Raah Foundation & Punt Creative champion women’s financial emancipation with the Dabba Bank

According to a report by the Ministry of Statistics, 35% of bank accounts in India are in the name of women. While this looks great on paper, the reality is that most of these bank accounts are actually managed, monitored and used by the men in their families.

This, especially affects women from lower-income families, who stretch themselves thin at daily wage jobs. Combined with a lack of access to and know-how of the banking systems, they turn to saving in ‘dabbas’, kitchen containers. But while women hope for these dabbas to be their haven, the truth remains far from it.

Raah Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that works towards women’s financial autonomy collaborated with Punt Creative to come up with the Dabba Bank, where an ordinary-looking dabba is tasked with the extraordinary responsibility of keeping women’s secret savings a secret.

Commenting on this, Rohan Naterwalla, Founding Member and Sr. Creative Director at Punt Creative said, “These dabbas have been designed to look like just any kitchen container, but on the inside, they have a secret compartment secured by a false bottom. The false bottom has a minute hole that looks like a manufacturing defect. When pricked, the real bottom detaches. It’s simple, and effective in helping women keep their savings secure.” Adding to this, Drishti Chikhal, Founding Member and Copy Supervisor at Punt Creative said, “We knew that the Dabba Bank would only work if it fit in seamlessly in an average Indian kitchen. Its first and most important task was to draw no attention towards itself. We went through many designs to crack a locking system and a mechanism that would keep the hidden compartment hidden. The pin that most women keep handy for their hair and sarees made for the perfect way to access the compartment.”

Dr. Sarika Kulkarni, Founder & CEO, Raah Foundation, commented, “I believe that financial literacy can surely bring behaviour change amongst the women. The urge to save their hard-earned money in Dabba Bank (secured Dabbas) symbolises their first step towards financial management. This definitely will help us to introduce them to the banking system as a next step and open doors of opportunities for them.”

Film Director and Creative Consultant, Vishal Sagar said, “The intent was to show the situation as it is: raw and real. It was not an easy environment to shoot in. But, it was absolutely critical. For, we wanted to show the extent of the problem, the challenges women face, their daily struggles, and the hope that the Dabba Bank ignites in them. It was our priority to portray the people with utmost dignity and respect, which is why the experience of shooting the making so fulfilling.”

The Dabba Bank was piloted in Indian towns and villages via women-only touchpoints. The blueprint of the design has also been made open-source in the hope that it reaches more women, helping them reclaim the financial independence that is deservedly theirs.

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