When   co-founders   Percy   Barnevik   and   Dr   Kalpana   Sankar   launched   Hand   in Hand   back   in   2003   their   original   goal   was   to   get   children   in   India   out   of factories   and   into   schools.   However,   it   quickly   became   apparent   that   in order   to   fix   the   problem   they   would   have   to   attack   the   root   cause   of   child labour,     namely     poverty.     Fortunately,     Barnevik     had     two     decades     of experience   to   draw   upon   as   one   of   Europe’s   top   CEO’s   and   Sankar,   a   nuclear physicist   by   training,   also   happened   to   be   a   local   development   specialist. Together they set about fighting poverty with grassroots entrepreneurship. The   model   they   devised   was   one   of   training   and   coaching   people   and   by doing   so   effectively   placing   their   destinies   back   in   their   own   hands.   Efficient and   cost   effective,   Hand   in   Hand   now   nurture   the   creation   of   more   than 1,000 jobs a day, seven days a week. That’s more than 350,000 jobs a year. Whilst   there   is   nothing   unique   about   combining   skills   training   and   group savings   or   for   that   matter   building   in   microfinance   what   sets   Hand   in   Hand’s model   apart   is   their   combination   of   all   three   of   these   elements   together with   a   fourth;   connecting   entrepreneurs   to   larger   markets.   In   India,   where their   job   creation   model   was   first   tried   and   tested,   jobs   costs   as   little   as   US $37   each   to   produce.   Conversely   in   Afghanistan,   their   most   challenging   area of operation that figure is approximately US $391. How   exactly   does   the   model   work?   Firstly,   Hand   in   Hand   create   Self-Help Groups,    typically    made    up    of    women    who    support    each    other,    save together   and   learn   together.   Contributions   are   required   from   all   20   or   so members   at   each   weekly   meeting.   Once   a   group   is   established   and   stable with   a   savings   fund   firmly   in   place   Hand   in   Hand   then   trains   the   members to    discover    and    develop    small    business    opportunities,    training    them    in bookkeeping,    marketing    and    many    more    key    business    modules.    Group savings   funds   help   finance   most   new   Hand   in   Hand   businesses   but   as   they grow   Hand   in   Hand   provide   access   to   microloans   either   through   themselves or   approved   partners.   Finally,   established   Hand   in   Hand   entrepreneurs   are then   given   help   in   finding   larger   markets   and   cheaper   raw   materials   as   well as advice on branding, packaging and much more. The    Hand    in    Hand    network    now    spans    regional    operations    in    India, Afghanistan   and   East   Africa,   most   with   satellite   operations   of   their   own. These   are   supported   by   offices   in   Sweden,   the   US   and   the   UK   who   provide support    and    fundraising.    Partnering    with    governments    and    like-minded NGOs   their   long-term   goal   is   to   eradicate   poverty   in   the   communities   where they   work.   In   the   short   term,   that   means   raising   enough   funds   in   2018-19   to transform   120,000   lives.   Crucially   more   than   90   cents   of   every   dollar   they raise    is    spent    on    programmes,    comparing    favourably    with    the    UK’s    10 biggest development NGOs average spend of 80 cents. To   date   over   2.41   million   Hand   in   Hand   entrepreneurs   have   progressed through   their   self-help   groups   to   launch   2.42   million   businesses   making goods,   farming   crops,   running   shops   and   much   more   besides.   Crucially   this translates   into   a   staggering   3.63   million   new   jobs   that   are   helping   to   break the   cycle   of   dependency   and   allow   people   to   choose   and   make   their   own destinies.