Dharti Charitable Trust, with the support from and in collaboration with the Gujarat Biodiversity Board (GBB), worked on a project to constitute a Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) and People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in selected villages in Bavla and Viramgam talukas in Ahmedabad District. The project has been sanctioned by the GBB to support the Biodiversity Act - 2002, according to which each village should have a BMC that should manage and conserve the biodiversity within the area. Dharti Charitable Trust with support of Gujarat Biodiversity Board , Gandhinagar has worked as Technical Support Group (TSG) for pursuing technical support for constituting Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in Gram Panchayats and prepared People Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) of these Village Panchayats with main concern to promote conversation, sustainable use & documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties & cultivars, domesticated stocks & breed of animals& micro, organisms with associated traditional knowledge. This involved documentation of village environment and floral/faunal diversity and training of villagers locals on various aspects of Biodiversity act and maintenance of PBR.
Women Empowerment and Awareness
The trust motivated the village women to save money so that it would help during their crisis and empower them and explained them importance of Self Help Group. Self-Help groups have been formed in different villages of Ahmedabad district and have been linked with the bank and some groups have received loan from the bank to pursue economic activities. It promotes the formation of community-based institutions and supports their functioning in a variety of ways.The main purpose is to pool financial resourcesthrough small monthly contributions and serve as a support group for members. This encourages savings and gives members access to sums of money that would enable a diversifying of livelihood optionsWe believe that it is important for the SHGs to be self-sustaining. One specific concern is for interest rates to be lowered so that people feel encouraged to take loans. There is also regional variation in the purposes for which loans have been taken. They range from traditional and non-traditional incomegenerators (agriculture, animal husbandry, embroidery, tiny shops etc) to miscellaneous personal expenditure (in health social function and education, for instance). Dharti Charitable Trust is conducting Integrated Skill Development Training in Textile sector (with Support of Ministry of Textile). It is conducting placement link vocational skills training in garment sector. It is engaged as partner organization for conducting training in sewing machine operation. The rural women are undertaking here training will be empowered and self-reliant & sustainable. First batch of 25 trainees has been completed and another batch of 30 women is in progress.
Reproductive Child Health Programme(RCH)
The government through its National Rural Health Mission is working to address the health issues especially of women and children and RCH programme, being one of the most important components of this mission, mainly focuses on reducing child and mother mortality rate. We are implementing the said project at field level in Viramgam Dist. Ahmedabad. Our role as the Field NGO involves implementation, documentation and reporting of various predefined activities on a regular basis and achieve goal of the project. The trust facilitate in improving the RCH indicators for service delivery in the area of mother and child care in un-served and underserved areas focusing on complete ANC, institutional delivery, use of family planning methods and complete immunization and creating awareness at the community level regarding small family, care during pregnancy, infant care, services that can be availed from the government health Infrastructure and mobilizing and empowering rural communities to generate demand for RCH services. The rural women are given in-depth guidance, knowledge and support during pregnancy, delivery & post-delivery care of both newly born infant & mother with an additional component of Adolescent Youth’s Health and Development.
Drinking Water Resource Management & Sanitation Promotion
Dharti Charitable Trust has addressed the issues of water, sanitation, health and hygiene based on gender, equity, water rights as well as environmental and envisages sensitizing, helping build knowledge and integrate social and technical learning toenhance the capacities and skills of communities. Dharti Charitable Trust formed Area Resource Groups (ARG) for Bavla-Dholka and Sanand-Viramgam talukas with the support and coordination of Utthan organization; People’s Learning Centre - Bhavnagar. DCT through Area Resource Groups constructed sanitation units,(shroshkhada) pits, physical sanitation stands in Bavla, Dholka, Sanand & Virmagam blocks. The trust with the support of WASMO disbursed Drinking Water Testing Kits in different block for checking purity of the drinking water in the villages of different blocks. DCT encourages the community to take care of their water resources by repairing existing sources, laying pipelines, building roof-top rainwater harvesting structures (tanks) and community water storage tanks, installing latrines and soak pits to prevent contamination of water sources. Microfinance
To alleviate poverty in villages and to promote sustainable living we provide access to capital, training, and mentoring for the poor so that they can build eco-sanitation toilets and set up their own sustainable businesses.
Build a Toilet
Through consumptive loans, poor women farmers can own their own ECO sanitation toilet and washing facilities. No longer will they worry about security and they will experience improved healthand productivity.The poor women we work with have no access to sanitation resulting in illnesses and poor productivity; they also have no access to financial literacy or capital to build their own businesses.In the first instance the women have to walk miles away from the home at night so that they can defecate. On these long journeys they face danger including attacks, snake and insect bites. Scared for their safety, many women choose not to eat, resulting in child bearing related illnesses and anemia. Accessing medication from far away hospitals is expensive.In the second instance, poor women are rarely allowed to leave their homes let alone gain skills (education) to set up their own small businesses. They are expected to nurture in-laws and large families depending on meager earnings from their husbands (if they are married). The pressure is immense. This causes illnesses and non-productivity.
Build a Business
Through productive microfinance loans, poor men and women can access capital, training, mentoring and resources they need to build sustainable businesses such as sewing, embroidery, agriculture etc. As entrepreneurs they will be role models for others and create jobs.The poor have very little or no access to resources in order to build their own businesses. This includes access to financial literacy training, capital, mentoring, and go to market opportunities. As a result, they often end up taking loans from loan sharks who provide capital at extremely high interest rates with little or no training. The conditions for repayment are unfair and often place the borrower in a dependence situation that they cannot leave. In many cases, the stress and inability to make repayments drives the borrower to extreme stress and suicide – affecting their families. Livelihoods depend on ownership therefore we encourage the beneficiaries to engage in businesses where they have skills. Those who need guidance are offered vocational skills. In the case of artisans who have no sales outlet therefore we assist in online sales and other methods for them to gain income. Other livelihoods we support include sewing and embroidery, agriculture etc. We encourage savings so that the entrepreneurs can build their sustainable businesses and graduate out of microfinance. There is no need to continue and foster dependence!
Alternative Energy
The trust generated awareness in different working area villages about the significance of use of biogas plants (sintex model) and motivated rural community to use of biogas plants so women struggle to bring wood from forest or prepare cow dung is reduced and also explained its advantage as it provides fuel at a very low cost, less pollution or smoke and in addition manure is also obtained as by product which the villagers can use in their field for enhancing agriculture produce.
Agriculture & Promotion of Organic Farming
The trust has formed farmers clubs in villages of different blocks of Ahmedabad district with support and coordination of NABARD. Farmers’ Clubs are grass root level informal forums of farmers. The main focus of forming farmer’s club is transmitting the latest agriculture techniques to the Farmers' field, orienting them to establish better relationship with banks, adoption of latest post-harvest handling technology, value addition, etc. and enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining power both for procuring inputs and select their produce. Coordinate with banks to ensure credit flow among its members and forge better bank borrower relationship. Awareness Meetings for farmers held to explain about new agriculture techniques and significance of organic farming and training given for preparation of organic manure. The trust promoted organic fertilizer among the villagers as income generation activity, besides, improving the soil conditions for improving the farm productivity.
Education The trust is successfully running two small library (Gram Granthalay) in two villages with support of Gram Granthalay and Sah Sanskruti Kendra Vibhag of Gujarat Government to facilitate the villagers especially the youths to read new inspiring books and local dailies in the village itself.
Addiction Eradication Activity (Vyasan Mukti)
The trust generated about the awareness on ill effects of addictions of gutka, tobacco, smoking, liquor etc. Play Cards and Posters were displayed indicating the ill effects of these addictions. The youths of different villages are explained the ill effects of these addictions and motivated to give off addictions.
Activity with Youths
The trust has integrated the youth in development process of self and also at social level. This has been envisioned to alter the youth energies for constructive and development work for their village The youthful population has been organized in sensitized around their education and employment related issues.
