About the Fellowship

The Prime Sauramandala Rural Entrepreneurship Fellowship (PSERF) program is envisioned to build an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and pre-incubation at the district and block level in rural Meghalaya. Utilising the power of collaboration and partnership, the fellowship aims to plug various critical gaps persistent in rural Meghalaya like the lack of educated human capital in rural Meghalaya, the unawareness of entrepreneurship support mechanisms and the general inclination toward government jobs. It aims towards creating block-wise champions among the youth who can carry the entrepreneurship thought and spirit forward in their communities.

About PRIME Meghalaya

The Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises (PRIME) is a comprehensive program of the Government of Meghalaya that looks at enterprise promotion and incubation in a holistic manner.

About Sauramandala

Sauramandala Foundation is a non-profit established in 2018 with a focus on improving economic and social indicators in remote, vulnerable and disconnected communities through collaborative action.

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Structure of the fellowship

The fellowship is envisioned to have a structure as below

  • During the fellowship, a unit of 1 fellow and 2 associates will be placed in a block
  • The duration of the fellowship is 12 months. At the end of the 12th month, the new cohort of associates will join. 
  • 2 associates will work together with 1 fellow as a unit in one block. The associates will help the fellows in contextualising the local dynamics & cultural aspects of the problem statements.
  • The fellowship will have a heavy field and problem statement focus with relevant workshops and capacity building at the start, mid and end of the year.
  • The fellows and associates will be aided by the core fellowship team that helps build partnerships, raise funds and build channels.

Whom are we looking for

  • Good with digital tools like MS Office / Google apps. 
  • Critical thinking and design thinking skills
  • Should exhibit self-awareness, empathy and a passion for social change
  • Self-starter and ability to take initiatives
  • An outgoing personality enjoys working and staying in rural settings

What you will do as an associate

  • Understand the scenario of entrepreneurship in the allocated block
    • Conduct surveys, discussions etc to gather data 
    • Design surveys, PRA tools etc for data collection
    • Analysis of the data
    • Identify gaps and problem statements
    • Conduct periodic workshops and community events where issues are discussed
  • Design solutions based on identified problem statements
    • Co-design solutions with communities and through partnerships with other organizations & agencies
    • Implement pilots
    • Iterate and build based on pilot results
    • Co-create business plans and models 
    • Prepare schedules, budgets, proposals, work plans etc as required
  • Provide handholding support to entrepreneurs
    • Conduct need assessments
    • Support the entrepreneurs in supply & value chain management, market linkages, and branding &marketing.
    • Organize events such as workshops, skill sessions, or new experiences relevant to the capacity building of the entrepreneurs
  • Capacity Building & Skilling
    • Communicate with the fellowship team on the requirement of any capacity-building support,
    • Consult with on-boarded experts and other relevant stakeholders on planned projects,
    • Share learnings & insights from the field with co-fellows, associates & core fellowship team.
  • Communication,  Reporting & Operations
    • Provide reports to the fellowship team as instructed,
    • Attend review workshops/ team meetings and brainstorming sessions as and when communicated by the fellowship team
  • Share insights and reports with government line departments as needed,
  • Provide communication collaterals like  case stories/ photographs & footage from the field as asked by the fellowship team,
  • Support the fellowship team in arranging for field visits of funders/ project partners or other relevant stakeholders as communicated to.

What you get out of the fellowship

  • Rural immersion and an opportunity to drive impact by co-designing and co-creating solutions at the grassroots.
  • Mentoring sessions and networking opportunities,
  • Exposure and an opportunity to work with administration at the district and state level to drive policy, advocacy and sustained change,
  • Build expertise to start your own enterprise post-fellowship,
  • Add value to line departments or organisations in the region,
  • Build a career in the development or social sector.

Eligibility

The following are the minimum eligibility criteria for application to the PRIME fellowship program.

  • Graduate/Postgraduate in any discipline (Freshers accepted). 
  • First demonstrated project, research or field work experience related to rural development, entrepreneurship, agri-business, incubation or startups.  
  • Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage a variety of tasks simultaneously and demonstrated ability to review and prioritise work independently and effectively
  • Strong interpersonal skills and stakeholder management.
  • Ability to maintain a calm and positive attitude and to work productively with heavy workloads, competing priorities, complex problems, and tight deadlines.

Remuneration and Stipends

  • A stipend of ₹30,000 per month will be provided to the associated during their 12-month fellowship tenure.

How to Apply

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