Photos

Older SHG member with a boy, probably her grandson.

Woman signing in the group log book after making her monthly payment to the SHG's group central fund, from which all group members can take loans. Having this central fund ensures that no interest is paid to banks, so all the money stays in the community. This group log book records the contributions of all group members and is kept by LSS to track the group's activities, i.e. amount of funds in the central fund, status of loans taken out, etc.

For women who are illiterate, they sign the book by giving their thumbprints. This women is putting her thumb in the inkpad.

Signing the book with her thumbprint.

Rohitash and Gopal sitting at the front of the group, discussing issues related to the groups activities. Once the group is comfortably formed, they will serve mainly as facilitators to the conversation, letting the women discuss amongst themselves. This is an integral part of each SHG group meeting, a discussion of the groups affairs. It usually runs for an hour or two, with often very loud and impassioned discussion. Very fun to watch.

If you look at the upper left corner (perhaps with zoom) you can see our organization's name transliterated into roman symbols - Lok Sabhagi Sansthan, meaning public participatory institute. Rohitash and Gopal ordered these books, which are kept by each member to record their contributions to the group's central fund. On it is written their name and inside is the date of the various group meetings and the amount they gave to the group's central fund in that meeting. The amount is standardized at Rs 50 (about $1) per month. See this book with our organization's name on it makes me smile.

Inside of the book, showing the first contribution of Rs 50 on December 4th, 2010.

James Arnott with the SHG group members.

James was tickled by this village lady, who spent the whole time sifting grain while talking on her cell phone. Typical rural India: ancient methods and cell phones side-by-side.

James got a treat at Gopal Singh's house: Dal Batti Churma. It is sizzling hot wheat balls with butter (batti), a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and flower (churma), and Dal. There appears to also be yogurt (chach). This is one of the best meals in India, though I'm not sure you can find it in the US, as I believe it is a Rajasthani specialty dish, and Rajasthani cuisine is not too common in the US.

Gopal Singh's field. The winter crop consists of wheat, barley, chickpeas, and mustard seed. This brings me great joy, as this field had turned to mere dust because Gopal did not have a good source of water and rain had been bad. A successful well project and good monsoon later, things are much improved. It makes me so very happy for Mr. Singh, a class act if there ever was one.

Rohitash and Gopal posing at their desks, where they process paperwork for the running of the SHG's and other aspects of the LSS's work.

The desks, computers, filing cabinet, etc. that were purchased in the last year.

The bed James slept on, consisting of fabric stretched over a metal frame. Sounds simple (and is), but this is one of the best places to sleep. So comfy, and James concurs.

Great smile from Gopal Singh. He has LSS's camera in his hand. Gopal is ebullient and hardworking, a tremendous asset to the organization.

Good close-up of Rohitash Kumar Meena, a gentle and kind soul. Doesn't he just look it? Love these guys.

Rohitash and Gopal on the roof above the office. Rohitash has on a light blanket, as it does get cold in the morning in the winter. They have surely had some chai and have probably read the paper in preparation for their day.

It's been a while since my last post, with finishing up classes and the holiday season. However, the workers have been busy continuing their work, with SHGs going in Derki, Kukrela, Pando, and Sundarpura. They are also in talks with women in the villages of Kechawala and Amloda. We have also hammered out the budget and agenda for next year, which includes the start of the Youth Leadership and Technology Groups (YLTG's). More on this below.

I have to say, first of all, that I got a most wonderful Christmas present: some pictures of the NGO's office and work, from a friend of mine who was visiting in early December, James Arnott. I have been to India and seen Rohitash and Gopal's work, but not since we formed this new NGO to focus on issues of women's equality, technology education, and environment. It's quite gratifying for me to see the workers at their desks, or with the women in their SHGs, doing the work that we started LSS to do. We have the proper facilities all set up and now we are just going to slowly build up our operations.

Indeed, we will continue to form SHGs, since Rohitash and Gopal are experts at that, having spent roughly 17 years doing such work. The benefits from such activities are also immense, in terms of allowing women a degree of economic independence and allowing families access to small loans to improve their condition. However, we will start moving into our other areas of planned work, starting with the YLTG's in 2011. We have the funds for two computers, have two others donated, and will look to get one more laptop to bring over when Meg and I visit India in summer of 2011. So, we will get groups set up in 5 villages and focus on them for the next year, and most probably 2012 as well. We will work to find what is the best structure in which the youth can learn about computers and how to use them to advance themselves professionally.

One things that's hard to fathom as Americans is that in these villages only a small number of the students have ever SEEN a computer, let alone used or learned about one. Indeed, in a group of 20 students aged 13-18 that I visited last year, only 1 of them had seen a computer. There is tremendous opportunity to allow these students to develop themselves and their skills so that they will be greater assets to their communities. We will be looking for the best ways for our computers to be used for the benefit of the communities in which we work in the years to come. It will be a trial and error process, and we welcome ideas on methods we can implement.

Verily, James suggested the idea, taken from a Ted talk, that student be given access to the computer in groups of 3 or 4, and through discussion they will learn about the computer, teach each other, and eventually will have a working knowledge of the computer. So, my thought is that we'll put up a schedule in each village and the students can sign up in groups of 3 or 4 for hour timeslots on the computer. We will probably supplement this with short lessons from Rohitash and Gopal, who will be trained the first two months of the year by a live-in computer teacher (something else they were busy arranging in the last month or so). So, let the work begin! Enjoy the photos and updates will be coming as we begin this work with the youth.

Field update and start of youth work

Full millet plants. This is not my photo.

Close up of the grain structure of millet. It's a hardy grain eaten by many people in the world, including in India. However, I believe consumption by people has gone down in India due the increased consumption of wheat (I've picked this up from the workers saying they used to eat more millet). Still, it is a critical crop in rural areas because it sustains the lifestock on which the rural areas are very dependent for food and income. This is not my photo.

Mother and baby buffalo in the foreground. In the background, on the left, a small silo for storing millet, which is often used to feed the buffalos. From my visit in 2007

So, it's been a while since my last post. The main reason for this is the busy life of a physics graduate student at Berkeley. However, there was also a two-week period in October where not much work was done in the field because both the workers (who are also farmers) and the people in villages in which they are trying to work were busy harvesting millet, an important crop in India (see above pictures). It is hard to strike up conversations about starting new SHG and youth groups when the people are trying to get work done in the fields. Hence the hiatus.

However, since then there has been considerable progress. There are now women's self-help groups in four villages, including Kukrela and Derki, with discussions with at least 3 more villages about starting up SHG's there. So, we are slowly building up the group of villages in which we work. Our plan is to really solidify ourselves, both in terms of our SHGs and our youth leadership and technology groups (see below), in a small number of villages, say 5-10, in the next year or two. We'll try out different strategies in this trial period and see what is most effective, especially with regards to the youth groups, since those are relatively new to the field workers. After this period we'll try to expand our reach to more villages and perhaps try to do some large scale environmental work, such as water harvesting. This should be easier once we have a reputation built and are can receive funds from a wider variety of sources (Indian law restricts intake of funds during the first three years of operation). Our planned pace is slow and steady, with an eye towards trying out new and innovative strategies tailored to the village areas.

Speaking of the youth groups, we are currently in discussions about getting work started up for that. We have set the budget for next year and it seems like we'll have about 5 computers in the village areas by the end of next year. This is a crucial first step, as the presence of the computers and an opportunity for the youth to learn about computers is very important to gain the buy-in of their parents. Computer knowledge is a concrete skill that is very highly touted in India and is rightly seen as a possible avenue to bigger and better things in rural India. This computer work will be a primary focus of ours, and we will look how to best impart some computer skills to the youth in the villages in which we work. Any suggestions are welcome. I will keep everyone updated on this as the situation changes.

That's it for now.

Field Update

A typical house set up in Rajasthan, with buffaloes out front, eating their feed and greens.

It occurred to me that I had not explained the short-term plan of LSS's work on this blog. So, the plan is for the workers to mainly go around to different villages via motorcycle and talk with the people about the benefits of starting microcredit groups and youth groups. Due to the isolated nature of these villages, the people are often very suspicious of outsiders, especially since many people who start NGOs in India are less than pristine. Add to this the conservative culture, and it equals a barrier that must be overcome to start these groups. Hence, there is a need for this foundation of conversation and good relations to be layed and nurtured for some time before work starts properly. The workers are currently doing this, and our plan is that this work will be roughly conclude in the first 3-5 pilot villages by the end of the year. In January we will start in earnest with operating SHG groups and youth groups.

That being said, the workers have already made sufficient inroads in two villages, Kukrela and Sundarpura, that they have been able to start micro-credit groups there. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it previously on this blog, but Kukrela is the home village of Rohitash, so that is nice to have a foot hold there. It is also nice to have a group setup in Sundarpura, in which neither of our workers live.

Additionally, the workers have been talking with school principals in the villages in which we plan to work, to get them to talk up our computer education program (as part of the larger youth group program). This program really is novel in the village area, where a poll that we gave in a representative village last year showed that only 1 boy out of our group of 20 had even seen a computer up close. There is a lot of opportunity here, and enthusiasm on the part of the village children and their parents. They are well aware that computer literacy is very important in the job market, and that the village children will benefit immensely from gaining experience with computers. I am particularly excited to see how this part of the program develops, since it is new and innovative, I think. We know the SHGs work and are a great benefit to their members, so I'm hoping these youth groups will turn out the same. We will strive to make it so, making adjustments as we go.

Speaking of computers, I had my first laptop donated last week. I would like to thank D. Quan for the very kind donation. There is some possibility that I can get it sent to India in December, but if not, I will bring it with me in August. These donation are a terrific help, as they free up some of the funds I had earmarked for these youth groups to go towards other developments besides just the computers themselves, i.e. perhaps I will be able to get internet in some villages, or send some of the youth group members to a week-long computer training school, or something along these lines. In the long run, building up donations will help us move towards meeting all of our goals as an organization, with management of the environment, especially water, being high on our priority list. We definitely hope to have the funds to run a water management program with the internationally-renowned, Maharastra-based NGO WOTR. I will write on WOTR and our hopes to partner with them in a coming post. Long story short, with these environmental management programs, a crucial part is often paying for the labor of the villagers in building, e.g. the water harvesting structures. This takes more funds than is currently in the budget, but less than you might think ($5-10,000, I believe) for very important work in this desert state. More on this soon.

On this subject, I end with some great news: it's been one of the best monsoons in Rajasthan in years and the people in the village are currently harvesting millet (or bajra). The good rain was much needed, as the last few years had scant rain and were quite rough on the crops, and hence the village income. I am very happy about this, as I'm sure the buffaloes pictured above are as well, as they love swimming in puddles of water.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for staying tuned.

Early B-day Present, and Notes on Administration

Rohitash watching a herd of sheep go by. Nomads were coming through town. From last summer.


Chili plants, a specialty of Rajasthan's, often at a very high cost in terms of water. They are beautiful though.

Work from a previous organization (SVS), with similar youth technology and leadership groups.

Gopal Singh running a women's micro-credit group in previous work with the organization SVS. This is the experience that is going to make LSS an effective organization in the field.


So, I received an early birthday present this last week when I was presented with a donation numbering in the several hundred dollar range from a close friend of mine. It is the organization's first large donation, and I am very grateful to have received it. I think that it will go towards buying a computer to be used in our youth technology and leadership groups. I want to thank the donor again for the kindness.

Speaking of donors, I have gotten word from multiple people that they would like to donate once the system for such donations are in place. This is most gratifying. I anticipate that we will be able to take donations to an official organizational account starting in late December or January, once we are registered with the state of CO as an organization. However, if you are interested in donating now, I have cleared out an old savings account I have (I had to get new one in CA in order to get residency) and am leaving it open for donations. This is where I will deposit the money from the donation mentioned above. Absolutely nothing personal will done with this money. Donor id numbers will be issued and bi-annual reports will be issued laying out where money from all sources has gone. Annual external audits will also be performed. The funds for this year's work are already secured, so no rush, but I just thought I'd mentioned this in case anyone was interested in donating for future work. Note that we are running the organization in CO, as opposed to CA, because in my experience thus far CO is an easy state in which to operate.

A note on my philosophy in running this organization. Though the workers have insisted on calling me the head of LSS, I can't say the title has ever really suited me. The main reason is that the workers have most of the experience and thus the judgment needed to assess whether certain activities are of value in the village setting. We have agreed upon a core focus of women's microcredit, youth technology and leadership development, and environemental management. This is summed up in the charter I have attached (which still needs some revision in English; the one in Hindi has already been submitted to the Indian government for our registration there).

Given this shared vision, I am largely leaving the implementation up to the workers, who, as I have said, are the real experts in this area. However, I do provide guidance and suggest things that might help how things are running, e.g. suggesting they attend various types of computer training so they become more fluent with using computer applications and the internet. I see my main role as providing some ideas on things that might be carried out, and in maintaining the fiscal transparency of the organization by keeping track of monies spent. I will of course travel to India, most likely annually, and we will meet to discuss organization philosophy, focus, etc. Hence, I am the head of the organization two clear ways: 1) the financial buck stops with me and 2) I have set up an organization with two very like-minded field workers with a given philsophy in mind so that I can say with confidence what our work is and how we are achieving it. I leave many of the details to the workers, as I believe should be done in these circumstances, as it is foolish for foreigners to try to dictate the exact details of implementation. Indeed, villagers often bristle at having city folk from the same state in India importing their "foreign" ideas about how exactly things should be run. There is a careful balance in respecting local custom and methods of operation, and bringing useful change. This balance must always be kept in mind, and LSS's governing philosophy is based on maintaining this balance.

Well, that's basically all for now folks. I also wanted to add that any donations are also, unfortunately, subject to about 1-2% in bank transfer fees, as is standard for international transfers. It's an annoying reality of working between countries. Hence, the percent of donations that reach the field workers will be about 80-82%, given the 17.5% administration fee of our partner organization NSS (see previous post). I feel the need to be upfront and forthright about this fact.

Hope everyone is well. So excited about LSS's work. The NGO workers continue to make contacts with the aforementioned villages, and have made lots of headway in convincing the villagers of the benefit of starting self-help groups and youth technology and leadership groups. We anticipate having groups set up in the coming weeks. I will post the names of the villages where we are working once we have official books set up. Great stuff!

Here is where you can see our charter:
https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1_egvofMQZ-VxmOz8CKBOdRRwJEPHGnXDGDes91ha2LI&hl=en&authkey=CJLC9qsO

Work started

Above are some photos from field visits on past trips to India. The top photo is women cutting chara for buffalo feed, and the bottom is me holding a goat in front of the Hero Honda motorcycle, a workhorse for NGO travel.

I have received a message from the field workers detailing their work thus far. As I mentioned, they have the office all set up in Khora, and they have a self-help group (SHG) set up in Kukrela. The term self-help group refers to our microcredit groups, most of which will be established amongst the womenfolk, to use the Indian term, of the various villages. Additionally, Rohitash and Gopal have been going around on motorcycle, setting up meetings in villages to talk about the possibility of setting up SHGs there, as well as youth technology and leadership groups (YTLGs). In short, they have been laying the ground work for setting up future groups. They anticipate that very soon there will be groups in the villages of Bhamod, Bhindor, Sundarpura (purely beautiful, in Hindi), Chechawala, and Berakee. So, again, I am very satisfied with the pace of progress in our work. Just a year ago this organization was just a dream.

A quick word on the structure of our women's microcredit groups (this information will be formalized into a document, probably next summer): our model is that the women put their own money into a central fund, from which members can take loans. Hence, no funds from the NGO are used to "give" women loans, but instead their own money is used to provide these loans. We provide the logistical support, primarily maintaining the account with the bank. We hope after a few years of operation these groups will be able to take over this function accounting function themselves. In previous work, we have found the women in these groups use the loans to buy buffalos for milk, or seed for their fields, or medicine for their family, and many other such things. Thus, health, wealth and many other things are increased by their activity.

Finally, one other things I found it relevant to note: by Indian law, LSS cannot directly accept funds from foreign sources during its first 3 years of operation. Hence, we have to work through an auxiliary organization that monitors our activity to ensure transparency. This organization is Naman Sewa Samiti (NSS). The key point is for their services they take a 17.5% fee on all funds sent over to India. This is fine with me because it's the price of getting started in India, but I thought any potential donors should know this. It cannot be denied that during the first few years of operation our organization will not be the best "bang for your buck" on donations. Nonetheless, we think we are getting started on something very special and hope that you will still consider make a donation.

Just getting started

The bottom photo is Gopal Singh and I sitting and eating, Indian style. The top photo is Rohitash Kumar Meena and myself catching a little shade.

This a first post to just make the blog not be blank.

Lok Sahbhagi Sansthan has gotten started on its work, and the field workers and I are very excited to be moving forward. In Hindi Lok Sahbhagi Sanstha (LSS) means, roughly, Public Participatory Institute, reflecting how the organization see itself: as a facilitator to activities that can help villagers better their situations economically, educationally, and so forth. The field workers are are Rohitash and Gopal. They have just begun work after beginning the first round of funds. They have rented a small office, for which they have bought a computer, desk, cabinets, and other supplies needed to run day-to-day operations. They have also gotten a motorcycle and are currently visiting villages to establish connections in the area. Our work will focus on women's micro-credit group, youth technology education, and watershed management. When I spoke to the workers last, there was already one micro-credit group set up, with a goal of setting micro-credit groups and youth computer education groups in 2-3 villages in the next month or so. The field workers have roughly 18 years of experience in this line of work, and so bring a wealth of knowledge that will work to the organization advantage in the years to come.

A board for a US-based support organization has been provisionally established, consisting of myself, Meg Fowler, and Richard Johnson. Richard, a student in law, will be working in the months to come on the legal details for obtaining 501(3)(c) status. I hope to do some fundraising in the near future, and hope you will consider giving to my organization if you feel so inclined. I will work to make sure that we have completely transparent operations, with clear records of where all the money donated is going and a yearly outside audit of accounts. The fieldworkers have been keeping receipts and proper documentation will be made. I know trust is key in such an enterprise, and I will work to maintain a trustworthy enterprise at all times.

I am most excited about the beginning of operations and hope to get others excited about it as well. I have posted some photos of myself and the field workers, from past visits (above).