot of people have heard about Nidan and our activities.” Nidan has developed a national policy for street vendors, that is being implemented across 4 to 5 states in India. There are around 400 organisations in India that are members of Nidan, and these players are being benefited through greater access to markets, licenses, and finance. In Bihar, Nidan is working with approximately 60,000 families in 6 districts and each one has access to the same kind of facilities. Mr. Singh tells us more, “These families, which used to be harassed earlier, are now more organised than ever before. Large numbers of people are getting involved in cooperatives and collective organisations. We have set up an urban waste management company called Nidan Swachdhara Pvt. Ltd. (NSPL), which currently employees around 400 employees. The management team comprises of foreigners, who we think will be able to provide greater access to markets and management styles. The day the workers are able to pick up organisational abilities on their own, we will feel that our work is done.” |
 However, what does it take for an individual to become a social entreprenuer? Mr. Singh says that one needs to be a good mentor as it is important to create faith and confidence amongst the people. A system should be created that promotes delegation of responsibilities alongwith autonomy. He adds, “Most importantly, you should be willing to put your skills, your contacts, your qualities and your personality at the disposal of the community which you are working for.”Since Mr. Singh is the figure that the rest of the organisation looks up to, he confirms, “Leadership by example is of primary importance. Whenever there are new ideas, it is difficult to get them going without adequate support. For example, convincing donors takes time, but it is not impossible. Through Nidan, we have been able to generate such success stories from all over the world.” Therefore, Mr. Singh cautions that even if things seem difficult at first, it is important to believe in yourself. This, in fact, he quotes as one of the biggest challenges that he has faced so far. Mr. Singh goes on to tell us about an incident from his time with Municipal Corporation of India, wherein employees treated their work like a contractual obligation. Slowly, the mindset changed as people realised that they were working for a social enterprise with the aim of helping others. Moving on, we asked him how the corporate world can contribute to the cause that Nidan is working towards.Mr. Singh is very positive about the development that more and more employees are volunteering for good and meaningful social causes. This trend is so useful as, after a point, the regular employees tend to get quite drained due to the nature of the work. Volunteers, on the other hand, can inject a dose of freshness within the work environment. In this regard, HR managers can play an important role by encouraging their employees to sign up for such initiatives. This, in turn, is expected to help the organisation through increased employee commitment, stemming from greater levels of satisfaction. Mr. Singh also affirms that money is an important factor. However, the satisfaction that one gets from genuinely making a difference to the life of a child is “incomparable”. |
