MUMBAI, DECEMBER 8, 2010: Given that the number of Management Institutions are rapidly escalating, Don Bosco Institute of Management & Research (DBIMR) attempted to differentiate itself through manifesting the values of Don Bosco. The recently launched DBIMR put its sixty students into ten NGOs in the surrounding areas of Andheri, Sion and Kurla. These groups of NGOs work with different target audiences namely; Women, Youth and Children. The students were put through an orientation exposure of NGOs working with each of these segments. They were then asked for their preferences and accordingly the students were allocated the NGO with which they would work.
Meetings were held with the coordinators of these NGOs wherein it was explained to them that in the initial stages the students would be learning more than contributing. But surprisingly many of the students began contributing in various ways right from the start. At a follow up meeting the NGO representatives voiced their total satisfaction with the students. In the second Semester the NGOs would be identifying specific projects for the students.
Through this initiative the students have learnt that Management need not be exclusively associated with Companies like Hindustan Unilever, or P&G or Colgate-Palmolive and so on. Even at the grass root level, simple people with no management background can teach us many useful things about how to mange not only business but also our lives. The women in Sankulp Samaj Vikas Sanstha which is a women’s self help group shared with the students some of the principles they follow :
a. They report for duty at 4am to cook the breakfast which they would be selling. If any woman of the group is late by five minutes then she loses fifty per cent of that days’ earning.
b. When they are discussing any issue if the woman member is not present then nobody can make any comment on her.
Simple women with great wisdom.
The students, after going through this experience will not only learn about business but also have a mind set which is socially conscious and could also possibly be motivated to become social entrepreneurs.