This article on using mobile technology for social good is part of the #Connecting4Good series & is made possible by Vodafone India.
A loyalty programme is a rewards programme offered by companies to customers who make frequent purchases – customers get incentives like coupons or payback points that they can redeem for gifts or cashback savings. People from who shop at local stores and don’t have credit cards usually don’t enjoy such benefits. But, not anymore! Jay, a resident of Mumbai, has a younger brother who lives in a village in Maharashtra. It takes about 12 hours for Jay to reach the village, which is usually dark after sunset because of irregular electricity supply. This makes it difficult for his brother to study at night. But recently, Jay used a mobile-based loyalty programme to redeem his points and get a battery-operated lantern in return. He sent it to his brother who can now study for as long as he wants.
The loyalty programme that Jay is a part of is called m.Paani. It is a Mumbai-based social enterprise, set up in 2012. The idea behind it is to help people from all backgrounds achieve their dreams and aspirations and to improve their standards of living.

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The items include things like water filters, story books, notebooks, backpacks, lunch boxes, large buckets, flashlights, movie tickets, talk time, data recharge, etc. m.Paani delivers the rewards to people at their homes.

“The well-to-do families of our society have access to many loyalty programmes. They are able to reap the benefits from the money they spend. They get air miles when they buy air tickets, loyalty cards and payback points when we go shopping, and so much more. We believe that those who can benefit most from such savings and rewards, aren’t able to do so because they are not shopping online or at big retail stores – and we want to change that,” says Julie Kriegshaber, the Head of Growth at m.Paani.
The organization was set up to take the idea of loyalty programmes and apply it in a completely different way, to give value to consumers who are usually underserved.

The organization has recently launched an app as well. It is called m.Paani Shop Smart and users can use it to register themselves on the platform.

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Akanksha Hazari, the Founder and CEO of m.Paani came up with this idea when she was studying at Cambridge University.

After the initial funding from Hult Prize, m.Paani raised some more funds and sponsorships. They put ads in local language newspapers to spread the word about the programme. Additionally, the partner stores put up banners informing customers about it too.

“We are the ‘generation next’. Our dreams have no walls. We want to change the world. We know that we can do better. My mother used to remind me every day that the value of your life is defined by the positive impact you have on the lives of others. m.Paani is my embodiment of this belief. My team and I are all passionate about helping an often overlooked population via sustainable and empowering means," concludes Akanksha.You can download the app here.
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