Beneficiaries commission

Today, we tell you all about the 'Beneficiaries Commission'. As the name tells you, this is a committee of people that will be made up of beneficiaries from our projects. The idea of having a Beneficiaries Commission, is to have a platform for the people we work with. This way, they have a voice and the means to share their feedback, problems and needs with us, and, more importantly, we can listen to them and stay on track so that our work matches with their requirements. After all, it is only by truly listening to the people that we can work with them in the best manner.

Not only has a commission like this been a long-time heartfelt desire of the Mumbai Smiles General Direction department, it is recommended for NGOs to use such tools in the 'Project Cycle Management' system, which is what our organisation follows as well.

The idea is finally becoming a reality with the forming of the first Beneficiaries Commission at Yashodhan school. When we met with the students and parents of the school a couple of weeks ago, we explained the purpose of the commission to them and ask them to volunteer to join the committee. After some prodding, some of the parents and students signed up for the task.

As the weeks go by, and everyone understands the commission's role, we expect it to become a useful, thriving platform that will help all of us work better. And further down the line, we plan to institute such commissions for all the projects we work in. More on that later :)