MUMBAI, India, September 23 /PRNewswire/ --     Empaower, which was presented the "Most Inspiring Social Entrepreneurship
Plan" award by eminent academic and strategist CK Prahlad and S Ramadorai of 
TCS at the Pan-IIT conference in 2008, is ready to roll! Idobro.com, a unique
initiative of Empaower was launched at The Orchid, Mumbai on 9th September,
2009 for a marketplace ready for social change.

Karon Shaiva, social entrepreneur par excellence, recently with the
Gemological Institute of America - India, has been associated with 
National Citicorp (US), Apple Computers and Wipro. She 
quit the corporate world to answer her inner calling and joined the 
Kherwadi Social Welfare Association (KSWA) as Operations Director. 
That is when she realized how tough it is for an NGO to raise funds 
through sustainable enterprises, and noticed the public opinion that products 
from NGOs are not of the best quality or that eco-friendly products are 
expensive.

Hence she formed Empaower, a marketing services firm that promotes social
and green products and provides a bridge that channels the revenue back to
the bottom of the pyramid (BoP); where the real need exists.

"Products from NGOs need to enter the normal business eco-system and not
be sidelined. There needs to be professional supply-chain management and
these products should be available through malls and retail stores, where 
people are in the frame of mind to buy. Unless they integrate seamlessly with
the existing mainstream spaces, they will not flourish," says Karon.

Anish Kumar - Finance & Programme Director for Pradhan, one of the oldest
and largest NGOs in India working with over 200,000 families from tribal
and other marginalised communities across 7 states in India,
says, "Empaower and Idobro.com will help our Satpuda mushroom initiative to
reach new markets." Nuzhat, another member of Empaower and a student of ADAPT
(formerly Spastics Society of India) learned jewellery making as a
livelihood. Her mother, Meena Hanif, added, "We would never had been able to
get our own website and product catalogue, if not for this wonderful team."

Empaower also helps producers and service providers participate in
numerous online and offline promotional activities to spread awareness and
build interest. "To truly empower someone, It takes Action, the extra ‘A’ in
our name," explained Karon.

Idobro.com is the first e-commerce portal of its kind in India - one that 
is exclusively for social and green products. Producers are mainly women, 
senior citizens and green and other micro entrepreneurs. Idobro.com links 
buyers with suppliers, ensuring the best interests of both are met.

"This will also be a distinctive platform for corporate organisations to 
reach out to social and eco-conscious consumers, achieve their diversity 
goals and even reach new markets for suppliers," signed off Shaiva.

About Empaower & Idobro

Empaower.com is a "for-benefit" enterprise with a triple
bottom-line impact (social, environmental and economic). It provides market
access to social and green producers through a variety of media and marketing
services and was formed in the belief that to truly empower, we need to take
Action (the extra ‘A’ in our name) that enables the empowering process.

Idobro.com - The Marketplace for Impact - is a global trading
portal and marketing platform for socially and environmentally relevant
products. Its goals are to:

- provide a free marketing tool for producers at the Base of the 
      Pyramid (BOP) to receive fair compensation for their products 
      by getting direct access  to buyers in domestic and international 
      markets
    - enable corporates to tap into new markets at the BOP via new
      channels including rural and cause related marketing.
    - serve as an interactive platform with appropriate tools and
      resources to connect BOP producers and mainstream consumers and
      businesses to build profitable relationships
    - reduce the information divide that exists between mainstream
      economy and the fragmented social sector by harnessing the power of
      technology to create economic and social value for the underprivileged 
      at the BOP
    - facilitate sustainable livelihood for rural micro-entrepreneurs
      and small businesses by providing a network of partners (finance,
      supply chain, fulfillment) that will help support and scale the
      businesses, thereby arresting migration to urban areas.



Karon Miranda Shaiva - Founder

Karon Miranda Shaiva, a social entrepreneur, set up Empaower and
Idobro.com after quitting as the Head of Business Development for the 
Gemological Institute of America in India. She was also Operations Director 
at Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, a 79-year-old NGO. She is a certified 
management professional (CMC) with over 16 years experience in marketing,  
quality, training and development, business consulting and 
management in the  IT, education, finance and development sectors. Her 
qualifications include a  Masters in Marketing Management, a Bachelor 
of Engineering in Computer Science, Diploma in Training and 
development and Business Finance. She has received training as
 a Green Belt in Six  Sigma methodologies  at KPMG and is a certified 
Internal Auditor for ISO 9001:2000.

Her previous business experience was as Partner in a computer
hardware and software firm. She has been involved with a number of social 
initiatives and has been a past and present member of various boards and 
committees (professional and social) in India and the USA. A qualified 
entrepreneur with a comprehensive skill set and deep social commitment, 
she believes that it takes Action to truly empower people.

To become a member of Empaower or associate with Idobro.com, logon to
http://www.empaower.com and http://www.idobro.com or email info@empaower.com

Media Contact: Vinitha Nandkumar: +91-9821233278