This was a day to witness the power of social leadership. From a school to a community trading centre to a remote village, we travelled by jeep, boat and on foot to see a truly impressive network of people and projects.
Our first stop was a school where most of the pupils were adivasi – the original peoples of India, moving to the high forests as new migrants arrived, then losing their land and becoming mainly bonded workers living on the edge. ACCORD has worked with them over many years, helping them reclaim land through both formal means and land grabs, and seeding the creation of several social institutions which are then led by adivasi social entrepreneurs. The school was a joy: two open buildings full of enthusiastic children and teachers. They sang to us. We sang to them. They danced for us. We heard their joys and hopes. This is a school of several tribes, languages and cultures working together in understanding.
Next, on to the Just Change centre in Kerala province – a long bumpy ride through awesome mountains and jungle. Just Change is a model to go beyond Fairtrade, by connecting producers and consumers in communities directly with each other. Tea grown in the Nilgiri Hills is traded with soap and oils from Kerala. Producers trade with communities they choose. Floor prices mean that the damage caused by fluctuations in market prices can be mitigated.
We visited the shop and heard from some of the self help groups and community support organisations who had founded it. Women’s groups seemed to be the core strength of the network – a finding repeated in several visits. Leaders told us about the stages of development: land for the landless, mobilisation of women, creation of community institutions for education and health, then a bank to provide savings and loans, and now Just Change.
Four community organisations came together to found Just Change, representing 40,000 families. Villages can order collectively from the main shop, or set up a village community shop. The starting point is a village consumer organisation. The network sources whatever they can locally, then from other Just Change members, then other community groups and finally the market. But 80% is still from the market, so there is a way to go.
Next on to a village which is part of the network – a journey to a community isolated by a river without a bridge. The village community told us that over 90% of the 1000 families participated in the village organisation. They described the start of the bank, collecting 10 rupee savings each week from each family, building up impressive savings and then negotiating with a bank to match the cash to give loan facilities for income generation, domestic purposes and education.
Asked about the benefits, the villages said top of the list was community strength. Now they can take on anything!
Finally to Stan Thekaekara’s own house – a beautiful stone building high on a mountain. Stan is an inspirational leader and a warm host, yet still keen to enter into earnest discussion with all of us. These are clichés, but for Stan they have meaning: he speaks truth to power, and bears witness to decency.
So what did we learn?That there is a force that can shift immovable objects: inspirational people combined with mass community leadership which wins the confidence of the whole community. Just like the roots and branches of the tree of life on Stan’s wall, as it grows it can break down any barrier.
That social entrepreneurship is more than a simple trade, more than money and goods. It is the creation of human wealth. And that if enough people believe in a currency of human wealth, it grows and thrives.
But we also saw the challenges: the Just Change model is still small and embryonic, with major hurdles to cross in scaling up. The village organisations worry about damaging drinking by some of the men.
Stan described an organic development process – a journey which encountered impediments, solving them along the way, serendipity in finding the technical experts who could help, and trusting in community leadership to provide drive and resilience to build a better future. The villagers told us firmly: there is no going back.
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