Reshma Kamath has been awarded as the First Place Winner of the 2011-2012 Base of Pyramid (BOP) Narrative Competition at the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. This is a short-essay competition that seeks to highlight the challenges of implementing business in underserved markets and identify innovative business initiatives or solutions to those challenges. This was sponsored by USAID and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
This year the competition attracted 115 submissions from 27 countries illustrating a diverse array of businesses in 36 different countries.The winning submission was able to clearly articulate a business challenge that an organization, either a non-profit or for-profit enterprise, working in low-income communities is striving to overcome.This competition seeks to highlight the challenges of implementing business in underserved markets and identify innovative business initiatives or solutions to those challenges.
Reshma Kamath's essay titled "Jayaashree Industries: The Low Cost Sanitary Napkin Maker" highlighted the initiatives of an entrepreneur in India manufacturing low cost sanitary napkins for rural and poverty stricken women. She wanted to bring greater awareness to women's reproductive and menstrual health issues, which is an often ignored topic in developing countries. Her essay will be highlighted on the new website for The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management.
She will receive award money ($4000) and a chance to attend the USAID's Speaker's Corner as the leading participant. Below is the article about her:
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Center-for-Sustainable-Global-Enterprise/News-Events/CSGE-Article-Detail/ArticleId/438/Center-for-Sustainable-Global-Enterprise-Announces-BoP-Essay-Contest-Winners.aspx