Empowering Villages in Rural India

by Seva Mandir
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India
Empowering Villages in Rural India

Project Report | Oct 2, 2018
NARO KA KHEDA- A STORY OF PERSEVERANCE AND TRUST

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization

Dear Friend,

Strong village institutions are the nucleus for all of Seva Mandir’s work. For over 50 years, Seva Mandir has slowly built its alternative village governments into spaces where people are able to participate actively and ethically in the decisions which affect their lives. Our Village Development Forums and Village Development Funds manage local development projects, co-fund projects and act as pressure groups on the state. At a deeper level, they build community ownership of the development process, unite communities and ensure the long-term sustainability of Seva Mandir’s work.

Naro ka Kheda, a village in Badgaon block, is situated 20 kms from Udaipur. Naro ka Kheda first got associated with Seva Mandir with adult education program in the year 1979 and the association continued with the formation of Village Development Committee, development of 2 pasturelands, wasteland development, watershed, 3 water harvesting structures, Non formal education center, Balwadi (pre-school), Self-help groups and a Trained Birth Attendant.

In the year 2014-15, Seva Mandir got a project under Clean Drinking Water (CDW) program for which Naro ka Kheda was one of the villages where the project was to be implemented. In the village there was only one source of water-an open well- which was located 800m downhill. As per the CDW program of Seva Mandir, the water from the source is pumped to a reservoir where it can be chlorinated. The only obstacle in starting the work was the unavailability of electricity in the village. Out of concern the community members applied for electricity connection to the panchayat (local government body) and regularly followed up. Seeing their continuous follow-up, Seva Mandir went forward with the well restoration and tank construction work. In the meanwhile, Seva Mandir was writing proposals to funders for installing a solar powered pump.

The community members felt that a water tank is an asset to the village and it will be used by future generation as well, so 6000 litres proposed under the program would not suffice and so they decided to construct a 10000 liter tank and the extra cost that would be willingly incurred by the community. However, the tank could not be used unless an arrangement was made to pump water to it, but there was no certainty when it would happen.

Two years passed, the people didn’t get their electricity connection but Seva Mandir in the meanwhile got funds for installing a solar powered pump in their village. In no time, community members voluntarily dug pits for the pipelines from the well to the tank and for the stand posts. They also voluntarily did all the masonry work for solar plate installation and refused to run a muster roll for labour payments. They instead asked Seva Mandir if that money could be transferred to Village Development Fund so that they will have enough money for other development works and for their future generations.

Naro ka kheda is a perfect example of a village taking responsibility for their own development and of participatory action.

We would like to thank you for letting us meet our commitments at the field.  All this has been possible due to your consistent support and trust in us. Together we can make a difference for these villages.

Best Wishes,

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

Follow us on www.facebook.com/sevamandir

Links:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Seva Mandir

Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan - India
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @sevamandir
Project Leader:
Ronak Shah
Udaipur , Rajasthan India
$11,524 raised of $60,000 goal
 
230 donations
$48,476 to go
Donate Now
lock
Donating through GlobalGiving is safe, secure, and easy with many payment options to choose from. View other ways to donate

Help raise money!

Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.

Start a Fundraiser

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.