Looking to get involved in India’s development sector, Charlie Greenlee came to Bangalore 11 months ago. Armed with 4 years of work experience in various social projects across the Middle East, Indonesia and Nepal, he decided to join a Bangalore-based NGO that researches development issues and works at the grassroots level to empower underprivileged sections of society.
Today Charlie is the Marketing Executive of a project that supports rural artisans and crafts pertaining to North Karnataka. The initiative aims to improve the earning potential of the artisans, ensuring them fair wages while simultaneously reviving the arts native to their region through concentrated marketing efforts.
The primary focus of the project, and a growing movement in the development world revolves around the increasingly important concept of “market linkage”. “Market linkage has become the next big thing after microfinance,” explains Charlie. “In the 90s, the whole concept of microfinance grew in popularity, where the idea was to reach out to impoverished communities who were beyond the reach of a banking system due to their poor socioeconomic backgrounds. Microfinance started up to help these people by giving them a means to start businesses through small-scale loans. Now, many of those communities have started ventures and are producing goods thanks to those loans and so the area of need has progressed from financing to reaching the right markets and selling goods at fair prices.” As a result, several NGOs and social enterprises now concentrate their efforts on market linkage and income generation programs, and that’s what the project aims to do. “We help train artisans to enhance their skills, we ensure that they can find work by helping them tailor their crafts to modern consumer demands and link them to the right markets.“
As Marketing Executive of a young and growing initiative, Charlie’s day-to-day involves anything and everything, from working on business development to product design, digital marketing to field work. “It’s a startup environment, so there is no set routine or structure. Every day is different. Sometimes I’m in the office working on advertising and social media, other times I’m out meeting clients, managing events and exhibitions or planning development workshops at our artisan base. The work here never gets mundane.”
With such a busy and varied schedule, Charlie understands the value that interns can bring to his team. “Their impact is huge,” he gushes. “This is an area where there is always something to do and if someone is self-motivated, he or she can make a significant difference in a short period of time.”
When asked about what kind of projects interns typically get involved in, Charlie explains that they usually work with the interest of interns to customize projects for them. “We have had a literature and journalism student interview the artisans and document their stories for promotional purposes. We currently have a design intern who is creating her own product line and leading a tailor training workshop. Those with an interest in photography can put together a product catalogue and design posters and pamphlets for us. Those interested in marketing can help us with branding and online media. Business students can help us with business plans, inventory management and finances. We really try to gauge our interns’ interest and then place them on projects that utilize their skills.”
But the one quality that Charlie does require in all his interns is drive. “We want self-motivated individuals who can bring their own ideas and inputs to the table. They don’t need to have extensive experience but they should be passionate and should want to make a difference. We also make it mandatory for our interns to go on the field and visit our artisans just so they know who they’re supporting and what they’re working towards. It’s necessary to have that connection to understand what we’re trying to do.”
The internships provide a hands-on experience where individuals get exposure to almost every aspect of creating a company. “We have had a lot of great people work with us in the past and we are always open to interns, no matter their skill set. They really do help us make long lasting impacts in communities that need our help.”
More Details:
-A minimum of 3 month commitment
-Must be currently enrolled or graduated from an accredited University
-Strong English communication skills
-Must have some prior travel experience
-Interest in development, NGO/Non-Profit work
-Skype/Phone interview required
-Email us at info@leaveurmark.com to find out how to apply
