To create a healthy living condition in rural areas

NEW at Health Center (2011)  –

•   Bi-monthly Homeopathy Clinic
•   Mosquito bednet for all at a new adopted village “Sathiathikiri, Jajpur district, Orissa”
•   Tubewells at Ghusuriadhia, Balabhadrapur village, Salepur, Orissa
•   Four community toilet at Sathiathikiri village, Jajpur, Orissa

First Sanitation Drive: Open toilet converted to park & community meeting place

The first initiative of ADIRE focused on health and hygiene. In 2003, around 80% of the population in the JABAKA villages did not have toilets and were using a huge patch of common land for that purpose. 30 toilets and 12 tube wells were distributed to 30 families to start with. Materials were supplied by ADIRE and the families put in the labor to build their own toilets. The land that was being used as public toilet was converted to a park with swings, slides and see saws where children can play and enjoy. This place also became a hub for villagers to celebrate all community activities.

ADIRE Health & Hyigene Camps

In order to prevent the common diseases like cold, fever, diarrhea, skin problems etc. ADIRE started regular health camps and clinics Please insert following pictures from the folder pictures/health The first ADIRE health camp to educate people on health and hygiene issues was organized in Nov 2003 with Dr. Niranjan Tripathy- Medical specialist, Dr. Tophan Pati from Cuttack. They explained the benefits of using toilets to the villagers. This was followed with regular camps by pediatricians Dr Gana Bihari Pati, gynecologist Dr Annapurna Mohapatra, Dr Bani Samant, medicine specialist from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar cities.

Homeopathy Clinic

A homeopathy clinic was set up in August 2005 with the help of the Rotary Club- Cuttack Midtown. Dr. Gautam Rao visits once a fortnight and offers free consultation and medicines to the people. Local volunteers from JABAKA villages and ADIRE’s staff currently coordinate and assist the doctors for effective running of the clinic and generate awareness among the people on health, sanitation and nutrition issues.

Health study circles and Hygiene awareness drive

In order to generate health and sanitation related awareness a weekly Study Circle is held in the village where a local health worker along with some ADIRE staff and RCC-JABAK volunteers discuss and advise various health & hygiene related issues with the local people. People are also encouraged to access related information through the internet available free for the villagers.

Specialized Health Camps

ADIRE organizes specialized camps once in a while focusing on a particular prevalent problem in the village. Camps for Eye and Chest had been organized in association with Rotary Club, Midtown Cuttack. Patients diagnosed with eye diseases are taken to the nearby city and treated free at Jayprakash Narain Eye Hospital, Cuttack. Patients with breathing problems are given free medication and inhalers.

Challenges Ahead

ADIRE is planning to set up a long overdue primary health center. The establishment of a permanent center has been delayed due to lack of enough funding to attract health professionals from the cities. Local women have now been selected to be trained in basic nursing, in order to take care of normal preventable diseases and to dispense non-prescription medications. For any emergency situations, one doctor will be available on call for advice and for care of patients with critical diseases. Those with serious conditions will be referred to this doctor at the medical college of the nearby city. The communities’ electric car will be available twenty four hours a day to transport critical patients.

With the stable operation of the Wi-Max tower, we are also ready to bring in pediatricians, psychiatrists, and eye specialists from the USA online to begin tele-consulting. Many American volunteers have committed to work in the villages during summer vacation and to help us set up the telemedicine center. We think such remote counseling and a preventive approach to rural health care will be a more energy efficient, sustainable, and cheaper way to bring a healthier lifestyle to villagers without creating any additional carbon emissions or other pollutants for others. .

Our small ADIRE Village of Jahangeribad was part of the affected area. ADIRE stands for Alternative Development Initiative with Rural Engagement. Fortunately, the sustainable energy infrastructure of the village has been a saving grace. While the storm destroyed the surrounding electrical grid system, ADIRE was able to have power provided by solar panels soon afterward. When roads were destroyed and gasoline trucks were not able to deliver fuel to affected areas, ADIRE was able to depend on their two electric cars charged with solar energy. The resiliency of ADIRE is an example of why India needs more sustainable energy sources.

While ADIRE shows great hope for recovery, there is much to be done. The estimated damages are upwards of $20,000 for our small village of about 400 families. With this fundraiser we aim to raise $10,000 for immediate repair work. The money will be used for urgent repairs of roofs, windows, solar panels and debris removal for the local school and 400 village families–An album of damage pictures appears at the end of this page. Any additional amount will go for building resilient smart solar villages in Fani affected areas of Odisha with appropriate recognitions to all the donors.

Rebuilding requires full community engagement and leading the efforts on the ground floor are my friends and philanthropists, Dr. Durga Kar and Dr. Shree Kar. To learn more about this sustainable model village, visit their website at adire.org. Funds from this campaign will go to the US affiliate non-profit, SHAMA Inc. and then distributed to ADIRE. Learn more about SHAMA Inc. at shamainc.org. Please make your donations convieniently and securily though this Facebook fundraiser by clicking the DONATE button at the end. Any size donation is welcome even $5, $10, or $20 or if possible more. Optionally you may simply mail a check to
Shama India Cyclone Relief
2460 Crescent Ct
Plover, WI 54467
When you donate, you can be confident that your donation is going directly to those who need it most. There are no administrative or marketing costs and your donation is fully tax deductable.

**If donating is not in your capacity, please heavily SHARE this fundraiser and INVITE on your own Facebook page to spread the word.

Thank you! Thank you greatly from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of those in greatest need you are helping in India.

AdiVidya Mandir & Library

Education plays a key role in any developmental work. In March 2007, a small elementary school “AdiVidya Mandir” was started at village Jahangirabad, Orissa for 4-7 yr old kids with K.G and 1st grade. The school started with fifteen kids from the nearby villages, all from extremely poor and socially & economically challenged families. These children are the first time learners in their families. Our objective is to provide these children a conducive environment where they can grow physically, mentally and be at par with other children. The school has been affiliated with Sri Aurobindo Integral Education system and focus more on integral development of a child. Adding one grade every year, currently (2011) the school has six grades K.G – V and forty students are currently enrolled with outside sponsorship and funding from the founder of ADIRE.

Meals for the school children are prepared at the village cafe, which is a part of the women’s bio-cooperative program. Vegetables for the meals are grown in house and looked after by the school staff and kids each day. Milk for the kids is purchased from the women who are part of the bio-cooperative program.

One library with an initial 500 books, magazines, newspapers and educational toys, blocks, puzzles was set up in 2007. Besides Adividya school children, library is open to kids and adults of all nearby villages. Every year since its opening, ADIRE has attempted to increase the library’s collection base by 50%. In 2011, the library houses approximately 1000 books, 2 laptops, and 2 e-readers and study materials. In order to motivate the children, three to four events are organized in the village park annually. Each December, a Childrens’ Day event is organized for the local children, who take part in various activities including sports, drawing and painting, music, dance etc.

IT and Digital media as a teaching aid and Cultural Exchange 

In order to keep the children and villagers abreast of the latest information, one laptop and one desktop were provided for the communities in 2007. Since then, 2 more laptops have been obtained. Besides using computers as teaching aid with educational videos, games for the young children, these are also used to train the local youth in the development of basic computer operating skills, and also for managing ADIRE activities. The laptop is powered by a solar panel charged the battery and can be used anywhere in the villages without any dependence on grid electricity. The systems have wireless broadband connectivity through WiMax. This has given the village kids, youth and other tremendous exposure and awareness about what is going on in the outside world.

We have volunteers giving online computer training to village youth and ADIRE staff. Four youth have been trained and now are providing free on-site training to the kids and youth in the village. The Internet is also used to generate awareness of various health, hygiene, and nutrition-related issues, and to facilitate international learning and cultural exchange. Every year we try to do video conferencing using Skype with the children in the USA schools. In the past, we have done cultural exchanges through video conferencing of JABAKA village kids with the kids in Green Bay, USA as part of the Kids Explore Day event. Thanks to WPSC and Baird Elementary School, Green Bay for facilitating these events.

Evening School 

Each evening, after the normal school hours, the school premises at Ganeswarpur village are kept open with the use of a Solar lighting System. Children from grades one through ten attend academic reinforcement lessons in all subjects. Two times a week at Adividya school adult education classes are held in the evening. Sometimes Adividya school children also teach their parents how to read and write and basic addition and subtraction etc.

Merit cum Means Scholarship

A new program “Merit cum means scholarship” to students of nearby village high schools was started in March 2007. “Merit cum means scholarship,” was started in March 2007 for students of area high schools. Five girls from Kalyanpur and Balbhadrapur high schools were given scholarships of Rs.1000 and a free LED table lamp for the year 2007. Currently, (2011) students from 8 village high schools are nominated by their respective schools based on their merit and family living conditions.

Income-generating opportunities through Vocational Training

ADIRE expanded on basic education offerings by starting vocational and technical training programs in 2006. Youth from Jahangirabad, Balabhadrapur, and Ganeswarpur villages have undergone training on solar and biogas energy, compressed earth brick making, modern controlled agriculture, and artisanal work including dress designing and candle making. This training has allowed youth participants to secure local income-generating and job opportunities.

On April 05 four youth were trained on Compressed Earth Block Making at Auroville Earth Institute, Auroville.

On October 06 four youth were trained on controlled agriculture using modern appropriate technology at Dhenkanal, Orissa by Dr. Subhas Mohapatra. Dr. Mohapatra is a professor at North Carolina University and conducts courses in India to propagate this appropriate technology in rural areas.

Around fifteen women are being sponsored SHAMA WELL (Women Empowered through Living Loan) program from August 2006. Some of these women have undergone training on elementary teaching programs, embroidery and garment making, candle making, nursing, biogas plant managing, etc.

ADIRE’s solar, biogas and biomass programs have generated local jobs in the JABAKA villages. Biomass, or agricultural waste, is plentiful and costs less than grid electricity. It has the potential to provide jobs in rural enterprises currently not possible in the absence of affordable and reliable power. Farmers can earn additional income through land rentals and the sale of agriculture waste as fuel. The following are some of the income generation programs currently going on in the village Jahangirabad, Balabhadrapur, Ganeswarpur, and their surrounding villages.

The following are some of the income generation programs currently going on in the village Jahangirabad, Balabhadrapur and their surrounding villages, Ganeswarpur, and its surrounding villages.

Solar Photovoltaic and LED-based programs

SPV based lighting and entertainment create additional labor time during nights and encourages human resource development through learning and better health. India’s harsh summer weather is known to affect labor productivity. In summer, solar energy is plentiful and can be captured through SPV panels in solar portable lanterns and radio for use at night. In this way, workers can relax in their homes during the summer heat with solar-operated fans and work on the farm during the cooler nighttime hours. SPV lights can be used for outdoor work, sewing, weaving and almost any other type of income-related work.

Please see the Energy page to see more details about this program

Loans are provided to villagers through microfinancing in order to encourage entrepreneurship. Around 20 people from these JABAKA villages have taken microfinancing loans to start their own small businesses.

Women Empowerment through Microloans

Some ADIRE income generations programs target village women specifically. The SHAMA WELL program empowers women by helping them to build small businesses through microloans. This program started in July 2006, with approximately thirty women benefiting from this program during its first year. Interest-free loans ranging from Rs.3000/- to Rs.10,000/- are given to individual women depending on the nature of their proposed businesses. After a woman starts earning from her business, she pays back the amount she was loaned in monthly installments. The money she repays is given to the next woman on the waiting list for WELL loans. Some of the businesses the women have started include grocery shops, stationery shops, cows and the sale of dairy products, a biogas cooperative, hand-stitched garments, embroidery, soft toy making, Badi & Pappad (traditional snacks) making, mushroom farming, agriculture, catering for the village cafeteria, candle making, and more.  etc.

Adi ‘Kruti – Apparels & Home Furnishings

ADIRE has engaged a group of women, called Adi ‘Kruti in the design and stitching of apparel and various home furnishings. These products are sold locally as well as in outside markets. All items can be custom made by customer request. Online ordering for these products will soon be available so that customers can see samples and either select from current designs or modify these as they wish. Another group of girls make candles for sale in the local market. The girls are trained in candle making at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, located in the village of Gopinathpur, just 7 kilometers from the JABAKA villages. The girls and women are encouraged to take microloans to jumpstart this small cottage industry.

Road, Canal & Bridge

Infrastructure improvement is one of the most important parts of any community development work. It is the objective of ADIRE to make the JABAKA villages accessible and well-connected by roads, and to provide an affordable and healthy living environment. A road around 1kilometer in length was constructed in May 2005 to connect the village with the access road connecting to state highway. A tractor was purchased for construction (and to be used later in agricultural work). Depending on the workload, eight to ten local people get engaged in the road construction project on any given day.

In addition to the new road, a fair-weather bridge was planned to be built over the river Kundi, the placement of the bridge stood to save people almost 3-4 kilometers formerly traversed to reach the nearby access road. ADIRE mobilised the local people and persuaded the village panchayat (local self-government ) to construct a vehicle-accessible bridge over the river Kundi. Some of the villagers volunteered to donate their land for the access roads to the bridge. The villagers succeeded in obtaining a grant from the local Government for a bridge and concrete road in 2005.Bridge and road construction was completed at the end of 2006 and continues to serve1,000 people in their day-to-day commuting.

Low cost Housing using Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB)

ADIRE also provides low cost housing service to people. In March 2005, three local youth completed training in compressed earth block (brick) making and low cost home building at the Auroville Earth Institute, Chennai, India. The machine to make the bricks facilitating low cost housing was purchased from Auroville.

These three youth are now training other people in the village in brick making. As hands-on training experiences for the local youth, a canal wall and the park boundary have been constructed using these CSEB. Depending on the workload, eight to ten people engage in construction work. Besides housing for the people using this technology, ADIRE, and the JABAKA villages intend to construct a technical training center, a community health center, a guest house, a village cafeteria, and more.