CURRENT PROJECTS

Working closely with our Indian NGO partners, Jeevika Trust focuses on the development of livelihood options for some of India’s most impoverished villagers – particularly Tribal and Scheduled Caste women.

Our Rural Women’s Livelihood Programme (RWLP) currently benefits – through our five partners – the income-generation and micro-activities of more than 1,500 women formed into over 300 Self-Help Groups which, over the last 5 years, have generated over £200,000 to contribute to household incomes, the improvement of which assists nutrition, food security, health and hygiene within the family and boosts self-sufficiency within the village economy. Other projects supported by Jeevika and delivered by the same partners provide access to safe water, sanitation facilities and help families living with HIV/AIDS. Overall these projects have had an impact on or are currently benefiting nearly 100,000 villagers in over 100 villages across Tamil Nadu & Odisha.

PROJECT MNEP

Delivering Partner: Jeevan Rekha Parishad (JRP)

Duration: Ongoing

Location: Odisha, Eastern India

Focus: Women’s Income Generation

Direct Beneficiaries: 350

Indirect Beneficiaries: 150

Total lives touched: 180

Following the success of our original Madhu Network Project, funded over 2 years with £60,000 from the UK government, we are expanding the initiative to a further two villages. Tribal women, formed into Self-Help Groups, are provided with beekeeping equipment & training in the production & marketing of honey, providing a viable, sustainable income. As our flagship honey-production project, we are always seeking new funding to expand it to further villages, as we believe it is easily & infinitely replicable.

PROJECT SNAPS

Delivering Partner: Jeevan Rekha Parishad (JRP)

Supported by: Monsoon Trust

Duration: Ongoing

Location: Odisha, Eastern India

Focus: Sanitation, Health, Women’s Income Generation

Direct Beneficiaries: 2500

This pilot project addresses the need of 2,500 Tribal women & adolescent girls living in 25 villages in the Chandaka Forest Area of Odisha to have access to hygienic, cost-effective, eco-disposable sanitary napkins (SNAPS). Women villagers formed into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will produce the SNAPS & generate income from their sale to health workers & schools. With access to SNAPS in schools, girls have the opportunity to remain in education (over 20% of girls drop out of school  on menstruation). The project will also address issues of reproductive health & hygiene.

PROJECT NARIKURAVAR

Delivering Partner: Annai Mary Foundation (AMF)

Supported by: Total American Women’s Group

Duration: Completed

Location: Tamil Nadu, Southern India

Focus: Health & Nutrition, Women’s Income Generation

Direct Beneficiaries: 100

Indirect Beneficiaries: 450

Total lives touched: 550

Annai Mary Foundation works with 100 Narikuravar gypsy women & their families in the south of Tamil Nadu.The gypsy population has existed in India for over 1,000 years. They live on the perimeter of society &, as a result of British rule & Indian government bans, the Narikuravar people, traditionally meat eaters, can no longer use forests as their traditional hunting ground. AMF works with these families to raise awareness of health, nutrition & hygiene & helps them make their own soap to aid hygiene, grow vegetables & poultry to improve family nutrition &, where there is a surplus of produce, to generate income.

PROJECT PANI

Delivering Partner: Jeevan Rekha Parishad (JRP)

Supported by: Waterloo Foundation

Duration: Ongoing

Location: Odisha, Eastern India

Focus: Water & Sanitation

Direct Beneficiaries: 550

Total lives touched: 550

This initiative provides rooftop water harvesting, sanitation facilities & a solar energy system to 120 students in one school & 2 hand-pumps & toilets to 100 families in two adjoining villages. Students become ECO Club members & help promote a better understanding of water, sanitation, hygiene & environmental issues within the school. Issues related to health and hygiene are also addressed with villagers formed into Committees which are trained to ensure ongoing maintenance of village hand-pumps & toilets.

PROJECT SEED

Delivering Partner: Women’s Organisation for Rural Development (WORD)

Supported by: Innocent Foundation

Duration: Completed

Location: Tamil Nadu, Southern India

Focus: Health & Nutrition, Women’s Income Generation

Direct Beneficiaries: 1197

Indirect Beneficiaries: 130

Total lives touched: 1327

Delivered by WORD, this 3-year initiative works with 140 Dalit women farmers & other low-caste villagers in 13 villages in North West Tamil Nadu. Beneficiaries generate income using cost-effective, eco-friendly technologies to sustain their organic farming: they collect, exchange & store organic seeds & produce organic fertilisers & pesticides for sale to non-project farmers from their Seed Wealth Centre. Another 75 Dalit women in Self-Help Groups are trialling the production of cloth sanitary napkins for local use. The project also improves the school retention rates of 150 Dalit girls & boys through evening tuition & conversational English. Membership of 965 women & adolescent girls in Watch Dog Committees also helps combat domestic violence, child marriage, child labour & other forms of sexual exploitation.

PROJECT MITHRA

Delivering Partner: Mithra Foundation (MF)

Supported by: Zurich Foundation & Marr-Munning Trust

Duration: Awaiting new programme

Location: Tamil Nadu, Southern India

Focus: Health & Nutrition, Women’s Income Generation

Direct Beneficiaries: 100

Indirect Beneficiaries: 500

Total lives touched: 600

MF works with 100 women & men villagers living with HIV/AIDS in 9 villages near Trichy in Tamil Nadu to assist them to generate income so they can improve their nutritional intake & contribute to the cost of health care & other household needs. MF also provides crèches so children of these families may be cared for while their parents engage in goat-rearing or the making of garlands, jewellery or votive candles. A Revolving Fund supports women beneficiaries through loans & savings to expand or initiate new enterprises to help increase their household income. MF also works to help improve understanding of HIV/AIDS-related issues in the wider community.

PARTNER WORKSHOPS

Our Stakeholder Workshops are integral to the design of Jeevika’s Rural Women’s Livelihood Programme & are designed to strengthen project delivery by our partner organisations, especially our smaller partners. Since 2009, Jeevika has held eight Stakeholder Workshops for its partners, the content of which has focused on Project Monitoring & Reporting; SHG & Microcredit Development; Organisational Development & Accountability; Organisational Governance, Financial Accountability & Marketing; Gender Issues &explored a range of innovative crafts & small-scale alternative farming techniques.

We are committed to maintaining our relationships with the villages which our projects serve & our initiatives are designed to have long-term, sustainable benefits for the whole community. Click the link below to see our past projects.

PLEASE NOTE: Jeevika Trust is not a grant-making organisation. We build meaningful relationships with our partner organisations & develop projects together. We do not consider unsolicited requests for funding & we are currently fully committed to our six existing partners.

adminCurrent projects 2016