Frogs in Taankas
Yesterday, Saturday, Nov 15 was the first day of field visits. But I should introduce myself. I am Gillian, the Communications Director at IDEX. This is my first trip to visit the work of IDEX's partners and I have been amazed at everything I've seen so far.
I need to be brief this morning as the connection is haphazard here and we also need to head off soon to see more of GRAVIS' work.
GRAVIS took us to see their hospital which serves the community within a 75km radius (a little under 50 miles). The hospital was founded in 2001 and since then is has expanded considerably, adding an eye care unit in 2005. This was critcal as cataracts are an issue for everyone here. Even young children get cataracts as a result of poor nutrition and the harsh glare of the sun.
From here we headed off to visit a woman community leader and see her small craft business that she has grown with the assistance of loans from her self-help-group (SHG). SHGs are the model used here build women's skills as they provide a venue for women to come to together and talk about their problems. This has not been traditional in Rajasthan. The women in the SHGs go on to learn a variety of skills that benefit themselves, their families and communities. They also save 50 rupees each month ($1) and the group can loan funds this to each other to start small business initiatives. We sat with the rest of her SHG asking questions and responding to their questions. We drew a large crowd of children wanting us to take their photos over and over again and squealing with delight as they then saw their images on the digital camera screens.
Taanka's (water storage devices that collect rain water) are also critical to women's empowerment as women spend many hours a day walking to collect water. I believe we are seeing more water storage methods today. But after seeing photos of taankas, reading and writing about them for several years it was a thrill to finally see one, and peer into the water below and discover lots of frogs! The communities introduce frogs to the taankas to ensure unwanted insects that could damage crops and bring disease are managed.
I hope to post more later, and maybe even photos if I can upload them on this connection.
I need to be brief this morning as the connection is haphazard here and we also need to head off soon to see more of GRAVIS' work.
GRAVIS took us to see their hospital which serves the community within a 75km radius (a little under 50 miles). The hospital was founded in 2001 and since then is has expanded considerably, adding an eye care unit in 2005. This was critcal as cataracts are an issue for everyone here. Even young children get cataracts as a result of poor nutrition and the harsh glare of the sun.
From here we headed off to visit a woman community leader and see her small craft business that she has grown with the assistance of loans from her self-help-group (SHG). SHGs are the model used here build women's skills as they provide a venue for women to come to together and talk about their problems. This has not been traditional in Rajasthan. The women in the SHGs go on to learn a variety of skills that benefit themselves, their families and communities. They also save 50 rupees each month ($1) and the group can loan funds this to each other to start small business initiatives. We sat with the rest of her SHG asking questions and responding to their questions. We drew a large crowd of children wanting us to take their photos over and over again and squealing with delight as they then saw their images on the digital camera screens.
Taanka's (water storage devices that collect rain water) are also critical to women's empowerment as women spend many hours a day walking to collect water. I believe we are seeing more water storage methods today. But after seeing photos of taankas, reading and writing about them for several years it was a thrill to finally see one, and peer into the water below and discover lots of frogs! The communities introduce frogs to the taankas to ensure unwanted insects that could damage crops and bring disease are managed.
I hope to post more later, and maybe even photos if I can upload them on this connection.
posted by IDEX at
5:43 PM
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