The Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship today announced the finalists of the India Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) Award 2011. These include Husk Power Systems (founded by Gyanesh Pandey), Industree Crafts Foundation/Industree Crafts Private Limited (Brand -Mother Earth) (founded by Neelam Chhiber), Magic Bus (founded by Matthew Spacie) and Waterlife India (founded by Sudesh Menon). The four finalists were selected after a rigorous process and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 12, 2011 in Mumbai, preceding the India Economic Summit.

The India SEOY Awards identify and celebrate visionary social entrepreneurs who have demonstrated systems-changing models and are at the stage of scaling/replicating their ideas across India and in other countries.

Congratulating the finalists, Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman & Managing Director and Hari S Bhartia, Co Chairman & Managing Director Jubilant Life Sciences and Founder Directors of Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, said, “Through these awards we have witnessed path breaking social entrepreneurship models that focus on building new eco-systems of change for BoP groups. All the finalists have demonstrated their ability to engage local talent and knowledge for scaling up their initiatives and have the scope to  forge partnerships across sectors – government, business, citizen sector as well as financia institutions. Jubilant Bhartia Foundation looks forward to joining hands with them to lend momentum to their endeavour”.

According to Hilde Schwab, Co-founder & Chairperson, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship,  “The finalist of the India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2011 are an impressive group of social innovators who are tackling poverty through systemic approaches, while working to build trust at the level of the village, the community, or the self-help group.  These social enterprises have demonstrated successful scale through collaborations with the government and by equipping local people with entrepreneurial skills to multiply impact.”

Applications to the India SEOY Awards 2011 opened in May this year. Of the 140 social entrepreneurs who submitted their applications, 18 semi-finalists were moved to the next round of the competition. Five applicants were further shortlisted for the next stage of the competition – i.e. the due diligence visits. The outreach and due diligence process was managed by Start Up! on behalf of the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation.

The four finalists, will meet the jury of the India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award on November 12, 2011 in Mumbai. The jury will comprise eminent members from the corporate, government and the civil society sectors.

Brief Description of the Social Change Models Developed by the Finalists

Mr. Gyanesh Pandey of Husk Power Systems, Patna:

Husk Power Systems (HPS) is lighting up the darkest (and not coincidentally, the poorest) rural regions of India through a proprietary technology that cost-effectively converts bio-mass waste (primarily rice husks, but also such bio-wastes as mustard husks/stems, corn cobs, and some varieties of grasses) into electricity. By installing and operating 25kW to 100 kW ‘mini power plants’, HPS has wired up 350 villages and hamlets  to deliver electricity to more than 200,000 individuals in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Sudesh Menon of Waterlife India, Hyderabad:

Waterlife India makes safe and clean drinking water accessible and affordable for under-served communities who live in geographies with high water contamination. It has developed a range of green and cost-effective water treatment technologies that can address complex combinations of water contamination in any area. Since 2008, 1.1 million excluded customers across 6 states have availed safe drinking water from Waterlife’s community water systems by paying a nominal user-fee.

Mr. Mathew Spacie of Magic Bus, Mumbai:

Magic Bus has pioneered a ‘Sport for Development (S4D)’ curriculum that harnesses the transformative power of sport  to enable extremely marginalized children to tap into their inner agency, reflect deeply on life choices, and exercise positive development decisions vis-a-vis education, health, gender and livelihoods – levers that are critical for their growth as active citizens and future participants of the India growth story.

 Magic Bus has directly delivered the S4D curriculum  to 250,000 children in the age group of 7-18 years in 5 states through a trained network of  5,000 Community Sport Coaches and Youth Mentors.

Children who engage with Magic Bus live in impoverished communities with no easy access to role models, inspiration or facilitation to take positive life decisions. 20% of all Magic Bus participants across locations tend to be school dropouts, of which 34% go back to school and stayed enrolled due to the Magic Bus influence; 85% of Magic Bus participants across age groups stay clean of addiction; More than 95% of the youth in Magic Bus have enrolled in higher education courses and 50% of those in employable age have signed up for livelihoods and skill development initiatives.

Ms. Neelam Chhiber of Industree Crafts Foundation and Industree Crafts Private Limited (brand Mother Earth), Bangalore:

Industree helps triple incomes of marginal artisans by moving them from being ‘piece rate workers’ to owners and entrepreneurs of grassroots community enterprises. It works both at the production and market ends of complex supply chains to help artisans living below the poverty line to participate in India’s booming retail markets. Industree has impacted more than 10,000 artisans living below the poverty line, by putting them in charge of their own enterprises.

About the Partners:

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a not-for-profit, independent organization, founded in 1998 by Klaus Schwab and his wife Hilde, to promote social innovation for global progress. The Schwab Foundation selects leading social entrepreneurs from around the world, and highlights their work through unique regional and global platforms in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.  Social entrepreneurs pursue poverty alleviation and deliver social impact with business acumen, entrepreneurial zeal, and the courage to overcome traditional practices.  There are 200 social entrepreneurs in the Schwab Foundation network to date, representing a diverse range of sectors, from healthcare, education, and microfinance to renewable energy, rural development, and enterprise creation.

Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, the social wing of the Jubilant Bhartia Group, was established in 2007 as a not for profit company under section 25 of the Companies Act. As a part of the Jubilant Bhartia Group, it focuses on conceptualizing and implementing the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for the group. The foundation’s objectives include various community development work, health care, cultural & sports, environment preservation initiative, vocational training, women empowerment and educational activities.

Start Up! is an angel investor and consultant to social entrepreneurs. It launches, strengthens and scales social enterprises and hybrid social change models of lasting impact.