Rajendra Joshi, Saath--Finalist SEY 2007

See Rajendra Joshi's full profile at: http://www.khemkafoundation.org/awards/sey07/sey07_joshi.php

Saath is enabling the urban poor to access the financial and livelihood opportunities available in globalized cities. Based in Ahmedabad, Saath equips residents of poor urban settlements to become willing customers of basic services and access schemes for livelihoods. It aligns the urban poor, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and private companies in win-win partnerships. As a result, the government receives more taxes from the urban slums, the residents come away with better services and private companies report higher profit margins through services developed for the urban poor.

Rajendra Joshi initially started his professional life in the private sector. He went on to become an educationist in the slums of Ahmedabad and was influenced by a Jesuit priest Ramiro Erviti. In 1989, Rajendra created Saath. Initially, he organized youth as change agents and to gain their trust, did simple things like playing volleyball. He soon realized the needs for interventions around sanitation and in 1993, the Integrated Slum Development Program was created.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Social
• Entrepreneurship
• India
• Entrepreneur
• of
• the
• Year
• Awards
• microfinance
• development
• Saath
• Rajendra
• Joshi
• Slums