<\/p>\n
Lubna says seeing women running businesses has created a change. Her daughter looks up to her and says she wants to run a shop as well after finishing her education.<\/p>\n
In a small town some two hours away from Lahore, Yasmin Bibi proudly welcomed us to her shop in Renala Khurd right outside her home. The business owner was accompanied by her husband, Asif, who she says has supported her throughout her career.<\/p>\n
This is not how it has always been. With few options available, she started her retail business many years ago selling candy on a charpoy<\/em>. In 2019, she expanded her merchandise to include other household products. She has never looked back since.<\/p>\n \u201cToday my children are able to go to school, we are able to eat well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In 2019, Yasmin Bibi was approached by Nestle under the Nestle BISP Rural Women Sales programme. The programme was initiated in 2017 in partnership with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), a national safety net system, among the largest of its kind in South Asia<\/a>, that aims to uplift women out of poverty. The programme falls under Nestle\u2019s larger \u2018rural deep outreach\u2019 project.<\/p>\n BISP is a federal cash transfer programme that provides women with a quarterly stipend \u2014 currently at Rs8750<\/a>. BISP also acquires the largest national database on the economic conditions of women across Pakistan. It is this database that Nestle uses to determine and recruit potential areas and sales agents.<\/p>\n Nestle claims<\/a> that the main premise of the programme is to uplift the rural women of Pakistan and put them on the path to prosperity.<\/p>\n With 375 beneficiaries in Renala alone, where the project was first piloted in 2017 and almost 3,000 across 26 districts in Pakistan, the project has been largely successful in achieving what it had set out to. It has since expanded to 26 districts across Pakistan, most recently Larkana and Sukkur.<\/p>\n According to Sheikh Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at Nestle Pakistan, \u201cWe now plan to cover BISP beneficiaries in the rural belt of Hyderabad district with an ambition to reach 5,000 women nationwide by 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRural women play a key role in achieving sustainable development and contribute significantly to the economy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n But this may prompt one to think: is this an opportunity to create sales, market products and establish Nestle\u2019s presence in areas that have previously been left out of the global corporate establishment\u2019s reach, or a genuine effort to lend women a hand out of poverty?<\/p>\n Perhaps both, perhaps one more than the other depending on whom you ask.<\/p>\n Rahat Hussain, a spokesperson for Nestle Pakistan, said: \u201cThis programme is part of our creating shared value efforts where we as an organisation want to be a force for good.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, \u2018good\u2019 under corporations comes with strings attached, and in this case, the good is directly proportional to the number of sales earned by the corporation. However, under the programme, Nestle BISP sales agents earn a higher profit margin than their regular counterparts \u2014 8-12 per cent compared to the regular 4pc. Trickling down, participants of the programme earn an average incremental income of around Rs5,000 to Rs10,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n The principle of \u2018creating shared value\u2019 (CSV) is an emerging and increasingly popular one among corporations. It is driven from the perspective that profit and social good need not be mutually exclusive. It takes a step away from the idea that corporations must think of social good and sustainability as an afterthought to redeem them of the impact they have on society, and incorporates these values within the business model. Thus, with increasing their own sales and profits, corporations aim to also benefit other stakeholders along the way.<\/p>\n Nestle USA<\/a> writes, \u201cIn the past, corporate investment in community and environmental initiatives were often seen as \u2018obligations\u2019 or simply philanthropy: added costs that had to be borne to minimise operational risks and protect reputation. CSV redefines many of these obligations as opportunities to strengthen the business long-term \u2014 adding value for shareholders and our stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Adnan Mushtaq, Nestle\u2019s Rural Deep Reach project manager, \u201cThis project is purely operating from a CSV angle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRural sales account for only about 1pc of all Nestle sales in Pakistan,\u201d said Mushtaq. (Dawn.com<\/em> has not been able to verify the sales statistics).<\/p>\n \u201cWe also do not bring in our regular micro-distributors into these areas because we want to help develop the capacity of the BISP beneficiaries. And we give them higher profit margins for this reason,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n However, from Rs1m in its pilot year, annual sales from Nestle BISP sales agents have increased to Rs169m today.<\/p>\n Similar models have been adopted by multinational companies worldwide and in South Asia. A prime example is Unilever\u2019s Shakti Amma<\/a> project in India from 2010, which also targeted women from villages and rural areas. Today, there are 160,000 Shakti Ammas<\/em> in India who serve as micro-entrepreneurs and sales agents for the corporation. It has been replicated in countries across the developing world, with our own local variation called the \u2018Guddu Baji<\/a>\u2019 project.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s break down how the project exactly works.<\/p>\n Within the outlined towns and villages, Nestle representatives shortlist women who have the potential to become sales agents. Many, like Yasmin Bibi, already have some experience with sales, or there are women who themselves or whose families run small shops. While there is no scientific criteria, things to look out for include socio-cultural factors, such as families\u2019 permission, community participation, work background, sales potential etc.<\/p>\n In Renala, Abida Tabassum works as the rural territory executive for sales. She is among the key persons guiding the participants through the process \u2014 from recruitment to sales.<\/p>\n Tabassum explained that sometimes, conversations with families make a big difference in removing hesitations and addressing any questions they may have.<\/p>\n The shortlisted sales agents then buy stock from Nestle depending on their purchasing power. In lower-income neighbourhoods, products are mainly sold in sachets, keeping price points and affordability in consideration.<\/p>\n The key products that are targeted for this programme are Everday (tea whitener), Bunyad (powdered milk), and Cerelac. The latter two are mainly products for children to provide nutritious food and supplements. On average, Tabassum said that women are able to buy stock of up to Rs 2,500.<\/p>\n The beneficiaries are then trained on pricing and best sales practices. A crucial aspect of the programme is training the sales agents on nutrition awareness and demand generation for the products within their communities. Additionally, Nestle also organises awareness sessions on nutrition for mothers and residents. Tabassum explained that in areas where these sessions have been conducted, demand for Nestle Bunyad and Cerelac has gone up significantly.<\/p>\n Sajida Jafar, a micro-entrepreneur from Renala who sold vegetables and other items on a cart, would ask customers if they had children at home and would advise them to buy \u201cCerelac or the iron-rich Bunyad for deficient children\u201d.<\/p>\n Sales agents fall under three categories under the programme. The first are micro-distributors. Microdistribution is a sales category that mainly serves rural areas that are difficult to reach with existing distribution channels. Micro-distributors serve as the connection between companies and retailers by providing stock to multiple retailers in an area. Nestle micro-distributors earn a 3 per cent profit on the stock they sell.<\/p>\n The second category is the retailers or shop owners. Under the Nestle BISP programme, retailers earn a larger profit margin compared to regular retailers.<\/p>\n Under the third category fall the door-to-door sales agents, or women who buy stock and sell it from their homes. Many micro-distributors also do both \u2014 sell to other retailers and sell products directly to the consumer \u2014 the latter allows them to earn a higher cumulative profit. Sajida bibi is one such entrepreneur. She runs her own shop and distributes products to 12 other stores in her area.<\/p>\n Mushtaq estimates that of the current 3,000 beneficiaries, 40-50pc are shop owners while the remainder are door-door-sales agents or micro-distributors.<\/p>\n Nestle has also partnered with Akhuwat, a non-profit organisation that provides interest-free microfinance loans. Through this partnership, beneficiaries looking to upscale or start their businesses are provided with loans averaging Rs15,000 to buy Nestle stock.<\/p>\n Mushtaq explained that Nestle provided Akhuwat with Rs2 million to redistribute as loans. \u201cSince this is not an area we have expertise in, we took Akhuwat on board,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAkhuwat has strict standards and mechanisms to provide loans and their recovery rate is exceptional. During our project, we have not had a single case where a beneficiary has defaulted on her loan.\u201d<\/p>\n Akhuwat runs background checks, such as determining the ability to repay loans or whether the beneficiary or their family owes loans to other people or organisations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recommend people for loans but the selection is an entirely independent process. We do not interfere with it,\u201d said Mushtaq. So far, 250 participants have taken loans from Akhuwat while about 750 applicants have been rejected.<\/p>\n For Yasmin Bibi, the biggest blessing to come out of her financial stability is that her children are now able to go to school. The journey, however, has not been easy. Her husband, Asif who stood next to her, joked, \u201cIf we start telling you about the challenges, you won\u2019t be able to listen\u201d.<\/p>\n He pointed towards his now-cemented home adjoining the shop and said, \u201cWe did not have a roof over our head or four walls around us. Our family had separated us from our home. We had a makeshift roof made of bamboo. We started selling candies and that is when appi<\/em> Nasreen (Abida\u2019s predecessor) came to us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were very poor. I thank Allah for giving us a livelihood.\u201d<\/p>\n A year after enrolling in the programme, Yasmin also began placing other products in her shop. Today, her shop makes sales of about Rs60,000, a large percentage of which are Nestle sales. With her daughter\u2019s wedding coming up, she has also added freshly cooked samosas<\/em> and pakoras<\/em> to her shop to gain extra income.<\/p>\n She proudly ushered her way inside to show her currently under-construction home. \u201cWe are making renovations here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n And yet, the programme has not been as transformative for all. For some, it has given a nominal increase in their monthly income at best.<\/p>\n Asiya* from Renala now owns three shops. Her husband started the business when he was diagnosed with an illness and had to leave his job in a factory. Her shop was already running well and for her, Nestle profits amount to a mere Rs1,000-1,500, including sales from the relatively higher-in-demand fruit juices.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople from the village prefer fresh milk, they have cows in their homes,\u201d she said, explaining that Everyday does not have a huge demand in her area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe earnings I get from Nestle are much less compared to other, local products such as fruit, paapar<\/em>, vegetables, which have higher profit margins,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n Sajida Bibi, on the other hand, recounted her journey from where she began. \u201cBefore this, there was only poverty. My husband was diagnosed with a heart condition and was unable to work. All our savings went towards his treatment. My children were unable to go to school. My eldest daughter had to miss out on two years of her schooling. Even our relatives stopped visiting us because they thought \u2018they are just going to ask for money\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Sajida decided to take matters into her own hands and began selling products on her husband\u2019s cart. This is when Nestle approached her. \u201cThey told me, \u2018buy these products from us. God will give you barakah<\/em>\u2019. At first, I only bought one string each of Everyday, Bunyad and Cerelac.\u201d<\/p>\n Her sales gradually grew higher and today she owns a store and distributes stock to the other shops in her area. Her children are back in school and her daughter has started ninth grade.<\/p>\n Lubna Mushtaq had a similar story. Hailing from Chak 5 in Okara, her husband too was unable to work due to an illness. Nestle approached her and sold a small amount of products to her. She proudly said: \u201cToday I have boxed products as well [not just strings of sachets]. I am able to make sales of up to Rs60,000 of which I get about a Rs6,000 profit from Nestle alone. I also have other products and fruits and vegetables at my shop. I provide stock to other shops in the area too with my son on our donkey cart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have also employed a shopkeeper to look after the store. My shop is still running while I am here,\u201d she smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a much better position than we were before. My husband is happy too. My kids are doing much better. I am doing much better.\u201d<\/p>\n While Nestle sales alone have not been sufficient to run a household for many, the programme has allowed women to set up and upscale their businesses by adding more products with time, or for others such as door-to-door sales agents, it has been a source of supplementary income to support their households.<\/p>\n In a male-dominated society, women running businesses, especially a business that requires going outside the home or interacting with other people \u2014 particularly other men \u2014 has raised eyebrows. But the support has been greater.<\/p>\n Lubna Bibi recounted the words she would sometimes have to hear: \u201cyeh kya tum mardon mein jaati ho, mardon mein meeting karti ho<\/em>.\u201d [What is this going out among men and meeting with men?].<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Officers come and you to go to shops with them\u2019 they\u2019d say. But my husband would say, \u2018it\u2019s okay. I have given her permission myself to go. We have to work, we can\u2019t stay hungry\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like anyone else is going to take care of us. Fine, if anyone wants to give us money, we won\u2019t do this,\u201d said Lubna.<\/p>\n Lubna said seeing women running businesses has made a change. Her daughter looks up to her and wants to run a shop as well after finishing her education.<\/p>\n Sajida too has been on the receiving end of unkind comments. \u201cPeople say, \u2018yeh kya drama kar rahi hai?<\/em>\u2019 [What is this drama?] Some people don\u2019t even let the women in their families meet me out of fear that they might want to do the same or might learn something from me.<\/p>\n \u201cOthers are more supportive. They say it is good that I am earning and supporting my children.\u201d<\/p>\n In a lesser-common example, Salma Bibi from Renala Khurd, inherited the business from her in-laws. Her mother-in-law had been running a small store on the ground floor of her home along with her husband since 1985. When her mother-in-law got injured and could not work anymore, Salma Bibi and her husband took over.<\/p>\n A few years ago, Nestle approached her: \u201cAbija baji came to us and explained the programme to us very nicely. We then started selling Nestle Bunyad and their other products.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe also run a milk business. But Everyday is still quite popular. We ourselves use Everday for tea at home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince we kept Nestle products, our sales increased quite a bit and we are doing much better now, Alhamdulillah. I have six daughters and all of them are studying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Salma Bibi is also one of the beneficiaries who secured a loan from Akhuwat to upscale her business. \u201cWhen they saw our shop and how well it is doing, they gave us a loan of Rs40,000,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n People around her too have criticised her for running a business. Her husband, however, has remained a source of great support. \u201cEven today, when I had to come here with Abida baji, he said go. Whenever Abida baji calls you, you should definitely go,\u201d she said, with great admiration towards Abida.<\/p>\n Lubna chimed in, \u201cOther than the sales, this has given us great confidence and self-esteem. We are able to answer and interact with people confidently.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the number of female entrepreneurs is quite limited as compared to their male counterparts, becoming financially able has allowed women to become stronger, productive members of the community, countering stereotypes and persisting through challenges.<\/p>\n It has given young girls the ability to dream bigger, to think that they too can be entrepreneurs and take up roles traditionally reserved for men.<\/p>\n Importantly, this has given women the ability to be in positions where they are able to help and uplift other women.<\/p>\n Sajida pointed to a young woman in a black chaadar<\/em>. \u201cHer husband has recently left his job. She has three kids. I told her, take some stock from me, you can pay me back later. Just take it with you and try to sell it,\u201d said Sajida.<\/p>\n Even though the woman lives only two streets down from Sajida\u2019s shop (and her home), she encouraged her to start and told her she would help her along the way.<\/p>\n Within the ambits of capitalist development, the project seems to be achieving what it is set out to. It is creating shared value for both, the corporation itself while also generating income and livelihoods for rural women. As a result, women have been able to not only become self-sufficient but also decision-makers and active members of their communities while setting examples for young girls.<\/p>\n *The beneficiary\u2019s name has been changed for anonymity.<\/strong><\/p>\n Header image:<\/strong> Yasmin bibi showing the products available in her store. \u2014 Photo courtesy: Nestle Pakistan<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lubna says seeing women running businesses has created a change. Her daughter looks up to her and says she wants to run a shop as well after finishing her education. In a small town some two hours away from Lahore, Yasmin Bibi proudly welcomed us to her shop in Renala Khurd right outside her home. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2023\/10\/271632038f7bddc.jpg?r=163216","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Goodwill or profit?<\/h2>\n
How does it work?<\/h2>\n
Akhuwat microfinance loans<\/h2>\n
Towards better lives<\/h2>\n
Challenges and support<\/h2>\n
Empowered women empower women<\/h2>\n