August 13, 2009

Greetings from Seva Mandir!

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continuing support to our programs. I am writing to share with you a bit of news.

Seva Mandir has recently won a Development Marketplace Grant Competition, organized by the Word Bank. The competition was exclusively for grassroots initiatives in South Asia to address the problem of undernutrition.

The Seva Mandir's project on 'Addressing Iron Deficiency Anemia in Rural Rajasthan through Iron Fortification of Flour at Village Level' was one of the 21 projects that won the competition in Development Marketplace.

We are all very excited at this achievement. If you have any queries on this project then please do write to me.

We are very happy to share this news with you. Thank you for all your support and contributions. We really appreciate it.

With warm regards,


Deepti
deepti@sevamandir.org

May 19, 2009

Dear friends,

First of all, thank you for supporting us ever!

I have some quick news to share. In April end (22nd and 23rd) Margaret and John from Global Giving visited Seva Mandir Projects. We took them around and showed them our work in four villages. We exchanged a lot of ideas and learnt a lot about each other.

During their time here we visited our Pre School Center, Rural School, Immunization Camp, Dal Mill Project (Profit for poor), Village Library and Pastureland Development. They both found these programs very interesting but our meeting with one of the Fellows (Fellowship Project) – Jawan Singh in Barawa village was a special highlight for all of us.

We had lunch with Jawan Singh. It was a very hot day but we all were very happy to be able to wash our feet by a dug-well which still has lots of water. The water in this well is a result of our soil and water conservation work in this village. Margaret and John were very impressed to see our efforts and the strong leadership that has emerged over the years. Jawan Singh is a one such leaders. He is currently a Vikas Mitra Fellow (Fellowship Program). He took us around and showed all the activities that took place over the years. He also explained the caste struggle of his village to Margaret and John.

There were two more striking episodes occurred.

One is – when we visited the village library in Medi village – we met the teacher – Ram Lal who runs the library. He told us that he has 6 kids whose names are after countries like – America, Japan, India, and England etc. We were amused to note that ‘America is married now’.

Another incident – when we were interacting with children in our Rural School in Ushan village, the villagers came to meet the guests. The villagers asked several questions to John and Margaret including – what crops do they grow in America, if they also have a hilly terrain, if the rains are frequent and adequate in their country, what is the mean age of marriage in America etc.

Then, an old man asked if they knew – where the Sun goes in the night and that why sometimes the moon is full and sometimes not???

The people in villages were so happy to have guests. But they were so happy to be able to interact with them. Their innocent questions indicate that they have a desire to learn things and that, they are confident to ask questions.

John and Margaret answered to all these questions very patiently and they both appreciated the fact that they were able to interact with villagers other than development issues.

A very big thank you Margaret and John – it was very nice meeting you and learning all the innovating ways of raising funds, you are trying. We all are very happy meeting you and we appreciate all your support and help that you and your entire team provide us time to time.

I am also taking the opportunity to thank all our friends who have been supporting us through Global Giving. The appreciation we received from Margaret and John for our work is also a result of support from people like you. Thank you once again for all your support.

Do let us know if you like this feedback.

Thank you,

With warm regards,

Deepti

Dear Friend,

Greetings from Seva Mandir!

Thank you for your continuing support to our programs. I am writing to share with you some good news. On 27th March 2009 Seva Mandir was awarded the first prize ‘The CSO partner’s Outstanding Annual Report Award 2009’ for our Annual Report 07-08 in the category of Large Organizations. The criterion to win the prize was to have transparent accounts, its disclosures in the report and its ability to communicate well (i.e. readable and understandable for readers).

Such awards and appreciation of our work is the result of many people’s contribution towards our work and mission. Therefore, your support and guidance is one of main attributes of this appreciation. You can find more details about this our website www.sevamandir.org and to view our annual report please visit the following link - http://www.sevamandir.org/publications.htm

Many thanks once again for all your support and love. I will be soon in touch with updates on programs you are supporting.

With warm regards,


Deepti

Dear Friend,

New Year Greetings from Seva Mandir!

First of all, a very big Thank You to all of you for supporting our projects.

I am Deepti and I look after the reporting and communication program in Seva Mandir. I will be in touch with you regularly on reporting the projects by Seva Mandir that you have been supporting on Global Giving.

In order to ensure the food security for tribal people we have a range of programs like soil and water conservation to installing lift irrigation pumps in farms, from agricultural trainings to Seed Bank Programs. I will do my best to explain some exciting progress that we have been able to make in these programs.

The Background:
Due to lack of water and inadequate facilities of irrigation farmers in our region have poor agriculture production. In areas where irrigation is possible farmers do not have access to good quality seeds and enough knowledge of improved agriculture practices. This results into small harvest. The farmers keep using the seeds from their harvest hence the yield never improves in terms of quality and quantity.

The progress:
Under our Seed Bank program for the poor farmers, we had distributed seeds for Maize/corn, Pulse, Sesame and some other regional crop seeds (of improved quality) to around 900 farmers in 30 villages before monsoon in 2008. The farmers were also provided with a training of improved agricultural practices. The results have been enormously encouraging for the Maize Crop in particular. Maize is also the main crop for farmers in our region. Currently farmers are replenishing the Seed Bank with their share of Maize Seeds.

Similarly the farmers were distributed the good quality seeds for Wheat (the winter crop) the year before last year. Again the results have been very positive. As a consequence the farmers in 5 villages had been able to replenish a total of 1900 kilograms of Wheat Seeds into the Seed Bank, which has been distributed to a number of farmers for this season. Since the harvest of Wheat takes place in March, therefore, we will be able to know the result of the yield and the quantity of the seeds that will be replenished by these farmers.

The replenishment:
Each farmer has to give back 1.5% of the total seeds he/she has received from the Seed Bank after the harvest. The replenishment of the Seek Bank has two folds benefit. First, all the farmers have access to good quality seeds for all kinds of crops and secondly, it builds the sense of giving and brotherhood among them.

There are some pictures that we have uploaded recently for your reference.

I very much hope that you find this feedback useful. I would be happy to entertain queries from you if any. I am reachable at deepti@sevamandir.org

Thank you once again for having your faith in us and for your encouragement.

With warm regards,

Deepti Ameta,
In Charge – Reporting and Communication

Plantation:
With rains approaching our area, it is time to plant new trees and grass on the lands in which afforestation is being undertaken. Last year (April 07 to March 08), various physical works such as site survey, land demarcation, boundary wall construction, soil- water conservation and pit digging were completed on 258 ha common and private lands. After first rains, around 1.29 lacs new plants will be planted in June and July months on these lands. Hoping to receive good rainfall this year, in 4 months, these areas will have a nice green cover.

Agriculture
After experiencing the scorching heat on summer months, people have moving towards their fields and started preparing for monsoon crops. This year, we received a number of proposals from the farmers to obtain improved quality seeds. In response, we have provided 4,021 kg seeds of maize, 1,002 kg seeds of pulses (tuvar and udad dal) and 59 kg oilseeds to these farmers. Receiving sufficient rainfall and proper care, we expect the farmers to get higher yields of good quality grains in comparison to the local seeds used by the farmers since long time.

Fruit Plantation
Along with, we have also received proposals from farmers to plant fruit plants during this monsoon. A total 64 farmers from 24 villages will be given around 3,800 plants of mango, 1,500 plants of amla, 1,400 plants of lemon and 1,400 plants of guava. These plants will be planted around and within the farms, as well some farmers intend to develop mini orchards on their lands which is not being used for agriculture.

Income Generation through Vermicompost:

The use of organic manure endorse the nutrition value of the soil and helps prevent the termites to grow in the farm, hence, Seva Mandir is trying to engage farmers to adopt the method of its production and using it in their farms. Each farmer is provided with two kg of Worms and a training on how to prepare the Compost on their own. This is also followed by hand-holding support from Seva Mandir and a timely follow up with them.

In the past when the vermicomposting was taught to the villagers of Babri and Gadunia Village it was not a complete success. The program was reviwed and an improved program was designed. Therefore, in 2006, the Vermicompost operation began again with a total of 19 farmers. They built the Pucca (Cemented) Beds under a shady area near a water-source. The Watershed Program that was taken up in 2003 in Babri and Gadunia Villages has resulted into an increased ground water-table and therefore watering adequately and timely to these Vermicompost Beds was not an issue any more.

The farmers had been able to produce a total of 500 Kg Compost in the last year and had used it in their farms for Maize and Cotton Crops. They were also being able to stock the surplus for their consumption for the next year’s crop. The prduction was also higher and the farmers could see the difference in production and quality of the grains.

During the end of the year 2007 another group of 50 farmers also shown their interst in producing the compost. Since some of these 19 farmers had Worms in access from their previous Beds they agreed to sell off some of their Worms to the new Group. As a result a few farmers from the older group sold 40 Kg, 30 Kg, 64 Kg and 28 Kg at Rs. 100/- per Kilogram to the New Group.

One of these farmers namely – Bhikha said –“ We will grow more compost and Worms. We will make two Beds this year instead of one. I used the compost prepared in my own farms and I could see the differnce. The corns in my farm were greener and bigger.”

This whole excersie of Vermicomposting has earned the farmers in this region a lot of confidence and they are now on an lookout to earn more money by selling off their Worms and Manure in the neighboring areas.

The watershed of Umaria is on its journey to change the lives of 600 persons. Programs such as watersheds not only help save the environment but also bring big happiness in people's lives. The amount spent in such programs is enormous but the big smile on people's faces is what is the biggest achievement one can get...

Attachments:

• Lets bring about the meaningful change... (DOC)

The village Umaria is currently engaged in working on a watershed (in simple words soil and water conservation) program. There are several tangible and intangible benefits of this program.
For more information please visit www.sevamandir.org or write to deepti@sevamandir.org

Pictures:

• Lets work for our common benefit... (JPG)
• Soil erosion would be checked... (JPG)
• Building the dam for our cattle and irrigation... (JPG)