Economic Development - Employing the "Untouchables" of India

Exciting times!

2010-08-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since the last update and a LOT has taken place - hold on to your hats!

April:
We secured additional funding from a major partner in India which has stabilized operations for the balance of 2010 and all of 2011!

May - July:
While our India group was preparing to launch the data entry team by securing a facility, beginning to look for available, qualified employees/trainees, internet connections, computer equipment, etc. our main customer was going through a change as well.

This customer was moving their scanning operation from Costa Rica back to the United States and asked us if we wanted a shot at providing this service for them. Did we ever! It is a part of the overall data entry work (it all starts from a piece of paper, then gets scanned, then one does data entry to get the "intelligence" into your systems). So, that's what we did.

Thus launched the US operations: finding a facility, equipment, staffing, etc. to take on this task. Within a month, we were handling production out of the new US facility located in Lakewood, Colorado. Our highest volume day so far has been over 6,000 scans in one day, with expected volumes as high as 15,000 per day. The US ops has 4 employees at this time and we expect to add 3 or 4 more part time folks over the next several months.

Meanwhile back in India:
At this same time, the India team was hired and training began there as well, now in their third week of training with 5 data entry technicians. The team is working with "real" data and images and is excited to be close to doing real production in a week or two.

So, both India and the US operations are underway and growing in capabilities, service quality, knowledge, and all the necessary things businesses do to be a great business partner. The balance of 2010 will be improving our capabilities and service quality as well as our capacity - adding more employees to handle larger volumes of work.

Our major customer has also asked us to look at providing data entry services out of China, which we are investigating. So, perhaps a year from now we'll also be reporting on our new China facility! ;-)

Thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this process of establishing this business not only for the Dalit's of India, but others across the globe and now even in Lakewood, Colorado! Come by and visit our operations if you're close by! I'd love to have you over and give you the nickle tour!

Steve

Business Update

2010-02-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

So, perhaps you do know, but starting a business is no simple task... It all starts with defining what you're going to do and who are the potential, "paying" customers. This is sort of where we are.

We have defined our market to be Nonprofit Organizations, with annual Income (contributions) of between $1M and $10M. Did you know there are over 1M Nonprofits in the US? Well, there are more than 60,000 in our target market. Quite amazing! No surprize, most of the 1M Nonprofits are less than $1M!

So then, WHAT are we going to do for these?

We will do two main things for this group of organizations:

1) Help Nonprofits process checks! We know they receive a lot of them.
2) Help Donors choose HOW they want Nonprofits to communicate with them.

For example:

A typical Nonprofit processes more than a thousand checks each and every month. We want to help them first, automate and try to get those writing checks to do so in an automatic manner so they don't have to send in that check - and save that $.50 stamp. But, for those who continue choosing to mail in a check each month, we want to automate that part of the process too. It's really not that hard and it is very secure, contrary to what people used to think or still do.

Also, we all know the stories of Nonprofits either NOT sending a thank you for a donors contribution or sending something every month, or even more often, thereby frustrating the donor into not wanting to give to that organization any longer. Well, this is what our "Donor Opt-In Portal" does for a Donor.

We let the Donor choose which communications they want (like Newsletters, "Cause" News, Financial Reports, etc.) and how they want them (like print or email). We then help the Nonprofit execute on their selections and honor those requests, even if they choose to receive nothing at all.

So, that's what we are building...

Once we have the product and service complete, then we can approach prospective Nonprofits with the story of saving them money and increasing their donors appreciation of the organization. We call this client retention. If just 1 or 2% remain as donors than those who leave, that is a big change for an organization. We believe helping Nonprofits treat their Donors better and with more respect will increase this much more than 2%.

So, stay tuned to our next posting and hopefully we will have some stories and successes to tell you about.

Until next time...
Steve

International Human Trafficing Month - Please JOIN ME!

2010-01-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here's news that's worthy of promoting! Please join me in this global fight! This is from the Dalit Freedom Network.........................

President Obama has declared today, January 11, as International Human Trafficking Awareness Day
and the start of a month-long, nationwide human trafficking awareness campaign: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The campaign ends on February 12, 2010, Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

The State Department estimates that 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year for modern-day slavery. These numbers do not reflect the estimated 100,000 minors that are trafficked within U.S. borders into prostitution, or the uncounted individuals that never receive services or law enforcement intervention.

Former ambassadors of the Trafficking in Persons Office at the U.S. State Department, Mark Logan, wrote in 2007 that the largest democracy in the world has the largest number of bonded slaves. On November 15, 2008, in New Delhi, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, the Honorable Justice K.G. Balakrishan, stated in a public address, "The scourge of human trafficking needs no introduction. Every year, millions of individuals are trafficked all over the world and are coerced into living conditions that amount to slavery, forced labor and servitude." At the same event, the Honorable Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat of the Supreme Court of India stated that there was no bigger problem in India today than human trafficking. Also in May 2009, India's Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, remarked that at least 100 million people were involved in human trafficking in India. A statement from the Central Bureau of Investigation added that "studies and surveys sponsored by the Ministry of Women and Child Development estimate that there are about 3 million prostitutes in the country, of which an estimated 40% or 1.2 million, are children."

The numbers in India are far more staggering

The U.S. can play an essential and constructive role in helping to empower the Indian government to implement its anti-slavery and anti-child labor laws.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against human trafficking on December 2, 2009, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, stating, "Modern slavery is a global phenomenon and must be addressed with global partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. Through new partnerships, the United States and the international community will work to rescue and serve survivors, bring traffickers to justice, and create a world where every person has the freedom and opportunity to fulfill his or her God-given potential."

The Social Justice Department of Dalit Freedom Network began its work in Washington, D.C. in 2003. In the last 7 years, DFN has become the leading justice voice for the Dalits in our nation's capital. A dedicated team continues to educate, advocate, and push for legislation to end Dalit trafficking and make slavery history in India. To learn more, contact socialjustice@dalitnetwork.org

To take a stand against Dalit trafficking in India, you can:

• Spread the word (or invite me to your church, school, business to tell their story)
• Tweet to your friends about National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month (follow us on www.twitter.com/dalitnetwork) or my twitter (www.twitter.com/myconnectiontec)
• Send out a MySpace bulletin using the info in this email
• Donate $50 to DFN's work of Social Justice by going to: http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/donate and select Social Justice. or
• Donate IDEAS' work of Employing the Dalit's of India by going to: http://www.ideasworld.org/give then click "click here to give online" and put Business Development in the notes of your donation.

A donation of $50 allows us to employ one Dalit for a week. Employment is one of the KEY missing pieces in the long liturgy of issues among the very poor.

Thank you,
Steve Durgin

LAUNCHING JAN 4, 2010 - How Exciting!

2009-12-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

It's time to Celebrate!

It is time to reveal the new entity - launching Jan 4th, 2010. What a great time of celebration, yet knowing a ton of work is ahead to get this running well.

Thank you to all who have helped get us this far; Preston, John, Vernon, Ron, Stan, Sarah, and others! (Last names left out on purpose ---)

The new company is --> My Connection Tech
Our tag line is --> "Connecting Nonprofits to Donors"

Our new web site is under development, but email, telephone, fax, etc. are up and running.

My new email is Steve.Durgin@MyConnectionTech.com
Web site is http://www.myconnectiontech.com/

TARGET CUSTOMERS:
Our target market is Not-for-profit Organizations (NFP) needing to improve their technology: web work, social network integration, "donor" communications and care, data integration, data entry, email campaigns to attract new donors and other services.

Do you know any small to mid-size NFP's who could use our services? We'd love for any referrals you might have!

Well, this will probably be my last post before Christmas, so Merry Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!

Thanks again for walking along side me on this journey! We're in for a fun ride that is vey rewarding.

Steve Durgin

P.S. If you're looking to make an end of year contribution to a great non-profit organization I would love you to consider IDEAS (our sponsoring organization). www.ideasworld.org/give

The Integrity of Work

2009-12-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

WORK... what's it all about...

Do we all have the same rights? The United Nations thinks so...

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, or old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Do any really want handouts?

"I do not ask for a house of steel,

Or even one built of stone;

But for the exultation to feel

The tug of muscle and bone.

Not for wealth or men at my command,
Nor peace when I am through --
I only ask work for these hands,
Work for these hands to do."

Kresenky, Raymond (1937) "Prayer of the Unemployed", 1000 Quotable Poems, New York, Willet, Clark and Company, p.191

"Indeed, one of the greatest challenges today is how to connect the poor to the global marketplace."

Befus, David (2005) Miami, Florida p.52. Publised by LAM

Others have said this before, "the poor will always be among us". But, is it reasonable for us to sit by passively while so many (approximately 4 Billion at the time of this writing) are really poor. Yes, poverty depends on where you live, but living without what the United Nations calls everyone's rights (food, clothing, housing, medical care, etc.) would seem to me to be an indicator of really poor.

Wouldn't you agree?

This "journey" of mine is to attempt to take an active role in doing something. Yes, I know it might be a little and might not make a big difference when you consider the 4Billion previously mentioned. Yet, I must press forward. I say must for a reason. To NOT take an active part is to shut down my heart and my emotions. Some would say to not listen to my emotions, but I say they are the very essence of humanity. To not listen to my heart and my emotion would be to cease to live. Or perhaps live in a state of denial or worse a state of comatose!

We are launching this business in two weeks, Jan 4th, 2010. I hope you join me in celebrating this event and hopefully find a way to help out --- to take some action of your own.

My next writing will be an appeal for workers to get us moving in the right direction. Do you know folks in the workplace that fit what we're looking for?

Thanks again for walking along with me on this journey!

Stay tuned - Steve

Our Beginning - Jan 4, 2010

2009-12-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

I am really excited to share that we are all set for our start this coming January 4, 2010.

We have all the legal and tax details worked out so we will incorporate on this day.

We are all excited to begin this venture that will provide employment and transformation to the Dalit's of India.

I would love you to join us in our process. Here are some things I will be looking for as we start:

- Sales people (experience in selling technology into Non-Profit Organizations)
- Marketing person
- Connections to Not-For-Profit Organizations who could use our services
- Funding: yes, as a start-up we need funding. You can GIVE through our parent organization IDEAS at http://www.ideasworld.org/ and when you donate make sure you specify the BDI project.
- Advice and Council: Yes, if you have some words of wisdom to share please do!!!
- Pray: Would you pray we can get funding, great people to work for us, and some customers?

Thank you all for walking along side me as we venture down this new path.

Blessings,
Steve Durgin

Article in National Catholic Reporter about young girls on India

2009-12-11T09:35:00.001-08:00

My wife found this article dated November 13, 2009 in NCR that was quite gripping and relates to my story you've been following, specifically how the Dalit's of India are treated. This article is about Secunderabad, the sister city to Hyderabad. If you can find a copy at your local library I strongly suggest it. I will do my best at summarizing here:

This Catholic mission helps kids get off the streets and in to schools. They also provide shelter, food and clothing and a whole lot of love and care for their spirits!

Their work is to, "...rescue girls of the slums, the beggars, the ragpickers, society's castoffs, the poorest of the poor. Too many of them have been sexually abused or exploited, some sold as prostitutes as young as Swathi..." (she is now 8)

They help children, "one at a time". The most vulnerable population in India are these young girls. This organization, as well as what we are planning on doing, attempts to break this "seemingly unending cycle of poverty."

Some of these girls do not even know their names, nor how old they are. They have been effectively orphaned since very early in life, sometimes as newborns just left on the road.

Here's an alarming, yet not uncommon, story among these young girls of India.

"We were taken to Prathyasha Bhavan (Home of Hope), where we found over 60 orphaned children, including Reena, a 6-year-old who had been kidnapped by the beggar mafia. They wanted to make her an even better and more pitiable beggar. They held her down and plunged a darning needle into her left eye, blinding her. It was a scene right out of "Slumdog Millionaire," except this was a real girl standing before us who had been so cruelly maimed. I looked down in horror. Reena returned my look with the most beautiful smile I had ever seen."

So, there is hope folks. Will we be agents of that hope or let days/weeks/months/years go by hearing of these atrocities and remain unaffected?

I am not trying to guilt you into any action or response. That is not my job. God might want you to do something with this information and that is between the two of you! :-) I see my role as simply telling you their stories. Stories that otherwise might get lost in the forray of business we all experience.

L3C Business Structure?

2009-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone... have you heard of the L3C business structure? It was originally launched in Vermont in 2008 and about a dozen states have adopted this legislation. At the time of this writing Colorado has not adopted it yet.

We are considering this business structure as it allows a "For-Profit" business to have its Primary Purpose be sometihng other than Profits! Our Primary purpose will be the employment of impoverished peoples from around our globe. Of course, we must be "profitable" to be an ongoing, sustainable business.

So, have you heard of this structure and have any comments for us as we approach the start of this business as of January 4, 2010?

We are looking to incorporate in either Wyoming or Vermont, depending on information gathered between now and the new year.

I would really enjoy hearing from anyone who may know or who may others who know something about this business form.

So, please contact me at steve@durgin.biz to send me comments, suggestions, notes, etc.

Thanks again for walking along side me through this journey!

Steve Durgin

Another perspective on poverty - link to another person's journey in the Slums of India

2009-11-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

I ran across this persons journey with the Dalit's and Slums of India. This is a group from a church in Denver, Colorado who have gone to India before and this is their second trip. Quite something when you experience it yourself - difficult to share and explain the depth of pain and suffering folks experience. Take a look:

http://touching-india.blogspot.com/2009/11/teletransport-and-really-big-problems.html

http://touching-india.blogspot.com/2009/11/unexpected-holiday-and-elephant.html

I can't imagine living in a closet alone nor with my whole family! I also can't imaging blinding my children to get some extra money. What have we become?

There are MANY ways you can help the Dalit's. Would you please consider helping in some way.

Here are a few:

Sponsor a Dalit Child ($28/mth) and provide for their education: http://www.dalitchild.com/
Provide funding for our Business Development Initiative through iDEAS to bring meaningful, dignified employment to the Dalit's: http://www.ideasworld.org/
Email me to chat about other options. Maybe your church or youth group would like to get involved in some way. Would you like to visit India too?

Again, thank you to all of you who have taken steps to get involved and say "enough already"! I appreciate your help.

Steve
steve@durgin.biz

Help me NAME this new company (a PRIZE will be awarded for the winner selected)!

2009-11-02T08:06:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

I am now ready to get started with the company, having a better focus on what to do. I would like to get a LOT of people helping me NAME this business. Here is the background I'd like to provide:

Our Mission is to Employ Impoverished People Groups.
Our Vision is to employ 10,000 in 15 years.

Our Location(s) will be US, UK, Canada, India, and other locations around the world as we have needs for expansion.

Our FOCUS:

We will provide Back Office Support Services to small to mid-size organizations.
Some of our planned service offerings are:

- Web Development
- Web Maintenance (updates, changes, etc.)
- Integration services with software like, Blackbaud, SalesForce.com (for-profit and non-profit version)
- Donor Care (when you donate to an organization, what do they do for you in return [deposit your check into a bank account, send a thank you card, send you their newsletter, put you on their mailing list, ask you again for more, etc.]) We would handle the administration of these kinds of activities
- Order Fulfillment (fulfilling orders and/or marketing programs where your actions cause an organization to respond and do something for you)

SO - help me come up with some catchy names for this company and the selected WINNER will receive $500.00.

Just remember the name must have be available with the Colorado Secretary of State and an available URL. So, recommend the name as well as your proposed web name ok?!?

Pass this on to your friends, co-workers, family, etc. to help us get as much input as possible.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP and I hope you send in a lot of suggestions. There are no limites on how many you can send in.

To send in your suggestion, please go to my web site and click on the NAME tab. In there will be a form to complete and submit. [http://www.durgin.biz/name.html] Please fill in the form as completely as you can.

Thanks!
Steve Durgin
steve@durgin.biz

The Caste System was outlawed 60 years ago!!!

2009-11-02T07:41:00.001-08:00

When I heard this news, that the Caste System has been abolished 60 years ago, I thought that perhaps all this talk about the Dalit and their Freedom is old news...

So, I began digging a bit deeper. Yes, it is true, the Indian Constitution no longer permits discrimination based on caste. So then, what's the big deal?

Of the age groups that typically challenge social order, I think this group is the University age group, 18 - 24 year olds. So, if 60 years ago this age group was a part of the change of the law, they would now be in their 80's. It is reasonable that they never really adopted or accepted this change in the system.

Is it reasonable that the NEXT generation would accept this new law and have an affect on their behaviors? Perhaps.

Is it more reasonable that the NEXT generation after this (now the grandkids of the University age people mentioned above) would accept the new law? Probably or at least more than the previous generation - right?

Is it even more reasonable that the THIRD generation after the first would accept this new law (as we are now 45 - 60 years later? One would think so!

So, CERTAINLY by the FOURTH generation (great - grandkids) would now accept and have adopted this new law and changed their behavoirs!?!

Watch this video and you tell me what you think!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_UnVZT0-0k

Please pass this on to concerned friends and FOLLOW my blog if you care to.
Next Blog will be asking for your help in coming up with a catchy name for the business we will start which is designed with employing the Dalit's of India in mind.

Thanks again for walking along side me through this journey with impoverished people groups across the globe.

Steve Durgin

The Dalit's of India

2009-10-16T08:39:00.001-07:00

Driving down a major highway in Hyderabad, India, a two-lane road basically, I noticed plastic roof structures on one side of the highway. I asked the taxi driver who lived there. He told me they are the Dalit's. Dalit means "Outcaste". These "homes" were no more than sticks, cardboard, bricks, stone, collected in such a way as to create a "living" space upon which they attached plastic tarps. These living spaces were not much bigger than 10x10 rooms with dirt floors and cardboard walls. There is no available water, no electricity, no heating or cooling and no bathrooms that I could see.
I have been south of Tijuana, Mexico and thought I had seen poverty, and don't get me wrong, they are poor too. But the vast expanse of poverty I see in India is disheartening!

Being poor because you can't find work, did not have a good start with parents who perhaps could not get out of poverties grasp is one thing. Having the entire culture keep you pressed down, unable to get up with zero (nada, no) chance of moving "up the ladder" so to speak, is quite another. I have so much opportunity to do whatever my heart and mind can conceive of, as do you most likely! To even conceive that I have NO CHANCE to get out of where I might be is frightening to say the least. What a hopeless environment!

Talk about being depressed!!! I get "depressed" when the sun doesn't shine for a few days. I get "depressed" when we lose a hockey game. They certainly don't even have much recreation, let alone the chance to win or lose.

Last time I mentioned journeying with me as I launch a For-Profit company whose main purpose is to employ and build significant and meaningful jobs for these Dalit's (and eventually others as we expand and grow). As I indicated before, "aid" only promotes a wellfare state, while employment can transform a people. Would you join me in helping these Dalit's?

I would like to share a story from Nanci Ricks, past President of the Dalit Freedom Network - and by the way, I highly encourage you to pick up her book mentioned below.

"...an old woman walked into our medical clinic with an open wound in her hip. I asked her to lie down so I could see what was wrong. The quarter-sized hole led to a massive infection underneath. It was clear she was in immense pain while I poked around in the wound. We gave her a dozen anethesia shots, but the infection was so intense we couldn't numb the area, so we cleaned the wound as carefully as we could. I also tried to get a clear history of exactly what happened, but the story wasn't making sense to me. She said she had been beaten with a stick. Then I started pulling out large, hard chunks of something from the wound. That's when I decided to find out exactly what had happened to her, so I asked the interpreter to find out the whole story of her injury.

This woman had committed an unacceptable social crime: as a Dalit, an "untouchable," she had walked on the wrong road. Angry men attacked her for contaminating the road with her presence. Right there on the now "unclean" road, they beat her with a stick breaking her hip and leaving this open wound. The chunks inside her were not pieces of the broken stick, but remnants of her infected bones.

We could do nothing for her. After poking and prodding for thirty painful minutes, we now had to tell her she needed to go to a hospital for surgery and strong antibiotics. I was on the verge of tears when I explained the situation to her and said that we would gladly pay for her treatment.

I expected her to cry as well - we both knew that her situation was bleak. The reality was that no one in her village cared enough about her to save her life and help her get well. Instead, she got down on her hands and knees and kissed my feet. She kissed my feet! I began to sob. Even though no one else cared about her, she wanted to thank me for sitting with her and treating her like a human, even if it was only for thirty painful minutes."

"BEATEN, for walking on the wrong road" - unbelievable to me!

Thanks for walking with me on this journey. Next time I will share a story and a video of the legal implications of these atrocities and the practical realities of their lives.

REFERENCE MATERIALS ******************************

To read more on the Dalit' plight here are a few books to peruse and web sites to go to:

http://www.loveslumdog.com/ Nanci Ricks, Co-Founder and past President of the Dalit Freedom Network.
Nanci's book, "To Love The Slumdog"

http://www.dalitnetwork.org/ Dalit Freedom Network. Primary goal of providing child sponsorships to educate Dalit children in India.

http://www.ideasworld.org/ iDEAS sends people overseas to work with the Dalit's and other people groups.

http://www.om.org/ Operation Mobilization works all over the world, but has 2,500 Indian workers focused on the Dalit plight.
Joseph D'Souza's book "Dalit Freedom, Now and Forever" is a great resource to learn about the Dalit's.

In The Beginning

2009-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Beginning of most new endeavors has its challenges, obstacles to overcome, financial backing, people in place to help, among many others!

I am embarking on a journey and hope you join me. I can hear some of you already and yes, I know, "Hope" is not a good strategy! LOL... I agree.

So, what's this all about and where is it going?

I will be starting a business very soon whose main purpose is social. I desire to "teach others to fish" and not provide handouts. A recent article about Africa describes how our "handouts" have actually hurt the very folks we thought we were helping. So, to avoid this calamity, I desire to provide real, meaningful, dignified and sustainable work and business opportunities for those in impoverished nations.

My focus will be in the area of our world where 2/3rds of the world's population reside and 77% of the poorest of the poor. Like many in these areas (Africa, India, China, etc.) they want to live dignified, meaningful lives and provide for their own just like you and me. In my next blog I will give you some history of a certain people group I will be focusing on at the start.

- In a recent National Geographic article on Mumbai's Shadow City read here; you can get a flavor for what I am talking about.

- Perhaps you've seen Slumdog Millionaire. It shows some of the poverty and areas I refer to.

So, to all you Social Entrepreneurs, Caring Individuals, Unemployed, Employed, who have a heart for those less fortunate than yourself and who might want to help out (and boy do we need your help!), stay tuned OR contact me at Steve@Durgin.biz.

I do have more info on my web site at http://www.durgin.biz/. Please visit and peruse!

It's time the other 1/3rd of the world step up and say enough already!

'till next time.

Steve Durgin