One of the biggest challenges that a social enterprise like us face is convincing people, for whom we are working, that we are trying to help them. Ironical, isn't it?
It is indigestible for the people in rural mountains that two people (founders of Avani) could just leave the comfort of a big city life and settle in the mountains and innovate solutions to make rural life more enjoyable for everyone around. Sure, the founders had personal interest in living in the mountains, but that does not make the cause for which they are working any less noble?
While most of the people in the social space have been supporting our work for the past 17 years, its been a difficult ride trying to convince the local people to be a part of Avani and earn a better living. But the hard work has not gone waste and we have been able to mobilize the local community and have a positive impact in the lives of people in almost 100 villages.
Now, the current challenge that Avani Bio Energy is facing is to convince the local people to collect the littered pine needles. These pine needles cause widespread fire during dry summer months and destroy the only source of existence for the village people - the ecosystem services provided by the forests. Moreover, employment is an issue in this area and women spend hours climbing and cutting trees for fuel wood. Avani proposed employment to these people by collecting pine needles and remunerating them both in cash and cooking charcoal. Initially, the proposition seemed very exciting to everyone in the village, but suddenly a rumor spread across the area that Avani is making a lot of money by selling electricity to the power utility and paying local people only peanuts for their effort. All of this happened right at the beginning of the three month collection season and this put us in a very very difficult situation. We set up the entire business to benefit the local community, who doubted our intentions. We had no option but to call for labourers from outside to collect the pine needles. These labourers are doing a fantastic job and making good money out of it.
Seeing people from outside earning money by collecting pine needles from their areas has pinched the local people. They have realized that it was not a bad proposition offered to them initially and some of them came up to us today, saying " Why did you not ask us before to collect pine needles." Battle won! At times the best way to convince someone is by showing them how it is done rather than talking about it. Its been a constant element of our struggle and we have definitely emerged victorious here as in the second month we have almost 32 people collecting pine needles.
Another line of thought says that with so much struggle for existence and 'smarter' people trying to reap benefit at their cost, its often difficult for people in rural India to trust new genuine ones.
