People for Progress in India (PPI)
Dear Friends
Greetings! As we enter the year 2002, we look back on an eventful year that have brought much disruption - earthquakes, tidal waves, terrorist attacks, war. It has been a year to ponder the wide disparities that exist in the world today and the havoc they can cause. Our hearts go out to the victims of disasters, be they natural or man-made. Many of you have been generous with your donations to these victims, but it is also important to continue to work to improve the lot of the less fortunate people of India-those who live at near disaster levels all their lives.
Has PPI's work in the last 23 years made a difference? PPI would be the first to agree that much is left to be done. However, there are several signs of hope for the future:
1) When PPI was founded there were only a handful
of non-government organizations working with us in development.
Today there are hundreds of NGO's and both the Government of
India and international funding agencies are recognizing the merit
of working with such organizations.
2) Initially, PPI had to seek its first project for more than a year. Now we receive several proposals each month.
3) In the early days, projects ideas were initiated by a few leaders. Now the beneficiaries themselves come up with new ideas and proposals.
4) PPI takes pride in the fact that several of our project partners are working with us again on new projects.
PPI Goals:
Please take a few minutes to review PPI's current
projects listed below. Please note that ($) amounts within brackets
are approximate dollar values based on prevailing foreign exchange
rates. Be PPI's partner in working for India's progress!
CURRENT PPI PROJECTS: 2001-2002
Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha (BTS), Raidighi, 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Mr. Susanta Giri
June 2001 - June 2002: 1-year Budget: Rs. 223,400 ($4753). One-time 2001 funding: $4753
This 1-year project aims at improving farm yields
to ensure good nutrition and economic stability for 100 marginal
farmers of Baikunthapur, an island in the Sunderbans area of the
Ganges delta. The project funds the purchase of basic agricultural
machinery - a power tiller, 3 threshers and 5 pump sets to be
managed, maintained and operated by Farmers' Resource Clubs or
cooperatives. The farmers will pay rent equipment and hire operators
at a lower rate than local commercial rates. The rent will be
used to offset the operating costs (fuel, operator, maintenance
etc.) as well as build a sustaining fund to expand the project
to more beneficiaries. The project also covers the cost of training
operators and maintaining equipment.
2. Kitchen Garden and Fruit Tree Plantations. New Project
Champa Mahila Society (CMS), Village Basanti, Sibgang, West Bengal. Contact: Ms. Sandhya Rani Das Jan 2001 - Jan 2003: 3-year Budget: Rs. 318,000 ($6765). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 174,000 ($3,850) Having successfully completed a Livestock Improvement project in 2000, PPI is working with CMS on a new 3-year project on this island in the Sunderbans. The project was initiated by a request from village women. Vegetable seeds, two fruit trees, basic implements, as well as training in methods to improve soil conditions to increase yields will be provided to 600 village women. While improving the families' nutrition, the gardens will provide them with a means of generating income, and promote the formation of self-help groups for socio-economic independence. After three years, the project will continue to grow on its own as present beneficiaries provide seeds and share their knowledge with new beneficiaries. In response to another proposal from the women of these villages, PPI is funding the operation of five non-formal education schools for their children for the duration of the project. Swati Sircar of Asha Seattle visited Basanti as well as Baikunthapur (Project #1) and reported to PPI at the October meeting. She was particularly impressed with the initiative shown by the CMS women. 3. Income Generating Program for Poor Women New Project CAVI (Community Awareness and Village Improvement), Pedakakani, Guntur, A. P, Mr. Kiran Kumar June 2001 - June 2003: 2-year Budget: Rs. 88,000 ($2000). 2001 Funding: Rs. 88,000 ($2000) This 2-year project will provide loans to 60 women per year from 10 villages, so that they can start small businesses such as fruit vending, pickle making, tea stalls, etc. The loans will be paid back in small installments within one year. PPI has sent the total 2-year amount (as requested by them) to get their businesses started. They will recycle the funds to keep the project going. They will also receive 2-days of training in record keeping, purchasing, marketing, and other basic skills for running a small business.
4. Youth Training Project New Project
Maharogi Sewa Samiti, Anandwan,
Maharashtra - Dr. Vikas Amte
April 2001-April 2002, I-year Budget: Rs. 170,000 ($3617). One-time 2001 funding: $3617
Dr. Vikas Amte had been running a "Yuvagram Project" at Anandwan supported by Government funds. The funding suddenly dried up and Dr. Amte made an urgent appeal in April 2001for support for this project which aims at educating and reforming socially deprived rural youth. Based on our past work with them and their excellent track record under the leadership of Magasaysay award-winning social worker, Dr. Baba Amte, we approved funding to support the vocational training program component of the project.
5. Income Generation through Skill Training New Project
SNEHA, Mandavalli, Andhra Pradesh- Mr. K. Nireekshana Rao
Jan 2001 - Jan 2002: 1-year Budget: Rs. 105,830 ($2251). One-time 2001 funding: $2251
The object of this one-year project is to train 60 women in lace making, with which they can earn extra
income in their spare time. After the training, SNEHA will follow up by helping the women to
market their products. One buyer has already been signed up. SNEHA expects that once the program
is under way, they can obtain government assistance to continue the women's training program.
6. Participatory Tank Improvement Project New Project
Vikasana, Tarikere, Karnataka- Mr. Varghees Cleatas
June 2001 - June 2004: 3-year Budget of Rs. 612,700 ($13036). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 236,600 ($5034)
This 3-year project has just begun. Its objective is the reclamation and improvement of tanks (small
reservoirs) in a 10-village area of western Karnataka. This includes de-siltation, nursery development for tank shores, fishery development, and training of villagers in maintaining the tanks. As with many of these projects, organizing self-help groups to provide local leadership in the villages is an important component of the activity.
Jerry Folland, PPI's treasurer, visited Vikasana in mid-October 2001 and has just filed this report by e-mail:
"The first step, now largely completed, is gathering the data on the tanks (historical boundaries and the capacity. The second, now underway, is the development of community involvement; the education on the benefits of well-maintained tanks and formation of committees to oversee the work. I met with groups in two villages--one whose De-siltation Committee is already in operation and one where it is just being formed." If Vikasana is successful in the reclamation work they will serve as a model for such environmental efforts in other parts of India.
7. Asatoma Project
Dr. Shroff Eye Hospital, New Delhi - Dr. Steven Roy
November 2000 - November 2003: 3-year Budget: $12000. PPI's 2001 funding: ($4,000)
This 3-year project approved in November 2000 completed its first year of operation. The project provides training to field volunteers in Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan. The volunteers identify poor rural, urban and slum dwelling persons who need eye care or surgery but cannot afford it. The funding also provides for pre- and post -operative care of the patients. The cost of eye surgeries and treatments is, however, borne by other funding sources. The project's 1st year achievements are noteworthy: (i) 10,000 people were screened by volunteers in more than 100 communities; (ii) 6,000 cases were identified for further examination; (iii) 2,000 surgeries were performed in the Shroff Eye Hospital; and (iv) 50 outreach camps were held for eye care education. In the third quarter of the year Asatoma has started a program to screen children in schools for eye problems to prevent eye-related ailments. In this program the hospital trains school teachers to identify children with eye problems. To enhance the scope and reach of the project, Asatoma is working with local NGOs to train more volunteers.
8. Rain-fed Agriculture, Tree Plantation and Child Education
Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), Jodhpur, Rajasthan - Mr. L.C.Tyagi
October 2000 - October 2003; 3-year Budget: Rs. 481,000 ($10234). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 157,000 ($3340).
The first year of this project in Thethaliya and Suratpura villages in Sikar district of Rajasthan has ended with significant achievements. A Village Development Committee with at least 40% women members was formed in each village. Ten agro-forestry units were established, each with 25 saplings of fruit trees and other useful trees that do well in the climate. A plant nursery is also under construction in Suratpura. Seeds of local varieties and an improved variety of bajra (millet) were distributed to 44 farmers before the planting season, and the farmers were encouraged to make compost manure from cow dung. Selected youths were trained in all the activities being implemented. 25 girls are attending a new school with classes up to 4th standard in Suratpura with Ms. Shushila Devi as the teacher. A booklet in Hindi on organic agriculture is written and ready for editing.
9. Bee-Keeping and Medicinal Plants Processing Training Center
ASHA, INDIA Group, Kaithi, Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh - Mr. V. Pandey
June 2000 - June 2003, 3-year Budget: 203,000 ($4319). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 35000 ($779)
The project is in its second year. Jointly funded with the ASHA group, our project aims to build a training center to provide training in bee keeping and the processing of medical and aromatic plants, thereby creating employment opportunities. PPI is funding the training aspect of the project and ASHA of Berkeley is picking up the tab for building the center. Mr. Sandeep Pandey, one of the founders of ASHA India, visited us this summer and gave us a status report. Some of the classrooms have been completed and the bee keeping training program is progressing well.
10. Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation
Pragathi, Mysore, Karnataka - Mr. B. Sharanappa
June 2000 - June 2003, 3-year Budget: 543,800 ($11570). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs.180,600 ($3842)
Begun last year, this 3-year project focuses on promoting agricultural improvements in two villages near Mysore. Watershed Committees have been formed in both villages; they will oversee the land development work and handle the finances through bank accounts that have been set up for this purpose. Stone bunds have been constructed to promote water retention and inhibit soil erosion. Jerry Folland, PPI treasurer, visited this project in November 2001 and filed this report by e-mail: I was taken to participate in the formal dedication of two small tanks. The purpose of the tanks is to collect rainwater, preventing erosion and providing water for agriculture. Then we walked around some large areas that are being improved by (1) bunding, i.e., building little earthen or stone dikes to hold rainwater and soil in place, and planting saplings of mango, teak and other useful trees. They have been doing a lot of work here, with considerable care and it seems to be going well."
11. Vocational Training for Women
Veterans Association for Social Action, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh - Mr. P. Venkateswarlu
March 2000 - March 2002; 3-year Budget: Total Rs. 180,600 ($3842). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 62,800 ($1336).
This 3-year project is designed to provide vocational training to women living below poverty level, and will benefit women from six villages. Training centers have been established in the villages of Pamaru, Inimerla, and Kothuru with sewing machines and embroidery machines in place. The training center in Pamaru has also typewriters for those who wish to develop typing skills. About 100 women have been trained in sewing / embroidery and 40 women have been trained in typing to-date.
12. Nutrition Elevation among Vulnerable Groups
Rural Reconstruction Society, Kavali, Andhra Pradesh - Mr. S. C. Mohan
August 2000 - August 2002; 3-year Budget: Total Rs. 200,917 ($4275). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 66,770 ($1458)
Started in year 2000, this project is concerned with 10 villages of tribal and dalit people in Prakasam District of A.P. Committees of women have been formed in each village to spearhead the program. They have received training in nutrition, sanitation, sustainable agriculture, and leadership skills, which they are now passing on to the other villagers. 300 families have been involved in development of kitchen gardens, and a revolving seed bank has been formed. 150 compost pits have been dug to help with waste disposal and provide fertilizer for the kitchen gardens. Women's small savings groups have been formed, and they have received training in financial management.
13. Vocational Training for the Blind
Bihar Educational Development Society, Gaya, Bihar - Mr. Jai Kumar Palit
Dec 1999 - Dec 2002, 3-year Budget: Rs. 340,000 ($7200). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 80000 ($1700) This three-year project is providing vocational training to visually handicapped persons over 3 years in stenography, tailoring, brush making, carpentry, and folder-making (depending upon the educational background of the trainees). Bihar Educational Development Society has worked with the National Association for the Visually Handicapped in New Delhi and Dehradun for getting the instructors and training equipment such as Braille shorthand machines and Perkin Braillers. Some of the training resources are also being used for training persons with other disabilities, such as deaf/mutes, or victim's handicapped by polio. The trainees will work in special workshops under safe conditions after their graduation. In addition, they are be putting in a total of Rs. 110,000 of their own funds into the project over three years. 14. Micro-Enterprise Credit Revolving Fund for Women CHINYARD, Agadi, Hubli Taluk, Dharwar District, Karnataka - Mr. C.Y. Bhardwad
Oct 1999 - Oct 2001, 3-year Budget: Rs. 426, 350
($7234). PPI's 2001 funding: Rs. 142116 ($2411)
This micro-credit project for poor women was successfully completed this year with 13 new villages establishing one self-help group each. Individual member groups ranging from 11 to 20 women were given micro-credit loans. In April 6, 2001 CHINYARD reported that more than 120 women have started their own small businesses as a result of our support. CHINYARD credits the success of repayment mainly to training in the self-help concept, bookkeeping, credit management, banking and the importance of loan repayment. Jerry Folland, PPI's Treasurer, visited them in October 2001and sent this e-mail report: "They took me to 3 villages to meet the women self-help groups (SHGs) that have gotten help from us. They have started savings pools from the money we gave them. From these pools, the women have taken loans to buy buffaloes, sheep, sewing machines, vermi-culture compost pits, and capital to start small shops and tea stalls. I saw many of these things. The benefits to these women are not only economic; the women report an increased sense of empowerment and ability to make their voices heard in local affairs. I am very impressed with the whole thing. PPI's seed money has been plowed back in to a revolving fund and has grown there. The initial success of the project has led the Small Scale Industry Development Bank of to chip in a substantial amount. So now our funds are a part of a larger pool that is being used to expand the micro-credit activities in the area."
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Andhra Pradesh Association for the Welfare of the Mentally Retarded (APAWMR), Hyderabad, A.P.
PPI received a request through Saroj Das's niece Rupa Iyengar, to help APAWMR in their work with handicapped children. With Saroj's help $3250 was raised through individual contributions. The funds collected were used for both post-natal and pre-natal care: 323 infants-at-risk received medicines for minor illnesses; 151 infants received medicines for serious or chronic illnesses; 13 infants have undergone various investigations, 30 mothers of low birth weight babies received vitamins to help their infants catch up, and 3 received diagnostic ultrasound scanning.
Mr. and Mrs. Laxmichand Tyagi
Laxmichand and Shashi Tyagi of GRAVIS,
Jodhpur, Rajasthan visited us on May 25, 2001. We have supported
many successful projects through them (including some ongoing
projects) in Rajasthan over the last 15 years. Their current drive
is to develop a rural hospital in the village of Tinwari in Jodhpur
district.
Dr. and Mrs. Madhukar Deshpande
Madhukar and Pushpa Deshpande who have been running a very successful mobile science clinic in villages near Pune, Maharashtra, visited us on June 10, 2001. Madhukar was quite active in India Development Society in the mid-west during his stay in USA. After his retirement, they returned to India and have been running this program to provide the village children some hands-on experience with science projects.
Mr. Sandeep Pandey
Sandeep Pandey, one of the founders of the ASHA in India organization, visited Seattle on June 11, 2001. Many of the PPI members, along with local ASHA volunteers met with him. He talked about the history and the current outlook of the ASHA organization. ASHA is branching out to include developmental work in addition to education. He talked to some PPI members about the Kaithi project (see #9 above).
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