GDL - Piramal Foundation » Technology

Source for Change Completes Web Research / Data Entry Work for US-based Real Estate Firm

GDL Admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:33:08 +0000

BAGAR, RAJASTHAN, INDIA (24 December 2009) – Source for Change (SFC), a company established through the Ajay G. Piramal Foundation, completes the 17^th IT-based project in the company’s history. The most recent project was for UrboCorp, a real estate firm based in Houston, Texas, USA. The client needed comprehensive research from multiple websites regarding 1800 acres of residential properties located in Houston, Texas to be compiled into a central informational database.

“We were extremely excited to execute on a project that required detailed web research. As always, we applied our rigorous quality checking procedures and delivered a high quality product to the client.” says Shrot Katewa, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Source for Change.

SFC saved UrboCorp hundreds of hours allowing the company to focus on its core competencies. According to Mr. Tom McCasland, the owner of UrboCorp, his company benefited financially due to the reduced cost of the project. A similar project completed in a major Indian metro costs 30-40% more. Mr. McCasland was pleasantly surprised by both the quality and the cost of the project completed by Source for Change. The project began on October 6, 2009 and the final product was delivered ahead of schedule on November 26, 2009.

“The quality of the final product, the professionalism of the staff, and the rapid completion of the project all exceeded my most optimistic expectations,” says Mr. McCasland. “Because UrboCorp is a startup company with limited staff, Source for Change provided the perfect partner for completing a large web-based data entry project that was crucial to the growth of my company. Working with Source for Change and the women that it employs in rural India has reinforced my deeply held belief that doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive concepts for businesses with vision, creativity and a social conscious.”

Source for Change is a solutions provider for business process services with a strong emphasis on quality which is creating tremendous efficiency gains for businesses. Now in its second year of operation, SFC offers its clients high quality outsourcing solutions with a competitive cost advantage by unifying three processes: people, quality, and innovation. SFC has completed 17 projects for 9 clients. Most clients have been from India, but UrboCorp is the fourth foreign client. Previously, The University of Maryland (USA), University of California, Los Angeles (USA), and Reel Colour Studios (UK) have all benefited from Source for Change’s industry leading quality assurance practices.

Source for Change, incubated by the Ajay G. Piramal Foundation, has its center in Bagar, Rajasthan. SFC works alongside the women of rural India in delivering the highest level of quality to our global clients while creating opportunities for educated women to learn new skills and develop their professional abilities. Providing employment opportunities for women is a way of tapping dormant talent, as there is much potential but few opportunities for professional women in rural areas. From thorough IT training to efficient project delivery, our business model operates on competitive cost and high quality while creating social impact.

BEI Use N-Computing Technology

kaushal — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:06:43 +0000

BEI has shifted to a new building. It is situated in front of the Piramal Boy’s Sen. Sec. School. It was inaugurated on Piramal Jayanthi Day, 18^th November, 2008.

Additionally, we have installed a relatively new technology, N-Computing, in the computer lab. It is cost effective because one computer is used to power three additional displays/stations through the N- Computing terminal. It also saves on electricity.

Bagar’s Own Website!

stephaniesearles — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:00:05 +0000

Hello!

I am writing to officially inform you that Bagar now has its very own identity on the worldwide web at www.bagar.org. Because of your generous contribution to the Grassroots Development Lab and the town of Bagar, you are the best person to assess the site’s success in capturing the true essence of the town.

BagarLive! is a virtual space that is meant to bring Bagar to the attention of the entire world. This is the only place on the web dedicated solely to Bagar, its people, potential volunteers, and to tourists.
Please visit the website and take a look around at everything it has to offer– from its rich culture to a local school directory and legends of the town. Among the site’s multiple purposes, it will not only help those who have worked or lived in Bagar to keep track of its recent progress , but will also help bring tourists from India and abroad to this unique and colorful town. Content in Hindi will be released in the coming days.

Once you have clicked through, please feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions you have for the site. I can be reached at stephals@sas.upenn.edu.
Thanks for your time and I hope that you find www.bagar.org to be helpful, educational, and inspiring.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Searles
BagarLive! Project Manager
Piramal Foundation Grassroots Development Laboratory
Summer 2008

Source For Change makes the news again!

Ashish — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:39:24 +0000

Source For Change makes a splash in the local newspapers. On the occassion of the opening of their new offices and computer lab, the SFC associates were interviewed. Read their inspiring story in this article entitled “Source For Change made us independent”.

The Newspaper:

The article:

Bagar Live!

stephaniesearles — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:31:48 +0000

For the past month, I have been working on creating a website for Bagar, a way to bring the identity of this lively town to the worldwide web. I have spent my days walking around the village, taking pictures and also talking to as many people as possible about the culture and history of this town. The other day, I spent (a very warm) morning walking around talking with Manalal Ji, a retired army veteran from Bagar who told me about some of Bagar’s history and interesting sites. Together with my partner Anurag Dutta, the technological backbone of the website, we have been able to begin to create a virtual space for Bagar at www.bagar.org. Now, the site features information for citizens, visitors, and volunteers. There is an article about the history of Bagar as well as a list of frequently asked questions about the town and a photo gallery. Coming soon will be a directory for schools and businesses in Bagar as well as lots of other resources and information. Keep checking for updates!

One of the goals of this website is to attract tourists to the town. This will allow people to experience just how great Bagar has become and will also help boost the economy here. Also, www.bagar.org is a great resource for volunteers who are considering coming to work at GDL. Within the next few weeks, certain projects will have their own pages on the site and will easily be able to make updates based on their latest achievements and accomplishments.

Tell everyone you know about www.bagar.org and take a look yourself at what is soon to become the best website for any rural town in the world!

Photos of the computer lab

Ashish — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:40:07 +0000

While usually there aren’t too many exciting photo opportunities inside a computer lab, here’s a couple of photos of students working intently

Afternoon batch restarted after month-long break; concern area now the first two batches

Ashish — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:40:04 +0000

The computer classes are coming out of an initial adjustment period. Our new teacher has been slowly but surely gaining familiarity with the students, the material and our practical & demo-focused teaching methodology. The students are largely being patient and getting used to this, but providing critical feedback in order to to help make the experience better for everyone.
The afternoon batch (2-4pm) was restarted mid-April after a month-long break while most students gave their exams (note: While none of the students are in college, nearly all of them are studying through correspondence). There has definitely been some loss of learning in that one month, and catch-up classes were taken to rebuild their understanding of fundamentals.
The effect of this month-long gap was probably most evident in the results of the Unit I (Fundamentals) test that was administered, with the Evening batch doing much better on average. Based on learnings from the first two batches, and brainstorming among GDL staff, we have decided to implement a dual test approach. Students are administered a surprise preliminary test after each unit. The results are then compiled, and general gaps identified. After covering these topics, the students are given the ‘real’ test within the week. This way, we ensure that students learn, and still meet our high standards for passing (currently at 80%).
The other main reason is that is also helps us avoid doing catch-up classes after the batch is over. Nowhere is this challenge more felt than with the first two batches, who finished their final exams just before college exam season started. The results show that only one student actually passed the course, and now it is becoming quite difficult to find a common time to bring all the students from these batches in, do catch-up courses with them and re-administer the tests.
Next week promises to be another round of tests, as well as our first set of structured one-on-one Personal Meetings, guided by the test results and a feedback form filled by the student.

New trainer in computer class, new class being offered

Ashish — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:30:05 +0000

This week brought on a few exciting changes to the computer class.
Most notably, a new trainer from Jaipur joined us. It is an exciting development for the computer classes and the Bagar Employment Institute (BEI – umbrella org for our vocational training) because he brings dedication, knowledge and creativity to the program. His first week has been promising, with most students responding really well to him. As he is gets more familiar with our training style, he will be a real asset to BEI going forward. Our previous instructor is actively helping with his transition as he himself moves on to a new role in helping set up our new initiative – Bagar Employment Exchange (BEX).
The other major development is a new class being offered: “Introduction to the Internet” – a 6 day, 2 hours a day crash course on navigation the World Wide Web, searching for relevant content, communicating through emails and conversing through ‘chat’ programs. The idea for this course was presented by students of our Spoken English/Retail class, who had completed a basic computer literacy course but did not have exposure to the Internet.
BEI in general is preparing itself for the summer rush, as the exam season in Bagar starts to wrap-up.

Business Development for Source for Change

Gagan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:10:03 +0000

Business Development for Source for Change continues to be a challenge. Initially, I had expected marketing for our all-women run rural BPO to be much easier than actually training women who had no previous computer experience. I have unfortunately found the opposite to be true. The women are typing at 40 words per minute, have success in implementing projects and are dramatically improving their English. Despite these successes, our BPO continues the search for longer-tern relationships that can help sustain and scale the Source for Change model. The biggest challenge to date in terms of marketing has been to reach out to decision-makers for data-entry projects and make Source for Change a sustainable enterprise.

In order to market Source for Change, I have now started to reach out to personal contacts in the United States, in addition to domestic contacts such as NGO’s, governmental agencies, market research firms, and larger BPOs. Looking forward to next week, I seek to finish the Source for Change website, send out the brochure to friends & family and follow-up with my personal and professional network for project procurement.

Students see clear and direct benefit from Personality Development classes

Ashish — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:40:09 +0000

After a month of relatively low-levels of excitement in the class, the personality development classes have provided positive energy and change. In the recent lessons, students were prepared for the interview, with guidelines and success tips on pre-interview preparation, behavior at the interview and follow-up. As one of the best ways to prepare is to step into the interviewer’s shoes, the exercise at the end involved students interviewing other students. There was a stark improvement in the interviewing abilities of the students, and the students proved to themselves that despite of technical skills or ability, your presentation abilities at the interview table make it a level playing field.
Conversations began this week at a larger BEI level to deal with remedial classes, something very relevant to us given the results of the Excel test. Right now options being considered are allowing students to take final exams again, plus remedial efforts along the way. Considering the highest grade on the Excel test was 86% (pass was 80%), a rescaling of this particular test may be in order.
In other exciting news, broadband was commercially released this week in Bagar by BSNL. GDL has obtained phone line, and arrival of broadband is imminent by next week. .