“Empowering Rural Youths to Become Entrepreneurs through Saathi Hubs Management trainings”
Gram Vikas organized a four-day Saathi Hub Management Training for newly formed Saathi Hubs from 19th to 22nd and 23rd to 26th May 2026 at Mohuda, Berhampur to strengthen local entrepreneurship and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural youth. The training was designed for Gram Vikas Saathi (GVS) fellows who had successfully completed their fellowship and were now preparing to transition into self-reliant community enterprises. A total of 45 participants from Anchalika Vikas Saathi Hub (Daringbadi), Ekta Pravah Saathi Hub (Surada), and Samrudhi Saathi Hub (Tumba) attended the programme.
The training led by Ms. Beena Mahesan, CEO of Agratas GlobalBiz, along with Mr. Stephen Titus and Ms. Bindu, the training focused on equipping participants with the practical knowledge and skills required to establish, manage, and sustain group-based enterprises. The programme aimed to transform experienced community volunteers into local entrepreneurs capable of providing professional services while generating livelihoods for themselves and their communities.
Major Key Components focused in the Trainings:
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The sessions encouraged participants to understand the advantages of collective entrepreneurship, identify market opportunities, assess customer needs, and develop service-based business models. Through discussions, exercises, and real-life examples, participants explored how group enterprises can reduce risks, pool diverse skills, and create stronger business opportunities compared to individual efforts. They reflected on their own experiences of working in communities and began recognizing the potential of converting their knowledge and field experience into viable enterprise services.
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A key learning area was understanding customer segments and designing services based on local demand. Participants mapped potential customers within their villages and identified services that could be offered through their Saathi Hubs. This process helped them assess their existing strengths in community mobilization, record keeping, technical support, and facilitation, while also identifying areas requiring further development such as communication, financial management, and business planning.
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The training also focused on building essential business management skills. Participants learned how to maintain financial records, prepare service catalogues and rate cards, estimate costs and profits, manage client relationships, and develop business plans. Through group exercises, they prepared enterprise ideas rooted in their local context and explored strategies for generating revenue through professional services.
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An important component of the programme was introducing participants to the legal and institutional requirements of formal enterprise development. Sessions on LLP incorporation, governance systems, bye-laws, taxation, and statutory compliance helped demystify the process of establishing a registered group enterprise. For many participants, this was their first exposure to formal business registration procedures and organizational management practices.
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The training brought together members from various Gram Vikas Saathi cadres, including Samajik Surakhya Saathi, Jalabandhu, Poshan Mitra, Jeevika Mitra, Yuva Saathi, Village Lekha Mitra, and Gram Udyog Mitra. By analysing their collective skills, experiences, and existing work portfolios, participants realized the value of collaboration in building a diversified enterprise capable of offering multiple services. The exercise demonstrated how combining different competencies within a single Saathi Hub can enhance service quality, expand market opportunities, and improve income generation.
By the end of the programme, participants showed increased confidence in planning and managing enterprises. More importantly, they began to view the Saathi Hubs not merely as groups of former fellows but as emerging community-owned enterprises with the potential to create local employment, provide professional services, and promote self-reliance among rural youth. The training laid the foundation for transforming grassroots leadership into sustainable entrepreneurship, enabling Saathi Hub members to become agents of economic development within their own communities.
