Qualitative Impact Storytelling for
Concern India Foundation
Documenting the journey of impact through the eyes of a woman beneficiary from Concern’s EV project, which up-skilled underprivileged women to drive e-autos
OVERVIEW
Concern India Foundation (CIF), along with Shishu Mandir in Bangalore, mobilised 50 women beneficiaries as part of a CSR initiative by HSBC. The project aimed to train women in driving electric autos, creating income generation opportunities previously out of reach.
Pneu Impact conducted art-based research and translated the findings into an Impact Journal - a first-person narrative blending illustrations and photographs. We also collaborated with This Is It Media Solutions to script a short documentary film capturing the program’s journey.
CONTEXT
From over 100 applicants, 50 women were selected for the programme, which included training in auto-driving, basic spoken English, and self-defence. All participants came from extremely challenging backgrounds, many widowed or abandoned by their husbands, left to fend for themselves and their families. With limited opportunities for formal employment, they approached Shishu Mandir - CIF’s implementation partner - seeking an opportunity to ride into a better life.
THE APPROACH
CIF sought a fresh approach to communicating outcomes to their funders that went beyond standard impact reporting. Pneu Impact proposed a storybook-style narrative centering the voice of a hypothetical beneficiary. Through Kalpa’s perspective, we trace the program from start to finish - capturing both immediate experiences and long-term shifts in participants’ lives. We also partnered with This Is It Media Solutions, a Bangalore-based film studio, to craft the script for a short documentary accompanying the project.
This project was conducted virtually with interviews held after the program’s completion. We spoke to several women to understand what their lives looked like before joining the initiative. Following these conversations, we facilitated an art-based activity centred around the theme of Dreams. This approach captured how the beneficiaries’ aspirations had expanded - toward owning homes, securing better education for their children, and building futures they had once thought impossible. These drawings then made their way into the impact booklet as a mini art exhibit. The drawings were also meant to be laminated and hung within their autos to serve as a ‘vision board’, and a sweet reminder of the project to help them stay motivated.
TAKEAWAYS
The most touching part of the project was conducting the interviews. Women were overwhelmed by the impact this project had on their lives, and were in disbelief of their own capabilities to change their realities. They entered the project as dependents living on day-to-day wages, engulfed in fear of the future. They left the program as solo-preneurs on their own journey of providing for themselves, being financially independent, and planning their futures with their heads held high.