On October 13, 2021, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), School of Commerce, organized an event that had stalls by various NGOs been put up in the quadrangle to commemorate Enactus Day 2021. Invited NGOs presented their goods and services on the campus during the event to promote themselves and gather essential resources. The event was organized under the supervision of Nikhil M.S., Assistant Professor, Faculty Advisor, Enactus, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University). Enactus Day 2021 had Ms. Nalini Shekar, Co-Founder of Hasiru-Dala, as the chief guest.

Ms. Nalini delivered an impactful speech, which commenced with, “I will not go down when people say something negative. I will not go up when people praise me. I will be stable.” She mentioned that rag pickers should not be called names but referred to as robust entrepreneurs by pointing out that they significantly contribute to the environment; she called them silent environmentalists. She recalled how in earlier days when she would deliver speeches in various institutions, there were negative connotations attached to who a waste picker is, and she did acknowledge that over years people’s attitude towards them has changed positively. She then mentioned how in her organization, they focus on improving the situation in which these waste-pickers work. The NGO provides them with a sustainable form of income in a sustainable waste management space. She also said that although they have faced many hardships through the years, they are still going strong with 10 years in and more than 26,000 workers. She said, “Social entrepreneurship is not just providing employees income (ESI or PF) but creating a long-lasting positive impact beyond that.” She concluded that the criticism and backlash faced are immense when it comes to social entrepreneurship and that one must stick to their principle.

Participants (NGOs)

Bosco Mane: The NGO rescues street children and provides them educational opportunities. They have nine centers across Bangalore. They run orphanages, homestays, awareness programs, and hostels for girls. They rescue homeless children and send them over to ChildLine.

Astha Sakthi: One of the leading NGOs of childcare fund. They have two centers in Karnataka and 19 centers all over India. They believe that food is the gateway to good health and education. The NGO focuses on serving the underprivileged and economically deprived through their NUTRI-ED program thereby providing opportunities for education, skill development, economic rehabilitation, and social integration.

Yelneer Katte: They make authentic tender coconut shakes by utilizing every part of the coconut (water, malai, shell, etc). The drinks are prepared following the guidelines of a nutritionist. The products are completely organic, vegan, and environmental-friendly. They have franchises all over Bangalore.

I love to Care Charitable Trust India (Nithya Saadhana): The NGO trains young adults above the age of 17 with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Some of the training services provided are electronic sub-assembly, office assistantship, special educator assistantship, etc. Focus is given to overall development with guidance in functional English, maths, time, and money concepts.

Suruchi: Works for uplifting the women in slums and villages. They provide self-employment training. They promote and provide marketing support to self-help groups.

Samarthana: A trust for the disabled, founded in 1997, is India’s leading NGO that works towards facilitating opportunities to enable persons with disabilities as also the under-served to keep pace with the rest of the society by providing quality education, accommodation, nutritious food, vocational training, and placement based rehabilitation.

Enactus Day 2021 was a grand success and turned out to be extremely beneficial to the participating NGOs in raising awareness about their work and obtaining resources.