Drishtee is a social enterprise based in India that aims to foster sustainability and shared prosperity in rural communities by ensuring access to essential services and developing sustainable livelihood within villages. They have partnered with Cross Fields since 2013, and have accepted 4 volunteers in the Corporate Volunteer Program (CVP) thus far. Drishtee has also collaborated with Cross Fields in the SIM (Social Innovation Mission) Program in 2020 and 2024.
Cross Fields members had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Swapna Mishra (Swapna), the Co-Founder of Drishtee about her journey of collaborating with Cross Fields. (Written by Elena and Midori)
The Impact of the Corporate Volunteering Program
—Why did you decide to accept volunteers from Cross Fields in 2013?
When I first met Daichi, the founder of Cross Fields, in 2013, Drishtee was trying to develop a greater community-building capacity by evolving our systems and processes to be more technology-oriented, affordable, and accessible. In order to do this, we needed more innovative ideas, more technical support, and more professionalism. Therefore, we were very positive that the exposure to the Japanese level of quality and professional skills would be a wonderful experience for our team and could help co-create some value for the community.
—Nobuyuki was the first volunteer from Cross Fields that you accepted back in 2013. What was your impression of him during his time with Drishtee?
One thing I was very sure of from the start was that Nobuyuki shared our mindset in the balance of relationship building. He had a strong sense of belonging which helped us to build a lot of relationships within the community through trust. It was wonderful to see that he had a lot of that emotional energy, which drives most of us Indians. Along with that, he had a great way of managing his schedule to drive his project forward, while staying committed to his local team members.
Nobuyuki (left) and colleagues from Drishtee—Overall, how do you view the contributions from the volunteers?
Our experience with the corporate volunteering program was that it brought in new perspectives to our organization. All of the volunteers come in with experiences of their own and good professional skills. We have seen that even if they are working on one specific project, because the whole model is so interdependent with each other, they will definitely work on other topics simultaneously with other teams. This brings in a lot of value, not only in terms of what they specifically execute but even in normal interactions with the team. The volunteers will bring in different perspectives while being committed to the same impact we’re trying to make.
Another aspect is in terms of evolving the technology. Since the kind of people we work with mostly come from the local community or specialize in social work, volunteers coming from the corporate field with technical background and skillset contribute greatly to the organization.
—What are your thoughts on how Cross Fields organizes the volunteering program?
First, we like how Cross Fields selects their volunteers, because not only that the volunteers’ skillset matched our needs, but their mindset has also matched Drishtee’s very well. This leads to the volunteers making a large impact on Drishtee during the program.
Also, the duration of the program is good because it gives volunteers a lot of time to settle down and absorb things. For example, the time allowed Nobuyuki to make a lot of friends in the rural area, in his teams, and live with Drishtee, which brought a sense of belonging and allowed him to understand what he is contributing to. Nobuyuki wasn’t only working on his software system, but he was constantly involved in problem-solving every day. This amount of time made it possible to create value together.
When Nobuyuki was staying at a village in India — What are some expectations that you have for volunteers from Cross Fields?
What I would like the volunteers to understand is the value that being a community can offer, where there is interdependence between people that cause them to come together to making decisions. Community action can be so inspiring, and the basic values they offer can be experienced even in a short duration. We would like the volunteers to be open-minded and absorb that value.
For example, when the volunteers visit the villages, they see that the villagers will have so much to give. They will have warmth, they would talk to you, they would offer you whatever they have at home, and won’t ask you for anything. People will always come back with the feeling that they received something.
We believe that these encounters will cause a change in perception that will affect people in whatever position or wherever they are. For the volunteers, we expect them to bring greater sensitivity into the corporate decision-making process. We feel that this experience should lead them towards greater empathy, where you know that any corporate decision you make in the long term is going to impact a larger base of the community. We also believe that this perception will make a difference to the world overall.
— What do you think is the value of the volunteering program?
For the volunteers, it’s not easy for them to commit so much of your time, mind space, and engagement. However, I believe that making the decision to become a volunteer and to make a commitment brings them to the next level. The volunteers will acquire a great understanding of what they are coming to Drishtee for, and what gaps in our capacity they will fill. They will be expected to not only come up with an idea, but explore and identify the core problem to create a solution for. By actually putting their feet down as a member the community, they will be able to understand their real situation. And of course, over time, they will become an extended member of the Drishtee family.
Collaborating with Cross Fields in other programs
One scene from SIM program— Drishtee also hosted the participants of the SIM (Social Innovation Mission) Program in 2020 and 2024. How would you describe this program? (*SIM Program is a one-week program in which corporate executives from Japanese companies visit a country outside of Japan to learn about its social issues, witness the approaches taken by local social leaders/organizations to tackle them, and explore how they themselves can solve social issues.)
When the corporate leaders visited us during the program, they were guided through a process of practically understanding the theories and ideas they had only heard about before in Japan. Even though the visit is a short period, it helps them to relate to a lot of things later, such as when they’re thinking of their own solutions as corporate leaders. My hope is that the participants build their perspective of taking initiative for the future of their community or the world as a whole.
Swapna speaking at the SIM Program“We have to keep moving”
— What does Cross Fields as a partner organization mean to Drishtee?
I would say that Drishtee and Cross Fields have a similar DNA, because both our organizations are always evolving. This is because the situations do not remain the same; the community we are responding to is also evolving and growing, and so are their needs. We have to keep moving with them.
One more thing in common is the way that our teams get built up. At Drishtee, we are all about teamwork and we don’t have much of a hierarchical structure, and I think that is really similar to Cross Fields as well.
— Finally, please give a final message to the Cross Fields team!
As we have grown together, our biggest priority has been the needs of the community. The whole idea of believing in people is something that has kept us evolving. I see a lot of synergy coming between Drishtee and Cross Fields in the future, especially as Drishtee is moving more towards the idea of sharing and making the world a happier place. I see a lot of sharing of experience, learning, and ideas between us. We can do more magic together.
Afterwords
Swapna, Midori and ElenaWe are so grateful to have this opportunity to speak with Swapna, who had always been beside us since the time Cross Fields has first started its journey more than ten years ago. It was inspiring to learn how Drishtee values the idea of sharing and building trust within the community, and how the volunteers are given this valuable opportunity to learn and understand this core idea that is vital in making this world a better place. We are truly excited to build and spread the community of trust together. (Midori and Elena)
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