Project 3. Rural Development

Rural Development

Holistic life through 5H Program (Healthcare, Hygiene, Human values and Harmony in diversity)

The 5H program aims at ensuring that every rural area/village has Homes for the homeless, Health care, Hygiene,Human Values and Harmony in diversity. Set up in 1997, 5H catalyzes social transformation that aims to eradicate poverty, misery, disease and ensure peace and harmony in rural and tribal areas worldwide.

The youth from the local community undergo the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). This gives them the skills, motivation and abilities to initiate and lead service projects in their own villages and localities based on their needs.

Only a strong spiritual foundation brings self esteem and self confidence that is unshakeable. It is this combination of spirituality, and skills and leadership training that ensures the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of this program.

The individuals and communities at the grassroots become self-reliant both socially and economically. Further, the effects are long-term and sustainable.

5H Achievements

• Reached 36,557 villages

• Trained 61,546 rural youth in YLTP

• Conducted 121,600 free stress-relief workshops benefiting more than 5,688,000 people

• Conducted 48,800 hygiene camps and 23,600 medical camps benefitting 2,582,500 people

• Planted more than 2,251,000 trees

• Built 1527 homes, 5670 toilets, 1036 borewells, 820 bio-gas plants

Join the revolution for change

• Are you inspired? And ready to take on social responsibility

• Want to be focused? And be the part of the change you want to see

• Are you ready to be committed? And build a team of leaders

• Then join the Family - Contact a YLTP Coordinator

o Transforming Lives

o Gift a Smile

Rural Development-Approach

Social and economic development must have human development at the core of its planning and conception. It must seek towards nurturing the individual which in turn uplifts the community spirit. Only then development will be sustainable and successful.

Policy making and planning agencies must continuously be in conversation with human and social factors for true sustainability. A sense of belonging, sharing, non-violence, and caring for life, and for the planet are among the values that the 5H Program aims to nurture in individuals and societies by large.

Youth Empowerment

Breath Water Sound Workshop (BWS)

The Breath Water Sound Workshop is a short – 6 to 9 hour - dynamic program, designed for people who have gone through emotional upheaval, anxiety, violence, substance abuse and/or physical illnesses, and who may be financially, physically or emotionally challenged. It is designed to motivate, educate and empower people with tools to lead a healthier, independent and meaningful life. Equal attention is brought to individual well-being and growth, as well as to aspects of long-lasting community development.

Personal Transformation:

The workshop incorporates simple yet powerful techniques to relieve people of stress and improve clarity of thought. These include:

• Breathing exercises to help alleviate physical and emotional stress

• Simple meditation techniques

• Talks on healthy diet and healthy living

• Motivation to make life-supporting decisions

These techniques teach how to effectively deal with and dissolve negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, anxiety or depression. By overcoming these barriers, people who have done the program report abilities to stay strong and clear headed in the face of difficult situations so that they can lead their life with enthusiasm and purpose.

Community Development:

A major component of Breath Water Sound is community service. A considerable portion of the program is dedicated to community empowerment and taking responsibility for the needs of one's own community.

Our premise is that people do not identify themselves with being of service when they feel a lot of pressure from their daily lives. Too much or inappropriate stress and lack of confidence overwhelm an individual and this in turn, affects society at large. These Breath Water Sound Workshops conducted by the Art of Living Foundation help to overcome this problem.

Potential youth are picked from the Breath Water Sound workshops, based on community feedback and sometimes in collaboration with existing youth organizations. These youth are then trained on the Youth Leadership Training programs to become youth leaders and community developers.

Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) : Building Dynamic Leaders for Tomorrow

Youth today face a number of important choices at home, at school and socially as they navigate a rapidly changing world.

With so many influences giving direction to young people, cultivating the qualities of inner strength and compassion is essential for tomorrow's leaders. The Art of Living Foundation empowers young people to move from being influenced by their environment, to having an influence on their environment. It works to ensure that tomorrow's voices for peace and unity are stronger than those of violence and self-centeredness.

Youth is given the tools to see clearly, young people have the vision to do something positive in their communities. They also have the energy to translate their vision into action. YLTP creates a platform for youth to make a difference in their townships and villages. Local youth are encouraged, motivated, recruited, trained extensively and they become ‘Agents of Positive Change’.

YLTP puts special emphasis on training women to become youth leaders, as change is only sustainable when women are fully participating in the process. Readmore

Our unique 3 - stage approach

• Human Development Programs aimed at uplifting the individual spirit

• Socio-economic Development Projects aimed at sustainable solutions

• Forum for Dialogues to create and leverage on.

5H Funding

Individuals, who participate in the various stress-relief, health and wellness courses offered by the Art of Living Foundation, contribute towards the funding of the 5H program. Some of the programs are funded jointly with the State or Government. Some part of the contributions come from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Home for Change Projects

Overview

A big challenge in the world is people living on the streets or in sub-standard housing. The 5H program helps rural communities with basic building needs such as homes, schools, toilets and shelters. The 5H Program through its "Homes for Change" initiative builds durable structures for poor families, at no cost to the recipients. A home brings a sense of security, a place from where the recipient can start building a foundation and a life for himself and his family members.

After the earthquake in Gujrat in January 2001, over 400 homes have been built in Navsari, Dahod, Dang and Vansad districts under the Sardar Awas Yojana scheme with The Art of Living. Homes have also been built in :

• Mallur, India - 80 homes

• Kutch, India - 100 homes

• Hoskote, India - 30 homes

• Nagapattinam, India - 180 homes after the Tsunami

• Homes are being built in North Karnataka, India after the floods in September 2009

Health Projects

Overview

The Challenge

Good health is a first step towards a happy, fulfilling life. Yet vast segments of the world's population have neither access to proper nutrition nor medical and dental care, nor have they received even the most rudimentary education in achieving and maintaining good health. The 5H program of the Art of Living aims to resolve this challenge

The 5H program has already initiated projects in various areas of India, South Africa and Central and South America. The program includes organizing health care camps, which provide medical and dental care to the rural population. It introduces some age old simple practices which are good for human and environmental health in the long run.

Our Approach

The 5H program has projects in various areas of the world, organizing health care camps, which provide medical, dental and eye care to the rural population. Volunteers provide basic health care education. The 5H program addresses health issues not only on the physical level but also on the mental, spiritual and emotional level.

Our health initiatives

• Setting up medical centers in various rural villages

• Dental & eye care camps to treat and educate villagers about good dental & eye care

• Providing ambulances for remote areas.

• Initiating & running alcohol/tobacco/drug de-addiction and rehabilitation programs

• Mobile medical vans that travel through villages giving treatments and educating about health issues

• Special maternity vans for women, so that they do not have to ride on rough bullock carts and helps save the new born babies

Preventing an epidemic

A camp to diagnose and prevent the onset of mass mosquito-related fever called Chickungunya. Timely intervention helped prevent the outbreak of an epidemic. Over 2,550 people benefited from medical treatment, early diagnosis and free medicines.

Chikungunya fever prevention camp

July 2006 saw heavy rainfall in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India creating loss of property and life. Stagnant water ponds attract a lot of mosquitoes which bring with them various kinds of serious illness. Medical facilities were insufficient. After consultation with experts and doctors, homeopathic medicine was advised to be the best prevention for Chikungunya. Under the guidance Dr. Rajnesh Sharma and Dr. Anuj Singh Ragini, an 18-member Art of Living volunteer team organized a free medical camp. The camp served to help in diagnosis and prevention. Over 2,550 people benefited from this initiative.

Bringing hope to suicide-prone Vidarbha

The Art of Living has been working towards stopping farmer suicides in the Vidarbha, an agricultural belt in Maharashtra. Many of its farmers had taken to committing suicide owing to poor crop and rising debts. The Art of Living implemented a program specially devised to create a sense of confidence in farmers and educated them in organic farming methods.

PREVENTING FARMER SUICIDES

An agricultural region in Maharashtra, India, Vidarbha has been witnessing tremendous turmoil over the last few years. Many of its farmers had taken to committing suicide owing to poor crop and rising debts. Estimates suggest that 1,920 farmers ended their lives between January 1, 2001 and August 19, 2006. The mental despair and helplessness kept escalating with the year 2006 showing a grim prognosis: one suicide every eight hours.

Alarmed by the spate of suicides in the Vidarbha, the Government of Maharashtra invited a few NGOs to initiate motivational programs to stem the suicide rate. After the first meeting with the Chief Secretary in June 2006 Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (The Art of Living) constituted a task force with a mandate to start on a war footing not only the motivational programs but also other practical time-tested initiatives like organic farming methods, water conversation techniques, health and hygiene, and others to form a part of the internationally known 5H program of AOL.

A group of 35 well-trained and motivated youth, were brought together from all parts of Maharashtra. They underwent a four-day orientation program.

These Yuvacharyas then implemented the program specially devised to create a forum for community oneness and paving the way to live life with self-esteem and dignity.

This project gave them:

• Improved health through tools to combat depression and fear

• Economic prosperity by techniques to improve agricultural produce

• Better quality of life by building the relevant infrastructure

“Before Art of Living, there was depression and debt everywhere. I'm confident that with the zero budget farming taught in the course, the produce will improve and debts will be cleared” Devendra Borde, a farmer from Vidarbha.

The Swavalamban project involves

• Stage I: Stress-elimination by trauma relief workshops

• Stage II: Workshops on chemical-free farming which teach techniques that lower production costs and increase yield, thereby increasing profits

• Stage III: Rainwater harvesting projects and soak pits to overcome water shortages

Special programs are carried out for village youth to inspire them to become a part of the solution. The Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) is being carried out on a large scale. Around 3,725 youth have been trained.

The project in the meantime gathered more steam and as of October 10, 2007, Art of Living has covered 507 villages. 3000 ft of CCT farming has been done, 65 field ponds (10x10x10m) have been completed. This number went up to 500 by March 2007.

What is more important is that the urge to live has returned. Not a single case of suicide has been reported in the 507 villages since The Art of Living commenced its work. An ongoing initiative, this project has made a huge difference in the region.

Addressing Drug Abuse

Anti Drug Forum (ADF) In South Africa

The ADF was set up in October 2005 to address the alarming drug abuse and addiction that has afflicted the community of Chatsworth in Durban as well as surrounding communities. This is an ongoing project and the ADF clinic provides a structured program including psycho-therapy, skills development, recreation and building self-esteem.

HIV/AIDS is a growing challenge of our times. As thousands across the globe fall prey to the disease through ignorance, lack of education or a risky lifestyle, The Art of Living has committed itself to helping the world meet this challenge. The approach is two-pronged: supporting positive people to live a healthier life, while also spreading awareness and educating people on precautionary measures. The Art of Living also participated in the XVII International Aids Conference in Mexico in August 2008. The effectiveness of the Sudarshan Kriya in helping positive people lead a healthier life was highlighted.

Finding alternatives for traditional stoves

Chulhas & Bio Gas