Harnessing the true power of corporate partnerships

The Executive Director of British Asian Trust analyses how the private sector can be a tremendous source for good. In the not-too-distant past, there was a general assumption that the private sector was about making money, the public sector was about the provision of basic services and the charity sector was about doing good. This was certainly how many people in the charity sector saw the world - not recognising what a tremendous source for good the private sector can be. Most charities saw “corporate partnerships” as simply a way of getting money, as opposed to an actual partnership. And in international work, very few, if any, charities saw the benefits of genuine partnerships with the private sector in the countries where they worked. The British Asian Trust has always thought very differently. Established 10 years ago by Asian business leaders and entrepreneurs, together with HRH The Prince of Wales, we have always thought and behaved in a more business-like manner - applying business principles to the way in which we work and embracing the role of the private sector in bringing about positive social change across South Asia. Traditional charities tend to be more old-fashioned in the way they work - focussing on philanthropy and fundraising to raise money that will then be given as grants to local NGOs in-country. At the British Asian Trust, we embrace different approaches - as has been widely reported, we have just launched an $11-million Development Impact Bond in India, a hugely innovative instrument that combines the worlds of finance, investment and development to bring about massive change in education for hundreds of thousands of children. We also see the private sector as far more important than simply a funder of our programmes - we engage with the private sector, seek to influence it, work together to develop common solutions and so on. A great example of this is our anti-trafficking work in Jaipur, India. However much we as a charity seek to have an influence on issues such as child-labour, we know a big company can have a much stronger impact. This was the basis for our partnership with the John Lewis Foundation, with whom we are working to tackle child labour in supply chains in India. Together, we are engaging with key businesses to make Jaipur a child labour free city. This transformation requires a united approach from business, government, and civil society to stop the exploitation of children, and create a demand and market for child labour free goods and services. The city of Jaipur is a major hub for arts and traditional handicrafts, with many shops and workshops producing fine goods for domestic and international markets. In Jaipur's workshops and factories, there are an estimated 50,000 children working in hazardous conditions to produce bangles, embroidery, sarees, carpets and other handicrafts. The children are typically forced to work 15 hours a day in confined spaces. Some of the children are local, but the majority come from the state of Bihar, more than 1,000 Km away. They suffer damage to vision, burns, chronic coughs and even finger malformation. Together with the John Lewis Foundation, the British Asian Trust is working with the business community to combat trafficking and child labour within their supply chains by:

• Identifying children in situations of exploitation and strengthening the systems to remove them from production lines
• Training and supporting adults to replace child labour in supply chains
• Engaging major companies in becoming child labour free
• Promoting the production and market of child labour free goods for domestic and international markets

• Address the isolation of 500,000 marginalised adolescent girls through awareness raising and outreach
• Directly improve the lives of 100,000 adolescent girls through interventions that lead to better education, health, and economic outcomes
• Enable better learning outcomes for a further 100,000 girls that will ultimately be better placed to make their own choices and access opportunities