Report to the Community Sustainable Economic and Education Development Society SEEDS The SEEDS of today are the trees of tomorrow Collated by Lalu Mansinha SEEDS (Sustainable Educational and Economic Development Society) is a small group who originally 'met' through discussions on ORNET (ORissa NET) and decided to loosely organise, with the resolve of taking on small projects in to help those who are in need. Our funds are raised through personal donations, and through the OSA (Orissa Society of America). We search out projects where a small infusion of funds would make a substantial difference. It is important to emphasise that SEEDS is denomination neutral, with no religious affiliation. The overriding criterion is the betterment of the community through the SEEDS sponsored project. It is important for sponsors and donors to recognise that every penny of donated funds goes to the project in Orissa. SEEDS members have developed a tradition of absorbing routine overhead costs such as postage, telephone etc. There is considerable personal interaction between SEEDS members and local project groups in Orissa. Each and every project is visited at least once every year by a SEEDS member and a report is sent our on SEEDSnet. Progress is monitored carefully to ensure that the aims and targets are adhered to. SEEDS is interested in any project that will improve the quality of life for the poor in both the cities and villages. A key idea of SEEDS is sustainability. After a few years of SEEDS help, five years at best, the project must be self-sustaining. Last year SEEDS was involved with several projects: Drought relief work in the South Chilika area; Construction of the Srinivas Praharaj Memorial Library at the Kanyashram atJalsapetta in Kalahandi; Well boring and pump at Dalijoda; Adopt A Student Project at Dalijoda; Community health (family planning, prevention of disease, nutrition) project with ASRA in the Jagatsinghpur-Naugaon-Balikuda region. Detailed reports on the last three projects are presented below. For the the next year (1998 - 1999) SEEDS plans to continue the last three projects: the school at Dalijoda, the Adopt A Student Project, and the ASRA projects and a community hospital in the delta area. This list is neither exclusive nor inclusive and SEEDS invites your participation in any or all projects, through donations, coordinating the fund raising for a specific project; supervising the execution of a project, or, initiating a new project. SEEDS is now incorporated in Oregon, thanks to the efforts of Priyadarsan Patra. Efforts are underway to obtain tax-exempt status. A suggestion and legwork by Purna Mohanty has led to registration of our own domain name and the creation of our own web page. Asutosh Dutta who originally setup SEEDSnet has also volunteered to provide a host for our webpage. Contacts: For continuing information please visit the SEEDS webpage at: www.seedsnet.org You can join the SEEDS discussions by being a member of the network. The address is: seeds@cs.columbia.edu Somdutt Behura 713-797-0667 Lalu Mansinha 519-433-0854 Purna Mohanty 408-730-4158 Gopal Mohapatra 713 790 0815 Sujata Patnaik 630-224-6933 Priyadarsan Patra 503-617-0667 The Dalijoda project has been visited by many SEEDS members, all of whom have reported very favourably on SEEDSNET. Recent visits were by Sujata Patnaik, Gopal Mohapatra SriGopal Mohanty, ManaRanjan Pattanasyak and Somdutt Behura. We present two of the reports in the following pages. The Sound of Flowing Water A Report on the SEEDS Dalijoda Project Mana Ranjan Pattanayak Shri Dharanidhar Pal gave a brief speech to the small gathering, outlining the contribution of SEEDS to this project. On behalf of SEEDS I thanked him for allowing our group a role in this community. Then I cut the red ribbon, opened the door of a small shed and flipped a switch. The pump started humming and water gushed out from the well and into the channel. Against the backdrop of the serenity of the countryside and the school, the sound of flowing water was like music. For, on the parched earth, the water was a promise of everything vital. In the faces of the school children, the teachers and in the produce of the earth around me I saw a reflection of everything that SEEDS stands for. Coming from bustling Bhubaneswar, the campus appeared to me to be an oasis of peace. I found a beauty and serenity that was so unique that I resolved to bring my wife Minati to this spot next time we were in Orissa. I am not religious, but Minati is. She would be happy to know that I found peace here without seeking. I was happy that SEEDS is associated with Sri Aurobindo Purnanga Vidyapitha and I was delighted to be the representative of SEEDS on this inauguration of the pump and well. I was very conscious that I have not been an active member. This project was initiated by Gopal Mohapatra, who has directed it to completion. Major contribution to the execution of the project has been through Sujata Patnaik and the personal knowledge and contacts of Somdutt Behura. As is the practice in SEEDS, many others have helped in the project through site visits, discussions and ideas. I spent about half a day at the school, the ashram. After the inauguration I was asked by the teachers to give a talk on the school system in America. My knowledge of the school system in United States and Canada is indirect, picked up on the way as my daughter and children of my friends went to school. It was an impromptu talk lasting an hour, totally unprepared and unrehearsed. The questions that followed my presentation were very perceptive, particularly from the young students. The approach to Dalijoda is by National Highway towards Dhenkanal, 45km from Bhubaneswar, and then 10km on the Tangi-Haripur road. The area is near Kapilas. Along the way the scenery changes from the flatness of the delta to the scrub and forested hilly tracts. As the car approached Dalijoda, I had a sudden flash. I had been here before many years back, with friends, for hunting. I remember this area as a dense forest at that time, with much wildlife. Only tribals lived in the region. There was no cultivation and no agriculture. Followers of Sri Aurobindo had a dream to set up an Ashram in Orissa. The opportunity came in 1970 when 200 acres of land around Dalijoda was put up for sale. With funds collected through donations and with bankloans the property was purchased in the name of Sri Aurobindo Srikshetra Trust. The Ashram started in 1974, as a dedicated community of sadhaks. Approximately 60 acres of uneven hilly land with poor washed out soil was cleared, leveled and made into cultivable land. Part of the land was cleared for dairy farming. Houses for the Ashram and school were built. Slowly an independent, self-sustaining community has developed. Paddy, pulses, oilseeds, flowers, sugar cane and seasonal vegetables are cultivated. The Ashram has its own tractors and bullocks. There is emphasis on organic farming and avoidance of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. A fruit orchard was developed. Approximately 22 acres of cashew, mango, jackfruit and guava trees have been planted. The dairy has about 20 heads of cows and provides milk for the Ashram and the surrounding community. Excess milk is used to make sweets. I tasted peda made at the Ashram. It was the tastiest peda I have ever had in my life. It was delicious. The Ashram earns an income through sale of the grains, fruits, flowers, vegetables and milk to the surrounding villages. The income not only makes the Ashram self-sustaining, but also allows the Ashram to offer employment to many local tribals and villagers. The agriculral activity at Dalijoda brought back memories of my youth, when at 19, I also took up farming for three years. The mix of tractor, bullocks and people reminded me of my youth. Perhaps inside me there is regret that I gave up farming to enter the steel industry. What I saw on my first visit to the Ashram and school was a community of smiling faces, each going about cheerfully about their tasks. I saw a teacher-student relationship that I have not observed before in Orissa. There was not the usual fear of teachers, no sign of obsequence. And yet there was a dignity, affection and mutual respect. I liked the teamwork that I saw. Every sadhak is addressed by everyone as bhai (brother), an equal among equals. This is so strikingly different from the differential rank-conscious behaviour elsewhere in Orissa and India. The sadhaks get no salary, but their food, shelter and other needs are provided for. Since there was no school in the area, the Ashram started the Sri Aurobindo Purnanga Vidyapitha, which now has Grade I to Grade X. They now have 240 students, mostly from tribal and low-income families. The students are taught not only the standard curriculum, but also agriculture, floriculture and gardening. Teamwork, responsibility, organisation are the skills that are imparted. The practical training has not affected the academic quality. Since 1986 the students HSC examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education. The average success rate is 68%. After leaving the school many students have moved on, taking up government service or higher studies. However, many have returned as sadhaks to the Ashrama and a few have come back to the school as teachers. Gopal Mohapatra of SEEDS came to know of a problem with water. In this hilly area, there is a shortage of water during the dry summer months. There is insufficient water for drinking as well as for irrigation. The continuing income of the Ashram from sale of produce was insufficient to install a deep bore well and pump. After the usual detailed project application from the school, and discussion over SEEDSnet, the project was approved. Gopal Mohapatra agreed to oversee the execution of the deep bore well and the pump. Prior to the drilling Somdutt Behura brought in his personal expertise on boring wells in that area. As a result the costs were brought down substantially. The tubewell is emplaced in a good aquifer at 165ft depth, cased with PVC pipe. An electric pump is used to draw the water for use for drinking and irrigation. The flow rate appears to be adequate at present, but performance during the dry summer months will be the true test. In some sense the school is bringing a structural change to the community. Twenty-five years ago there was only goat and cattle herding available as professions. Literacy was low. Now it is now possible for young boys and girls to think of being engineers, scientists or modern farmers. This is a renactment of the story of my life, and the story of so many of us from Orissa. From the half day that I spent in visiting the school, talking to teachers and students, I have come back with the conviction that SEEDS should provide help with a Vocational Training Center at the school. Although the school provides practical training on ongoing activities on the campus, it needs a well-equipped vocational training center. Here machineshop, computers, sewing machines etc can be setup to teach other technical skills. The Ashram Somdutt Behura A lot has been told about Dalijoda project, yet whatever we might say will be inadequate, for me personally, for the level of achievements and success of this Sri Aurobindo Ashram. At present my interest in Dalijoda is beyond SEEDS immediate interest. This is the temple where my cousin sister's son was rehabilated. I had been to Haripur, a place 5 kms from Dalijoda on several occasions, where my cousin sister lives. She became an widow seven months after marriage when her husband was killed in a road accident. She was pregnant with her son then. The boy was born with a mental disorder. It was the Ashram that rehabilitated him and nurtured him in a natural environment for more than 5 years. Prior to this visit I knew that my sister's son was going to one Aurobindo Ashram nearby, but never had a clue thta this was Dalijoda. I am indebted to this Ashram forever. Many more like my sister have turned to this Ashram for help, and have been rewarded. By chance my visit coincided with one of the four festivity days that every Aurobindo Ashram celebrates. This was the anniversary of the day when the Mother first visited India. The school starts with meditation at 7:30 AM. The environment all over the surrounding is one of serenity and beauty. The music is one of spiritual, touching your soul at its depth. In the midst of this natural habitat I saw a group of yogis dedicating their life in self-sustainability and working toward, in their own little but resolute world, making the mother India a proud nation in the world. Seems little unbelievable. But this is true. Every action initiated in the Ashram is directed toward this single philosophy of building world class responsible citizen. One thing that has touched my heart most is the Ashram's goal of eradicating poverty in the locality by providing gainful employment to the local tribes. They receive their salary in cash or kind. Also Ashram provides essential goods in fair market price to the local community. In my video clipping you will see an involved interaction with the local tribes who are employed there. There are three distinct tribes with their own distinct dialects. The Ashram produces almost everything that they need, starting from paddy and vegetables to cash crop like sugarcane. Adopt A Student Project at Dalijoda SEEDS -AASP Sujata Patnaik and Gopal Mohapatra The Adopt-A-Student Project of SEEDS aims to help poor children in Orissa to get a proper education. Many poor parents cannot afford to send their children to school. Some children are forced to work from an early age to help the family budget. The mission of AASP is to help provide a way out of the poverty cycle for the children, to fulfil their dreams, so they do not continue to be indigent and poor like their parents. Without the scholarship poverty would force the student to work for a living. Each sponsor pays $12/month per student. SEEDS arranges to the equivalent in rupees as a scholarship, to pay for food, clothing, school materials and medical care. Name and profile of the student and periodic progress reports, can be sent to the sponsor on request. The sponsor may also visit the school and get acquainted with the student. The school is Sri Aurobindo Purnanga Vidyapitha, situated at Dalijoda. The school provides free education to the nearby villages. Currently 33 students are being sponsored by AASP. Additional 20 students are waiting for sponsors. It is only rare that one can positively turnaround life of a youth with only a few dollars. Here is an opportunity. Please consider adopting a student. ASRA-SEEDS-IVAN Community Health Project in Naugaon Block Report by SriGopal Mohanty ASRA (Association for Social Reconstructive Activities) has been active in the Jagatsinghpur-Balikuda-Naugaon area in providing tubewells for drinking water, health services, community hospital, old-age home and many more community development activities. IVAN (India Voluntary Action Network) is an organisation in Canada with aims similar to SEEDS. IVAN and SEEDS have sponsored a three year Community Health Awareness project. The first year of the project has already started. The objective is to develop awareness on family planning, prevention of disease and nutrition among the poor in the delta area. Eleven Motivators have been selected. Each Motivator will be trained and will be resonsible for 10 villages. The Motivators are from the nearby villages and know the region. The Motivators are trained at the Rural Health Center (RHC) at Jagatsinghpur. The RHC is an unit of the SCB Medical College in Cuttack. The staff of RHC are comprised of Professors from SCB, and local staff of the Jagatsinghpur Hospital. The training syllabus is prepared by RHC, under the direction of Dr. Rabi Raut. The RNC will continue to give technical guidance for the duration of this project. Dr. Bishbu Mishra, Retired Professor and Head of Surgery will be assisting ASRA. The Motivators will go to each village and conduct preliminary survey of families in each village and then work to teach each family basic hygiene, family planning, nutrition and health care. Each motivator will have a basic medical kit. ASRA and RHC will continuously monitor progress on the project. I was also takjen by Samir Babu to visit other ASRA projects in the area: The School for Mentally Retarded Children at Jagatsinghpur: Twenty students stay at this residential school and are looked after by a Principal, two regular teachers and a music teacher. Old Age Home at Raghunathpur: About 25 old men and women, all destitute, live with some dignity at this home. Hospital at Naugaon: This hospital needs to be expanded to provide surgery and gynecology services to 150 villages in the area. Report by Somdutt Behura ASRA's health project is well in progress. ASRA has trained 11 individuals for their projects. I met seven of them in Naugaon. They have taken a small office next to the hospital building. Currently all the volunteers are involved in data collection for the locality. I was really impressed with the data sheet that ASRA has created for this purpose. It takes into consideration every details that a volunteer needs to know before he starts his immunization and family planning activities. The medical tool kits have already been bought. The dedication and morale of the volunteers are very high. The data collection phase will end this month. Samirbabu has clearly indicated that because of the nature of the project, he can't assure the extent of the success. But from his side he will not leave any stone unturned to make the project successful. Besides SEEDS project, I visited other ASRA project areas, including the Old age home in Raghunathpur. I think ASRA is providing a great service, and SEEDS to continue to support its cause. Particularly of interest is ASRA's Naugaon hospital. In terms of massive constructive return to the socity capital investment in the infrastuctural facilities has been kept at the bare minimum level. ASRA is looking for two kind of help from SEEDS: 1) If the help is around Rs. 3 lakhs then they would like to use the money for completing the building. 2) If it is more than Rs 3 lakhs they would prefer using them for buying medical equipments. I have brought a video clippings of Mentally Retarded school in Jagatsinghpur. This is a school that deserves our praise. A particular student drew my attention most. This boy is a genius. You need to see him to believe.