Sustainable Development Projects in India

Sustainable Development Projects in India have a varied range. Often they entail working outdoors in the so called model villages or other green tasks. I have been a keen water environmentalist and it was rather difficult to find Socially Responsible Projects of my field outside the domain of the Indian rivers, until the Google search channelised me onto an event by a unique CSR Foundation run by Le Passage to India, a prominent DMC in India. Their CSR website, www.shaping-lives.org mentioned a place about 50 miles from the pink city of Jaipur. I requested my travel agent to assist me in spending time on such a Sustainable Development Project in India. It helped. The DMC gave details of the Shaping Lives head and not only did he provide me every possible detail I wanted but also set up a meeting with ‘The waterman of India’… a man who has walked the length of all major rivers in India and whose NGO near Jaipur has changed the arid land into fertile cultivable area. 

It was a delightful experience meeting him and learning so many low cost but extremely effective water management techniques from his team of trained locals. Some members of the team were even illiterate women …illiterate in reading etc perhaps but ‘hands on’ work …whoa!!!! … I had a lot to learn. What a wonderful week I spent in their hamlet. Pure vegetarian local meals, early morning to dusk work and water management experiences and the evenings filled with the smells and songs of the desert wafting in from the surrounding village. 

Child Welfare Organisations in India

Surprisingly India has millions of homeless or less privileged children and the Child Welfare Organisations in India are a dime a dozen. Some of them are fantastic while others can take you for a ride. My focus as a student of child psychology has always been to spend time with special children and since I wanted to do the ‘Golden Triangle’ tourist trip of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, I decided to indulge in some volunteer – cum – study work with a good NGO in Delhi. Lots of Child Welfare Organisation in India offered me grand opportunities and avenues. I was a bit confused and mentioned this to my local travel agent. She merely smiled and said ‘Susan, please access www.lepassagetoindia.com.” 

Seems they were travel partners and this Indian agent, one of the biggest in India, had its exclusive Foundation to facilitate good CSR for inbound tourists like me. She was correct. The site gave me knowledgeable inputs of their work and a small mail to the Foundation head brought in prompt multiple options. Need I say that when I landed in Delhi, I was taken to a wonderful school located in the heart of a slum. The special children just walked in or were wheeled in from their homes and what a beautiful time we had. I learnt that you do not need high technology or air-conditioning to look after special children …. love, compassion and a bonding is enough. I was introduced to their parents, most of them earning less than GBP 3 a day and yet content, I visited their homes to understand their lifestyles. By the time I finished, I had a whole notebook worth of observations, I was Susan didi (that’s sister in Hindi) to the entire lot and the families in that slum, both male and female …wow!! …they were so helpful, hospitable and respectful… I felt at home … I am going back to them soon ……….