BDT UPDATES

Dear Friends,

Greetings from BDT!!!

It has been long time since I wrote and shared BDT updates with you. Its has been an eventful last six months for Bihar Development Trust. We survived micro finance scare and are emerging as Livelihood institutions. The debt freeze to micro finance industry was biggest threat to BDT survival which forced the acceleration of livelihood programmes. Besides running a well managed micro finance programme, We are now implementing three established livelihood programmes with dedicated team and resources.

Weavers Livelihood Programme is supporting livelihood of 100 weavers in two clusters in Bhagalpur.
Farmers Livelihood Programme is supporting livelihoods of 1500 farmers in three blocks of Aurangabad district.
Bamboo Livelihood Programme is supporting livelihoods of 500 SHG members and 200 Bamboo growers in Kahalgaon Bhagalpur.

BDT is providing institution building, bank linkage, credit linkage, technical training, technology transfer, governance and accountability training, marketing linkage ,infrastructure development welfare work etc through these livelihood programmes with grant and loan received by it from various donors and lenders. These programmes will support 3000 families this year.

We are repositioning BDT as a livelihood promotion institution with direct implementation. BDT is promoting a sustainable model in which founder entrepreneurs, producers, employees, investors have win-win relationship. All the stakeholders will be given proportionate shareholding in private limited company. The producer will be organised and registered into various legal entities which can own share in the proposed private limited marketing company. The concept is that producer focus on production which they know best and we focus on marketing linkage and branding in which we are gaining strength day by day. We are limiting our focus to weavers, farmer and bamboo based livelihood and scaling it up. For this only, BDT has been awarded as one of the winner in Development Marketplace 2011 organised by The World Bank, IFC & The World Bank Institute.

We have a new look of our website www.bihardev.org and would request you to visit it to know more about our model and work.

This year BDT balance sheet size is Rs.2.29 crore with a micro finance loan outstanding portfolio of Rs. 1.15 crore and revenue of Rs.82 lakh and while it received grant support of Rs.16 lakh approximately which was spent as per objective of grants.

BDT is well linked to buyers and has more demand that it can meet for bamboo sticks, stoles, fabrics, vermicompost etc. BDT need working capital support to grow these programmes through internal accruals and surpluses. Besides, those connected to donors/lenders circuit can help BDT by lending it loan for working capital purpose of Rs. 10 Million this year. We have viable business plan for each of livelihood programmes and these can be shared to interested people. These loans will support livelihood of 3000 producer families through wage, purchase of raw materials and finished goods and surplus sharing.

Appeal for Donations:
For these initiatives to grow and support more and more livelihoods, BDT needs financial support from you. Each one of you can support livelihood of one weavers , farmers or SHG members by contributing 10,000 rupees towards vermicompost pit construction for a farmer, bamboo processing slicing machine for a SHG group or improving the hand looms for a weavers. You will be linked to one producer which will receive your support and interact with him over phone and his/her story will be updated on website.

BDT has been supported by AIACA, SDTT, AIF, NABARD,FWWB, BASIX, RGVN, TMN,FORD FOUNDATION,SBI, PNB,INDIAN BANK,SIDBI, Union Bank, Ananya Finance and many more over last four year. BDT is very grateful to these donors and lending agencies for their support.

BDT epitomises the spirit of a survivor and has been live example of the phrase '' what does not kill you makes you stronger''. Over the last four year, we have grown stronger and stronger with the support of your wishes. We wish to hear back from you. Please write back to us on bihardev@gmail.com.

With Best Wishes

Dr. Ravi Chandra
Managing Trustee & Chief Finance Officer
9771438191