Last April, people in the village of Manjhagawan gathered to meet our India director, Shamsul Akhtar to decide how to irrigate their fields in the dry season.
They decided that we should construct a pond and two irrigation canals together. Seven months later, the irrigation system was in place, just in time for the start of the dry season. Thanks to your donations, Karuna-Shechen has funded 50% of the project as part of our rural community support initiative: small money, Big Change.
Villagers with Shamsul Akhtar, our India director
In this isolated area, over 70km from Bodhgaya, during the monsoon season (June-September), families grow rice that they harvest in November. From December, the beginning of the dry season, farmers grow wheat and mustard. Until now, the harvest has been small because there was no irrigation system.
Five small rural communities will benefit from this newly constructed pond — nearly 5,000 people! “It will be good for everyone and allow us to produce more during the dry season,” says Rajo, one of the oldest women in the village.
Rajo, the village elder, shows the project monitoring chart
Our Approach to Community Development
We involve the villagers in every step. For the village of Manjhagawan, a committee made up of 7 women and 6 men coordinated the project. We subsidized 50%, and the villagers financed the rest. Each family contributed to a special savings account and two villagers, with the support of a Karuna-Shechen coordinator, kept track of the finances.
Our goal is to improve the daily lives of villagers, without creating dependency on outside help. Through our small money, Big Change initiative, we teach financial transparency to communities, while strengthening their sense of responsibility. The villagers feel proud to show the accounts, accurate to the penny, and the daily monitoring chart of the project.
The village of Manjhagawan also benefits from the following projects:
Mobile medical clinic (since 2014)
Creation of organic vegetable gardens (since 2016)
Mobile veterinary clinic (since the beginning of 2017)
Literacy course for women (since the beginning of 2017)
Video: See what it’s like to meet with villagers:
July 8 2020
Rajnandan Yadav has been the coordinator of Karuna-Shechen health programs in Nepal since 2014. Today he talks about his activities and how the #COVID19 crisis is affecting his work. Rajnandan Ya...
June 18 2020
In India and Nepal, the situation related to Coronavirus is now very difficult for the most disadvantaged populations. Karuna-Shechen is responding with an emergency operation in order to provide hel...
June 5 2020
During the unique period of lockdown, environmental experts have noted a sharp pollution decrease, a return of the animals to their natural habitat and a more luxuriant nature. These images have had a...
May 28 2020
On this International Menstrual Hygiene Day, Karuna-Shechen reaffirms its commitment empowering women in India and Nepal so that they have access to a better life. The menstrual cycle - a natural but...
May 22 2020
PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY MEANS PRIORITIZING ALTRUISM OVER SELFISHNESS The diversity of living species on Earth is fascinating. We appreciate its beauty and, since the beginnings of science, have so...
