Interview: Rachana Kumar MPA ’14
Rachana Kumar MPA ’14, Linda Tvilling Theander-Adam MIA ’14, Leah Verghese MPA ’14, and Anahita Arora MIA ’14 are pursuing a social enterprise project to connect needy populations in India with food that would otherwise go to waste. Last month, their team was recognized as one of five finalists at the 2014 Social Enterprise Conference sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, where they presented their idea to more than 1,000 practitioners, community leaders, scholars, and students from across the globe. Kumar spoke with SIPA News about the project and the team’s experience at Harvard.
Tell us about your project.
It’s called ShaadiKarma, which means “wedding karma” in English. In India there are more than 200 million acutely malnourished people, but we waste $7 billion worth of food every year. Weddings are big contributors to this food waste. In Bangalore, where I’m from, 943 tons of wedding food is wasted every year, even though this could serve 26 million nutritious meals.
What we’re proposing is to connect surplus food and people who need it the most. We want to develop a low-cost web-, SMS- and voice-based system to connect food donors [couples getting married] and receivers like NGOs, charities, food banks, and soup kitchens.
We are targeting weddings because of the auspiciousness, good karma, and blessings around weddings. We will make this sustainable by charging a fee to couples, but also with online advertising and donations.
How was the team’s experience at Harvard?
The conference was really helpful because all the other finalists (besides us) already had a social enterprise running in the field, so it was great to listen to their experience. We got to pitch in front of a large audience of about 1,000 people. We also got good feedback from the judges. They said they loved the project and they encouraged us to implement the project.
Did you work with any SIPA professors?
Yes. We got advice from [faculty] Sarah-Jayne Terp, Eric Cantor, and Sara Minard. I started working on the idea in a class with Terp and Cantor last fall — Technology for Development and Social Change. This semester I’m expanding on it in Minard’s Social Enterprise class.
How has your SIPA experience prepared you for a career in development and social enterprise?
Before coming to SIPA, I wouldn’t have been able to implement my social enterprise. ShaadiKarma really took shape in my Technology for Development and Social Change class. Also, professors and fellow classmates have been really helpful.
I’ve also made field trips to Cambodia and South Africa as part of two SIPA workshops, and I think that experience has really improved my research skills and my abilities to engage with communities.
Finally, organizing the the New Media Task Force (NMTF) tech for development pitch competition, and drawing on the NMTF network, have given me exposure to similar tech for development efforts.
What’s next? Are you going to make your social enterprise a reality?
Yes, we are going to try to do a pilot program this summer in Bangalore, and hopefully scale it across India in the future. That’s why we are pitching our idea — to get some funds and implement the project.
What did you do before coming to SIPA? What do you want to do after graduation?
Before coming to SIPA, I worked for about eight years in information technology and digital media, both in the private and public sector, in India and the United States.
After graduation, I’m hoping to combine my past work experience with what I have learned at SIPA. I want to implement ShaadiKarma and work on harnessing the power of technology for social good.
— interview by Valle Avilés Pinedo MIA ’14
Follow Rachana Kumar on twitter: @kumar_rachana.
Pictured above (L-R): Leah Verghese, Rachana Kumar, Linda Tvilling Theander-Adam, Anahita Arora