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Innovative Partnerships at the forefront of Charcha 2024

On August 20, 2024 more than 200 speakers and over 3,000 participants converged in New Delhi for Charcha ‘24: India’s largest collaborative event that brought together visionaries, change-makers, and thought leaders made up of government, civil society, and foundation representatives from across the Global South. Through workshops, panels, and masterclasses, The/Nudge Institute organizers created an energizing and engaging space for participants to put their heads together to present solutions and debate on a wide range of topics centered around 12 themes; everything from climate resilience and rural livelihoods to women’s empowerment and social entrepreneurship.

Representing BOMA for the second consecutive year, CEO Dr. Sam Owilly, who was accompanied by Sr. Director of Development Anjum Khalidi, spoke on two distinct panels, providing insight from an East African/Kenya perspective on the themes of scaling green entrepreneurship and institutionalizing economic inclusion. This year BOMA was honored to be joined by Madam Lynett Ochuma, the Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection, Government of Kenya (GoK), a staunch advocate of women’s empowerment and a key champion of BOMA’s partnership with the Government of Kenya.

During Day One’s “Scaling Green Entrepreneurship” session, Dr. Owilly and Madam Lynett were joined by our partners from the IKEA Foundation along with members from the Government of India’s Green Jobs Sector Skill Council and Intellecap/CAIF to discuss how microentrepreneurship can tackle big issues like climate change and youth unemployment. While green entrepreneurship is not a new topic, especially in places like Kenya and India where populations are disproportionately affected by climate change, speakers shared success stories from both contexts, which are ripe for scale.

Dr. Owilly stated, “It is gratifying to be in a dialogue in the Global South and see collaboration in practice, with the payer and the doer at the same table. At BOMA, we are committed to climate resilience and encourage women and marginalized communities to start climate-positive businesses and green entrepreneurship that can create an inclusive value system.” Arpit Sharma and Madam Lynett took the opportunity to highlight the policies their respective governments have been putting in place to lower carbon emissions in India, and fight rising youth unemployment in Kenya, issues that continue to make international headlines given their widespread impact across both countries. Despite the over 3,000-mile difference between countries, the session provided an opportunity to delve into the similar challenges facing large swaths of both populations, and the innovative thinking that is urgently needed.

On the last day of the convening, BOMA joined its partners from the GoK, BRAC, the Gates Foundation (BMGF), J-PAL, and The/Nudge Institute for a special session titled “Sunsetting Extreme Vulnerability: Institutionalizing Economic Inclusion for the Rural Poor.” In 2005, the founder of BOMA adapted the BRAC graduation model to meet the needs of those living in the drylands of Africa. Dr. Owilly’s opening remarks emphasized that “Eradicating extreme poverty is not a project. It’s a journey, it’s a mission. And we can only achieve it with partners – the philanthropic community, the researchers, and the government.” He also reiterated the climate resilience building aspect of our work with a warning to governments and program designers alike that “We now live in a world where we can no longer address poverty in isolation from climate vulnerability,” a stark reminder of the challenges that face many countries throughout the Global South struggling with both issues. Madam Lynett, who has been a pioneer of social protection programs and policy for over a decade, spoke to the importance of data in creating inclusive targeting for government-led economic programming. The GoK’s single, enhanced registry can now be used by partners, both government and non-state, to properly identify the poorest households, and build programming from the ground up. “Our guiding principle is what we’ll ensure there is equity, inclusion, and no discrimination whatsoever. That makes it an inclusive environment.”  It is this methodology that has allowed our newest program, Kuza Jamii, to create a strong partnership with county and national government to reach 113,900 individuals across eight countries by mid-next year. Fellow panelists Shweta Banerjee (BRAC) and Shobhini Mukerji (J-PAL) highlighted the  extensive evidence of the effectiveness of the poverty graduation model and noted that BOMA’s climate adapted model is at the forefront of innovation. BOMA, in partnership with the IKEA Foundation and Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA) are currently conducting a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) on BOMA’s REAP for Climate Resilience model which is being implemented in Northern Kenya among refugee and host communities. This will provide much needed evidence on the effectiveness of graduation-based programming on climate resilience as well as its ability to deliver a cost-effective model that sustains socio-economic gains. In closing, Dr. Owilly stated: “The opportunity we’ve been given here by The/Nudge Institute is a great one, because sharing experiences in a global South to South dialogue is key; through that we harness ideas, skills, knowledge, and experiences that can help us accelerate the transformation we want to see to exit and lift people out of extreme poverty.”