Give Farm training to Indian HIV Families

Community farming and fostering come hand in hand at the Himmatgram, our farming project. Not only does this innovative project offer an environment where people living with HIV and AIDS can live without the fear of prejudice and violence, but we also provide PLHVA who don’t have a roof over their heads, like a family home, somewhere safe to lay their heads at night. We are currently working with 26 beneficiaries that are reaping the fruits of our farm project. As we demonstrate a balance of environmental sustainability with retention and protection of valuable farmland, we also welcome, with open arms, all which are outcast or don’t have a secure place in society, and raise them to give them an active role as an accepted member in society.

Involvement and belonging to a working community is an important factor of our farming project. Often women and children that have fled from vulnerable and dangerous situations at home, in the slums, or in the red light districts and before have been disenfranchised, isolated, suppressed and lonely, now feel a sense of belonging to a family.  They find refuge in us and a place to live and contribute actively and positively in farm life and therefore in society whilst our farming contributes to local food security. Our beneficiaries find in us opportunities to be actively involved in society. We provide effective and timely training opportunities to up skill and our beneficiaries learn new skills and techniques to be able to engage in society as well as accessing our main services, such as shelter, food, clothing, medical aid and counselling.  We recognise that by teaching our beneficiaries to participate in farming duties we are building their confidence and skills base to be able to stand independently and with dignity.

We have recently received a large grant and funding from MPT to build a new hospital to supply much needed care and assistance specifically for people living with HIV & AIDS so to you, all our supporters and The Mercury Phoenix Trust thank you.  A short video of the hospital foundations being laid here

We are currently in full swing with our renovation of our fields, and we are removing mulching paper and preparing old beds for new produce. As this quarters harvest has exceeded our targets we have seen the production of milk, fodder, cabbage, cauliflowers, and corn just to name a few.  We begin preparations for future crops and engage in training provided by Mahatma Phule Agriculture University, Rahuri. They organized a two day training program on the 7^th and 8^th of Oct 2015 for our beneficiaries.  The training program was based on micro irrigation and the drip system. It was a great opportunity for our HIV positive family to increase their “Himmat”, meaning courage.  

We recognise our beneficiaries as human beings and respect their need for community and cultural involvement, with this in mind we share in celebrations and festivals. “Kojagiri Pornima” was our most recent celebrated festival in the Himmatgram. It was full of joy. Together we boiled some milk, harvested from our own cows, then we added our harvested betel nuts in the milk. On the occasion of “Dashera” we tied flowers to our doors. Our joy is not only found by tending the land and providing food and shelter, but also tending to the mind and providing lifelong learning and dignity to those in society that have been left behind and neglected.

In other news we have made headlines internationally with our campaign to give back #HerVoice and make India a nation safe for women.  Please read our press and visit www.withhervoice.org to learn how to get involved.

www.change.org/hervoiceindia

you can also donate and receive 50% extra on your donation at no cost to you here

Links:

• Recent Press for #HerVoice Campaign
• Snehalaya's Headteacher Pratiba in Times Educational Supplement

Things are going from strength to strength at our community farm, we’re expanding and have planted a whole array of new fruits and vegetables from cauliflower to papaya- you name it, we’re growing it. The arrival of hundreds of mangos along with our endeavour into cow farming means that we are now able to produce 50 litres of milk a day; suppling Snehalaya’s children across our rehab and adoption centres with milk and a nutritious diet – all off our own bat!

But the benefits of our farm stretch far beyond material gain of the harvest; we provide a second chance haven for HIV positive individuals to seek respite and learn valuable skills. Vaibhav and Vidya found more than they bargained for when they joined our farm back in 2012. This June saw the joining of the two in marriage; Snehalaya, our ‘home of love’ very much living up to its name! Arriving just a few months apart; Vaibhav having been abandoned as a child due to his inherited positive status had been living on the margin of society and Vidya had been disowned by her family upon her positive diagnosis. They two came to find each other at our farm. With your support, through Snehalaya they gained a safe home, purpose and ultimately love.

Snehalaya’s youth group Yuva Nirman are steaming full speed ahead to raise awareness of Snehalaya’s work and the importance of caring for the environment. Almost 100 students and young people risked life and limb and took to the streets for a cycle rally peddling the four hours from the city centre to the farm to shout about the our work and promote the de-stigmatization of our beneficiaries. Volunteer support has been overwhelming. Students from Leeds, Leeds Beckett and Cambridge Universities have been getting their hands dirty standing side by side with our staff tilling the land and local volunteers have been rallying together to help support the efforts. This combined with a highly fruitful Facebook campaign calling for the donation of farming tools has enabled volunteers to join with us and take pride standing shoulder to shoulder with our residents to tend to the land.

To top it all, with the expansion of our farm we are now gearing up to create a social enterprise, empowering our farming families to take control of their own business, gaining valuable skills and  providing a real world opportunity to thrive. A recent report suggests that within a few years the farm could become self-sustaining and even have the potential to provide 30% of the financial support needed for Snehalaya’s 15,000 beneficiaries. From an area of barren land to a sustainable haven for India’s most downtrodden - the power of the mango is strong.

To keep up with how your money is making the world a little better and to learn more about Snehalaya’s range of projects head over to Snehalaya.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

From our residents, staff, volunteers, cows and goats; a big thank you!                                                      

Links:

• Farm Township project for HIV families
• Snehalaya. Org