Ubuntu is the belief that you are who you are because of your interactions with those around you who also contribute to your development. For me personally, one of the most important things to keep in mind is that we are working within a Self-Help Group (SHG) framework. It also provided an opportunity for the NGOs to liaise with government officials. Following the massive earthquake, which devastated huge areas of Gujarat in January 2001, the Auroville Earth Institute was approached by NGOs and a GO to assist the rehabilitation work of the affected areas. How to be a sustainable business and spread environmental concern and solutions is paramount for them. The next day, I got all my gear, which included three disposable cameras, a laptop, water bottle, my journal, and a charger and headed for Kulapalyum Road. NGOs' small size means that their projects rarely address the structural factors that underlie rural poverty. AVAG assists in the selection process for the women who will be trained in creating eco-friendly products for WELL Paper. The Founder Karthik, had difficulties in the beginning getting the children admitted in Indian public schools. No longer would we spend the day completely together visiting different organizations-this early morning, we were going to pick which organization we would spend the rest of our time in India working with. PROGRAMMES SCHEDULED UPON REQUEST AT AUROVILLE They are organised upon request from various organisations (GOs, NGOs), schools or individuals. Adding more to Pondicherry’s charm is one of the best surfing schools in the world, run by two Spanish brothers. What we are doing is giving our skills to incredibly motivated, passionate and hard-working people who have so many odds against them, but are still able to make a powerful impact. Yoni discussed something that caught his attention called “ghost nets” which are extremely concerning. When we fail, we learn from our mistakes. It is left behind, unattended and unchecked forever as it collects, catches and kills without consideration. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Read more about the Samugam Foundation on their website: http://www.samugam.org. AVAG self-help group health seminar which took place yesterday at the AVAG premises. All of the NGOs within and beyond Auroville all participate in contributing towards developing India in a sustainable way for future citizens of India and of the world. AVAG’s services include: self-help groups, education, microcredit, community service, social enterprise and community development. Representatives of various non-governmental organisations taking out a rally demanding distribution of free rice instead of direct transfer of money, in Puducherry on Wednesday. Even with the best intentions, it is human nature to bring self serving qualities such as ego and greed. MEMBERS OF SAHODRAN AT THE LOCAL 2018 LGBT PRIDE MARCH. As time moves forward they hope to see a society that understands, supports, and cares for all of its people, regardless of HIV status or LGBTQ+ Identity. Disclaimer - All information and content on this site are for information and educational purposes only. The benefits of behavior change are often long-term rewards that seem less important in the moment. The sustainable development of the community is the utopian ideal for AVAG. , which criminalized intercourse between men and the national recognition of a third gender, transgender, in 2014. In the past, they received donations from the government and organisations like Rotary International Club. And then we stopped at our first NGO, the Samugam Foundation. I gave each group one disposable camera and explained to them the objective of taking the pictures. From creating a co-op grocery store, to creating a botanical garden in the land of red soil, and a library that includes a multitude of languages, Auroville puts great effort into achieving its goal. And, since the Foundation has no juridicial power, Aurovillians try to prevent unwanted situations by using social pressure. Think of more and we are sure Pondicherry will have that as well. Additionally interesting initiatives related to organic farming are located in Auroville. He believes that nature heals and restores balance to mental retardation. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Since their inception, they have continued to see progress for equality in the Indian society, at least in part due to their national advocacy efforts. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. She was smiling the whole time and was full of energy and excitement. auroville solid waste management strategy 30/5/01 1 auroville solid waste management strategy 2001 - 2005 for eco-service and centre for scientific research, auroville. Anbu mentioned that since the self-help groups have started, the suicide rates have dropped significantly within the villages. For example, several organizations that utilize recycled or reusable materials and have a zero-waste policy such as Upcycle Studio, Eco Femme and WELL Paper are supporting the primary efforts of the organization WasteLess whose main objective is to raise awareness and education on harmful habits that threaten the environment. What was interesting to observe were the different perspectives they had on what was clean and dirty. We walked along the main road and headed towards Kulapalyum village where the kids lived. I had already been to Aikiyam School the day before to observe the pilot testing for Wasteless’ new educational program, so I had met the principal of the school, Shankar and he said I could meet with the kids on Saturday afternoon. For me, Auroville is a new born baby in a country with a colonial past. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It was hard to take and almost overshadowed the fun playful 20 minutes with Rubini. For example, a fisherman may be more concerned with how much money he can earn this week, as opposed to the concept that he may not be able to earn any money in a few years if the fish are either overfished or die off because of pollution. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity. One student even said they separated organics from non-organics at his house and that after it was separated, the “people that do the duty comes to pick it up” (Arjun). Find complate list of Public and Private Ngo network in Tamil nadu. Living a meaningful life that’s the mission of Sistri village and the stigma of disability has slowly been lifted within the community. AVAG’s model for its members recognizes that multiple factors contribute to the self reaching its highest potential. Standing with Creche Teachers who are also SHG Members. At the end of our meeting, most of us were able to pick our first or second choice and it was time for our initial meeting with our NGO to go over their needs and come up with a specific project that we would be able to complete within our alloted time. So, my idea was basically to get children to walk around Auroville and take photos of something, I hadn’t really thought about what that something was until I started volunteering at Wasteless. What lies below the surface… or more importantly what is being harmed and killed off below the surface is unknown until we dive down and see for ourselves. Elumalai Polytechnic, Vazhuthareddy Villupuram Tamil Nadu 605401 Tel : 0414-5223555 Mobile : 97877 01405, 97867 41409 Select your city and get in touch at nearest Ngo for any Issue. I’ve had an idea for my personal project before I even left for India. Most of them answered little or medium and that it’s sometimes clean and sometimes dirty. Like anything in the field of development, it would need to be adapted for each particular culture and context. We then had to go around putting our names on our top two organizations. The Auroville Centre for Urban research (ACUR) is a unique attempt to combine studies and investigations in Urban Development with an actual field of practical implementation. He then overcame this barrier by initially placing his students in missionary based institutions and slowly as the community began to see a transformation, they slowly accepted to hire some of his students. For areas that are seismically vulnerable, Auroville is developing and implementing types of reinforced earth block that are as safe as any ‘modern’ form of construction. NGOs, institutions, etc. developed into a common platform for all NGOs in the Villupuram district to share information and knowledge. ... Auroville offers a milieu of options to stay in, in exchange for voluntary services. Dustudio is also actively involved in heritage conservation processes and its adaptive reuse through actual restoration projects, in Hampi Anegundi, Auroville, Today, most of us woke up with a mixture or nerves and excitement. Anna Wiersma – American University of Paris. While these policy changes are steps in the right direction, the staff at the Puducherry branch of Sahodran informed AUP students that there was still no policy to promote and protect LGBTQ+ peoples in cases of discrimination and definitely no marriage or family law in place for LGBTQ+ couples. We are helping them with their vision-not forcefully imposing our own. The work the Sahodran is taking on is not easy, but it is immeasurably beneficial not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but the society at large. I’m thankful that the women resisted the way my line of questioning/interviewing was going and instead shared what they really cared about – it’s difficult to be sensitive to that on my own when going through a translator, so I feel lucky to have gained this insight despite my preconceived notions about how microfinance worked. He faced many challenges one been local businesses in need of labor, would make up lame excuses to avoid hiring Sistri Village members. The Infinity Foundation decided to support a unit of Auroville called the Auroville Action Group. It is certain that Auroville Foundation aims to provide better life standards for those around the Auroville community. How did they use plastics? Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. I did not anticipate that so many of the crèche teachers would be involved in or lead PSDF Micro-Credit Self Help Groups (SHGs) as well as teach in the crèches. We are promoting the conservation, production, multiplication, distribution and exchange of seeds of traditional varieties of vegetables and favoring the development of sustainable agriculture. Behavior change, as in this instance, little to no money can be gained through the education of the locals. The People’s Social Development Foundation, https://aupindia.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img_08531.jpg, Sahodaran Community Oriented Health Development Society. Goals and objectives of Auroville are to see that the villages in the bioregion will have a dynamic and neighborly link with Auroville, creating a vibrant flourishing bioregion over the next decades. I am nearing the end of my internship with The People’s Social Development Foundation (PSDF) and have had an incredible experience. Inequality and unfairness exist and there is no sense in being upset with the world how it is, we just need to keep this words in mind and help the people through education to change their destiny towards a better one. AVAG has managed to integrate this within its organizational practices. The Ammada Trust runs a campaign, #GiveHer5, to … I went back to the bus with gratitude for my life and hope for Rubini and all the other beautiful children that welcomed us so friendly at our first NGO visit in India. In cases like this the community does not feel like a winner. Sistri Village began in 2013, as an orphanage for mentally and physically challenged children. Instead of simply grouping together in order to be able to have access to loans, PSDF requires its SHGs to save on their own through monthly contributions (usually 50-100 rupees) by each member. of India, who gave their backing and took it to the General Assembly of UNESCO. This nonprofit organization gives shelter to the gypsy, street and poor children, providing them with a home, food, education, sanitarian care and overall protection with the mission of giving them a chance to become a part of the society. Eco Femme was supported by NGOs around the world that worked for the same cause. Listening to the children sing and recite in English – very impressive for only 1-3 years old! I've been directly in contact with Jon Leary (here his personal website) which has introduced me to others NGO's… A Utopia of Networked NGOs: Is it Scalable? But, to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the divine consciousness. This provides an important counter to the connotation that often comes with the term “non-economic empowerment” in the development community that denotes that this is somehow a lesser achievement than economic empowerment. It happened so quickly and suddenly every one of us got picked by a child, taken by the hand and accompanied to the house they live and get educated in. A ghost net is a fishing net that has (most likely) become caught on something which makes it impossible for a fisherman to free it or has escaped the control of the fisherman and can’t be reeled back on to the boat. Furthermore, the women told me about the strong bond that the SHG creates. All of the women understand that misfortune could hit anyone of them, and thus know that even if their savings are going to help someone else in the immediate term, in the long term it is also providing security for them. AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES The Auroville Earth Institute aims to research, develop, promote and transfer earth-based technologies, which are cost and energy effective. The main meditation dome in Auroville, Pondicherry India. According to staff, approximately 130 people were served in 2003 whereas about 1233 people were served last year. Therefore, as we sat in the room ready to pick one of the amazing organizations to work with, there was some apprehension that went along with the excitement because of the responsibility we were about to partake in, especially among some of us who haven’t had this type of experience before. I kept pushing questions about how/if microfinance had raised their living standards and what kind of income micro businesses generated in relation to other jobs – but after awhile my translator Segar laughingly told me that this topic didn’t seem to be what they were most interested in. The breath-taking sight of the waves crashing against the shore lined with French buildings in Pondicherry, and the quiet, lush-green landscape of Auroville, a township promoting global oneness — set the perfect stage for learning, volunteering, and adventure. She showed me the kitchen, the bedroom, the music room, she introduced me to her friends and taught me a clapping-singing game that they all love to play. They are sceptical but we are trying. This shows the community demand for services continues to be necessary and to grow. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages. Anbu Sironmani is the Director of AVAG. Indian culture has a great believe in re-encartnation, a disability is a re-birth of a person cursed by the gods and therefore the family shuns or abandons these children. We’ve started our second day in India with our first yoga session on the roof of our Guesthouse Mitra at 7 in the morning, before we took the bus to Pondicherry. We don’t know if we will succeed or fail, if the methods we are pursuing are going to help us to solve our difficulties or not.This is what almost every researcher who comes to Auroville asks. The Capacity Building efforts of Sistri Village have enabled its members to make a productive contribution to the society. They grabbed our hands, talked to us, introduced themselves, hugged us and pointed at different things. In fact, it is not only our group that has been trying to find answers to our questions about Auroville, nowadays Aurovillians are challenging themselves with the  same questions as well. between the village Auroville, th, e government an, d other NGOs Paalam. And where they threw their plastics away? The ride to Pondicherry – such a loud, crowded, colorful and culturally different place and the overall heat – was overwhelming. If the idea of exploring sustainable living is high on your mind, Auroville is where you must be. Image Credit: Flickr/Pedro de campo y playa Our destination is an international community called Auroville, also known as “the city of dawn.”Located in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, it's a place with idealistic values dedicated to peace, harmony, sustainable living and "divine consciousness." Karthik didn’t like that his children were idle, he said that it created bad energy and aggressive behavior within the child. In fact, Eternal Divers may find that time and money are lost in their efforts; however, they feel that what India and the earth may gain is far more important if the sea and its life can be preserved through this tactic. I headed out to the crèches in the hopes of gathering lots of information and individual stories about the children in the crèches in order to assist my grant-writing and fundraising for PSDF and was able to gather quite a bit of good material even if it wasn’t what I was expecting! Eternal Divers is based just outside of the Auroville on the Bay of Bengal. $1.30-1.62), and no benefits are provided. The small comfort that I did have, despite seeing those kids’ environment and their reality, was that they were still being kids and had so much fun taking photos with a simple disposable camera. AVAG’s self-help groups reflect the NGO’s ability to incorporate the concept of the self in a relevant, contextual manner. In terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for , SCHOD aims first and foremost to promote the goal of good health and wellbeing, but it does this while also addressing the goals of gender equality and reduced inequalities for those in the LGBTQ+ community. During the expansive world HIV and AIDS crisis in the 1980’s, Sahodran was established in South India. She argues that AVAG combines the self within its collectivist context by putting emphasis on the fact that individual development is a precursor to the sustainable development of the community. Auroville’s charter is one that candidly echoes the sentiment of ubuntu and selflessness: Here, the definition of the self is dependent upon the recognition of constant interaction with the other. Auroville has also support from the European Union as well as a number of world Governments, national and international NGOs. For example, one told how in her group they are “each other’s biggest cheerleaders” and that if one woman opens a microbusiness, the group all comes on the first day to be her first customers. The sari she was wearing that day was made by a member of her SHG, and she said that she drops that fact into conversation as much as possible to get the word out. This NGO tries to give the children a chance for a better life. As we strolled around, the students entered different shops and interacted with people explaining to them what they were doing and why they were taking photos of plastics. If both parents are able to bring in these wages consistently, the family can cover its basic shelter, food and clothing costs, but face difficulty any time a large or unexpected expense comes up, such as school tuition or sickness. Though they were a bit shy in the beginning, I was surprised by how much they knew about the issue. Because this is an attempt to find better ways to live.”. The NGO that I am working with is called Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG). These children grow up in poverty and misery facing illness and death because of non-existing hygiene standards concerning food and body care, being unaware of their destiny because of a lack of education. This is a place where all the NGOs are invested in certain aspects of sustainability. 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