Grassroot Business Initiatives (GBI)
INDIA
Rural information and communications technology (ICT) - Assam, Bihar and UP: IFC has supported the leading providers of ICT to rural communities, such as Drishtee which has a vast network of kiosks in rural India. The companies supported by IFC have a collective coverage of over 3,000 rural kiosks covering 3,500 villages.
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) - Gujarat: IFC has supported SEWA in extending many of its services to their rural women members. This includes a managers’ training school that has trained 80,000 grassroots cadre in technical and management skills, and the SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre which has provided market access and secure livelihoods for their 15,000 members. IFC is also helping SEWA with the restructuring of their financial and accounting systems.
