Sustainable skills
Kamal Nayak and his friends are training the less privileged in skills that will help them eke out a livelihood.
When Kamal Nayak and his friends actively participated in various activities, occasionally collaborating with NGOs to bring about some kind of change in the slum areas of the city, they realised that a lack of sustainability meant the initiatives had little or no impact at all.
“For any social activity, you have to first ensure that it will make an impact. What’s the use of an activity that brings no change in the lives of people who you aim to help out,” questions Kamal. It is this very thought that gave birth to Charity Cake, an unassuming cake store in the bylanes of Kondapur, started by his team’s NGO Good Universe.
Having started off five months ago, they now deliver an 30-50 cakes a day, alongside brownies, muffins and other bakery items to several MNCs in the city. But what’s more interesting is the motivation behind it and the way the place is run.
“After visiting slums and meeting people for several years now, one thing is clear People need a livelihood, and education isn’t really an option for them. They have families to care for, and that compels them to work. And that’s how this began. I realised people have the will to work, but lack the skill. The aim is not to sell but to train these people well. We have hired a few unemployed and keen individuals, who we pay on an everyday basis, as they learn on the job,” he explains.
Interestingly, things have kicked off to a point where they are now self-sustaining. “It was the proceeds from a cake sale we had done for New Years that started this venture. With Rs 40,000 in hand and contributions from all of us, we invested in this place. All the equipment we bought was pre used. Then, we brought in a professional chef to look after the proceedings and train people,” he elaborates.
But the team is really keen to go big. “We are happy with the progress so far, but don’t want to stop here. Opening more branches would be a great idea. Also, right now, not many people know about the store, and we have very few over-the-counter sales as we mostly do deliveries. We’d like to increase our product range too so that we can employ more people and train them in wider skills. A new chai stall with samosas is being set up outside our store soon,” shares an excited Kamal.
So, what is the impact of this endeavour? “Well, the fact that we are training people in skills alongside helping them make a livelihood is the best feeling ever. When time goes by, they can depend on themselves and the skills they have acquired. What more do we want?” he asks, as he adds, “There’s a lot more to do though! We’ll get there soon.”