JITA is a joint venture social business of CARE International and Danone Communities, empowers women and creates consumer impact on health-hygiene-energy through an innovative network of enterprises of women entrepreneurs selling door to door where communities those being failed to reach by traditional supply chain are bridged with Private Sector Company products/services.
Focus: Women Empowerment, Economic Development, Consumer Impact
Geographic area of Impact: Bangladesh- Rural
Model: Social Business
Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 7250 (2013)
Annual Budget: USD$588,615 (2013)
Percentage earned revenue: 100%
Background
Throughout the world social stigma and cultural practices often excludes women from receiving education or earning income equivalent to men.
For less developed nations in particular, women embody previously untapped source of human capital, and those countries that have embraced more aggressive policies in regards to gender equality in economic activity engagement can be expected to return greater social and economic benefits.
In Bangladesh many low income households still lack in access to hygiene and nutrition items those improve their quality of life. Women in particular, especially those without land and male family member to depend on often face the risk of destitution with no opportunity to improve socio economic condition.
Innovation
JITA was originated as Rural Sales Program (RSP)- a CARE Bangladesh pilot project in 2004 to generate income opportunity for rural destitute women. After being tested as a sustainable as well as commercially viable empowerment and business model RSP was transformed in 2011 as an independent for-profit social business JITA Bangladesh through joint venture of CARE International and Danone Communities.
JITA designs and manages an innovative network of enterprises consisting distribution hubs, delivery service person and sales ladies Aparajitas (“women who never accept defeat” in Bengali), its “last mile” marketing channel of women who purchase stock from the hubs and sell it door to door to rural base of the pyramid consumers. JITA carefully manages multi-company product basket carried by Aparajitas to maximize and balance profitability of operation, sustainable development for Aparajitas and improved quality of life for consumers.
In the first 2 Years of its existence, JITA grew from 2500 to 7250 Aparajitas and has distribution hubs in 224 of the 450 sub-districts in Bangladesh reaching 4 million BoP consumers. Monthly income of Aparajitas seem to have increased from $12.50 to $35 due to effective operational design and new partnerships.. By end of 2015 JITA aims to create more than 11,000 Aparajitas all around Bangladesh. JITA also branched out into market research, market creation and consultancy to supplement its distribution effort. JITA has reached financial break even in 2013 two years ahead of projected time frame.
The Entrepreneur
Saif Rashid, a BoP and hybrid business model specialist, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founding member of the Governing board at JITA Bangladesh leading a team of 100+ people in Bangladesh. Saif leaded CARE Bangladesh-Rural Sales Program (RSP) for Six years after which in 2011 he took over the transformed social business JITA as CEO. His innovation and success as a social business leader have been highlighted in Global Awards media and publication such as Socap, GSBI, Forbes, Guardian, The Economist etc. Saif is a business development and social enterprise expert having consultancy experience in Japan, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
www.jitabangladesh.com