Designing improved cook stoves (ICS) financial products for Self-Help Groups under the SWITCH Asia – II: BACHAT Project

 

Partner Organization: CARE

Year: 2019

Geography: Odisha and Chhattisgarh (India)

CARE India under its BACHAT initiative implemented a project “Evolving a women centered model of extension of Improved Cook Stoves for Sustained Adoption at Scale” in Jashpur district in Chhattisgarh and Kalahandi & Kandhamal districts in Odisha, India. The project seeks to promote sustainable adoption of improved cook stoves among Forest Dependent Households (FDHs) in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The project envisaged enhancing women’s decision-making capacities and capabilities and improving their say in household decision to procure and use ICS. This would contribute to capacitating women from FDHs to adopt ICS as a clean cooking energy option and promote adoption of ICS at scale. To further facilitate the shift to ICS, CARE India mandated Samavit to assess the financial products and services required by women from forest dwelling households (FDH) and ensure relevant financial products and services are made available for enabling and fast-tracking their switch to the ICS option of their choice. 

The scope of work for the project are mentioned below: –

  1. Undertook rapid analysis of market scope of the product and services profile of the financial products pursued by the early adopters (HHs already switched to ICS from TCS). 
  2. Trained/oriented relevant stakeholders such as SHG leaders and members, leaders of SHG federations, other women users and entrepreneurs on the new ICS products/services/channels.
  3. Designed following exclusive ICS Financial Products:

a) ICS credit products (detailed product package starting from market size, estimation of loan size, recovery option, payment schedule, interest rates, terms and conditions, market estimation, credit maximization for SHGs/lending agency, etc.) for users which can be offered by existing SHGs to their members and non-members.

b) ICS saving products for SHGs which can be offered by existing SHGs to their members to increase loan extension services to members. 

c) ICS credit products for users and entrepreneurs which can be offered by existing SHG Federations at GP/Block/District level.

The outputs under the project were the following:

  1. Analysis report and market scope of the product and services profile of the financial products pursued by the early adopters (HHs already switched to ICS from TCS) – Rapid analysis report 
  2. User Guide on ICS Financial Products. 
  3. ICS credit products encompassing detailed product package starting from market size, estimation of loan size, recovery option, repayment schedule, interest rates, terms and conditions, market estimation, credit maximization for SHGs/lending agency, etc. for users which can be offered by existing SHGs to their members and non-members. 
  4. ICS saving products for SHGs which can be offered by existing SHGs to their members.  
  5. ICS credit products for users and entrepreneurs which can be offered by existing SHG Federations at GP/Block/District level.