Diwashi Trip – An Encounter with reality

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “To a poor man, god cannot appear except in the form of bread.” The truth in this cannot be completely comprehended unless one has a face off with poverty. That is exactly what this trip was for us, Enactus – Somaiya Social Cell members – a face-off with poverty.

130 kms from Mumbai is Dahanu, a small taluka in coastal Maharashtra. As we trudged along on a Sunday morning to Nareshwadi Learning centre on 23^rd Feb 2014, we never imagined it would take us so long to reach our destination which was still at an hour’s journey from there. Diwashi is a small village further from Nareshwadi, where the farmers, the main beneficiaries of Project Mogra reside.

As we interacted with Mr. Walvi, who represents the Girivanvasi Educational Trust (GVET) and handles the project there, we got a general idea of the farmers. The farmers have families of 5-6 members, lands of less than an acre and a monthly income of around Rs. 500-600 from their meager agricultural produce. Due to their low incomes, the males of the family work as laborers in nearby areas such as Vasai. The women of the family take care of the farms. Children of these families mainly study at the School in Nareshwadi Training Centre.

While we educated the farmers on Financial Literacy, we were faced with just one question. How do we save from our already insufficient income? There is no answer to that question.

The root cause of poverty lies somewhere deeper. And the root cause of most social issues in our country today lies in poverty. There is much work to be done, many people to be educated and many families to be uplifted. Let us all endeavor together to not rest till we empower each and every poor household. It is by each small step that we can fight poverty.

We left from Diwashi praying to the rain gods that the farmers be blessed with a bumper Mogra crop this season. And here’s hoping that our efforts would help them rise out of their current conditions.

Aarohi 2014 : Different...not less!

“You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are abled by the abilities you have” --Oscar Pistorius.

A little 5 year old, with unimaginable energy and enthusiasm, sprints like an athlete to win the race. He has cancer, is hyperactive, mentally disabled, and is one of the cutest kids you will ever meet. His mother’s eyes shine with tears as her little son waves his trophy in the air with a gurgling laugh. Wondering what event is this? Welcome to Aarohi 2014!

Aarohi 2014, was a “special” event organized by the Lions Club and assisting them in this endeavour was the Enactus Somaiya Social Cell. The two daylong event began with a song and dance competition for the special kids. From the heart-warming silent anthem by hearing impaired children to an awe inspiring dance performance by a mentally disabled child, the event packed a punch. By the end of this program, everyone present could not help but agree that there is this wonderful talent in every child!

If on the first day, we appreciated these little angels as audience, the second day gave us a little peek into their beautiful minds. Competing in games such as lemon in spoon, match the cards and relay races, these children displayed unbounded enthusiasm and zest for life. The event ended with an award ceremony, with the Enactus volunteers cheering loudest for the kids they had grown so attached to. At the end of these two fun filled, emotional and enjoyable days, we were surely physically tired, but mentally no one could have felt fresher.

Sometimes living in an intensely competitive environment and under huge stress, we forget to count our blessings. The hope, enthusiasm and infectious smiles of these little wonders made us appreciate life as it is, simple and pure.

Nareshwadi Field Trip – An Incredible Experience

Eleven of us from Enactus Somaiya Social Cell set out on a field trip early morning on 31^st Jan 2014. Nareshwadi Learning Centre, Dahanu is an 11-acre campus which boasts of a primary school, a high school and a vocational training institute. The campus is surrounded by a hospital, an organic farm and a goshala which provide better opportunities to the tribals in this area.

The Project Warli of Enactus Somaiya Social Cell was started as an initiative to empower the Warli tribe. The vocational training institute of Nareshwadi today not only trains the tribals to create world class Warli products but also assists in selling those. The Warli Products sold at Enactus Kiosk’s are sourced from here.

The visit to the vocational training institute was a required dose for us new Enactus Members. While working for our projects at the retail end has been enjoyable, we truly got insights into actual production of these artifacts when we saw them made. The tribal art of Warli is a combination artistry and storytelling and it signifies the bountiful culture and art of our country.

Team Warli aims to add a few new products to its catalogue this year. Samples of the new products were created and along with the Warli painters the team members took to brushes to learn the finer nuances of the art. Team Kruti also took initiatives to spread its wings in Nareshwadi. While all current Kruti products come from Sameerwadi, Karnataka, it seems a good idea to expand the project to empower the women of Nareshwadi.

The Enactus Team also interacted with a few kids studying at the Kokilaben Kotak Primary School at Nareshwadi. It was fun revisiting childhood rhymes through these children. The team further took a round of the farm which produces mainly fruits and the goshala which has around 40 cows. At the end of the day, none of us wanted to return to our busy and adulterated metro lives after a day spent in small indian village glory.