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  • MANEDA Hope Centre, Senapati
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Empowering Youth Enterprises (EYE)

Launched in December 2021 with support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), London, EYE creates awareness and promotes entrepreneurial activity among educated, unemployed youth in Senapati Headquarters and Willong Block. In many rural communities, young people have ideas, skills and access to local resources, but limited access to capital, mentorship and business development support — EYE was created to help bridge that gap, generating job opportunities, fostering self-reliance and reducing rural-to-urban migration.

Vision: To create socially conscious youths promoting rural enterprise
Mission: Dream Big, Start Small, Start Now
Supported by: Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), London, United Kingdom

How EYE Works

EYE combines training, seed funding and continued guidance rather than treating financial support as a one-time intervention, using a structured, three-phase seed-capital model:

Phase I

Start-Up Support: initial seed capital for business set-up costs, alongside training in business canvas modelling, financial planning and enterprise management

Phase II

Growth and Expansion: additional funding linked to performance milestones, with continued mentorship to help entrepreneurs scale, diversify and strengthen their businesses

Phase III

Consolidation and Sustainability: a final funding tranche plus market-access support, focused on strengthening operations and building the foundations for long-term sustainability

The Joint Liability Group (JLG) model encourages peer learning and risk-sharing, with oversight from a youth-led Empowering Youth Enterprises Committee (EYEC).

Pilot Phase

During the pilot phase, EYE supported 33 rural youth across 14 villages to establish small enterprises, disbursing seed funding to 25+ beneficiaries and contributing to local job creation, stronger entrepreneurial confidence and increased local production and services.

2024–25 Highlights

  • Seed funding disbursed to a second batch of 17 beneficiaries (including JLG members from Bakie Village) by October 2024, following a first batch of 8 beneficiaries funded in July
  • Bookkeeping training for EYEC members and a dedicated bank account opened with IDBI Bank, Senapati Branch
  • 15 monitoring visits conducted under a structured Monitoring & Evaluation framework
  • Annual Meet held 3 November 2024 at MANEDA Conference Hall, bringing together 35 partners
  • Seminar and JLG training on animal husbandry, apiculture and farming, including goat vaccination drives and a field visit to Kilam Goat Farm
  • Visit from PHF representative Jennifer Liang to assess the impact of seed funding across enterprises
  • 5 EYE partners onboarded to “Hillsgo,” a local delivery platform, expanding market reach
  • Outreach session at Lungnila Elizabeth College of Social Work, reaching 40+ students and 5 faculty on business planning and financial literacy
  • Project expanded to 4 additional villages during the year

Case Stories

Purpal Store: Haveinai and Roziiveinai, two young graduates from Senapati, joined the
EYE training programme and launched Purpal Store, selling crocheted bags, socks,
hairpins, gloves and mufflers — now a growing enterprise.

Heingausing: a youth from Bakie Village who turned to his grandfather’s bamboo craft
skills after graduation, receiving EYE training and seed funding to build a bamboo
furniture enterprise, with hopes to create jobs for others in his community.

Program list

Innocent Smile School

Hope Home

Open Shelter

Tribal Girls' Hostel

Empowering Youth Enterprises

Friends Across Barriers

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