SUDHA: Sudarshan's CSR Foundation’s Post

#ImpactStorySeries Jal Sahelis - Empowering Communities and Resolving Water Scarcity in Bundelkhand Initiated in 2005 in Madhogarh, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, the Jal Sahelis network spans across two hundred villages in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. This grassroots network focuses on revitalizing water harvesting systems and traditional water bodies through active community participation. Key Achievements: Community Empowerment: The Jal Sahelis, through their activism and solutions, have positively impacted the lives of over 200,000 citizens in the region. Water Revival: Their efforts contribute to the revival of water sources, ensuring sustainable access to water for communities. Livelihood Support: The network's initiatives have also enhanced livelihoods and ecological resilience in the region. Read the Full Story: https://lnkd.in/dvpz-rD9 #ImpactStory #JalSahelis #WaterScarcity #CommunityEmpowerment #CSR #Sustainability

We are all aware of the urgency to address Bengaluru's current water issue. But are we all aware of the factors causing the crisis? Do we know how this crisis is affecting each community or how we can lessen the negative effects of the crisis and reconsider decisions and solutions? We aim to enhance water literacy and inspire solutions among the general public and young people while highlighting challenges and gaps through the campaign-OORU-NEERU. The campaign seeks to revive our OORU with NEERU. Come join us as we unfold the campaign in the coming days. #Action, #Communityengagement, #youngpeople, #climatechange, #FairUrbanTransitions, #Bengaluruwatercrisis, #Waterissues, #Waterliteracy, #OoruNeeru, #Bengaluru, #CityofLakes

In #Zimbabwe, fewer than 30 percent of rural households are #foodsecure. To address this, in October 2023 the #OPECFund signed a US$15 million loan to support the Horticulture Enterprise Enhancement Project (HEEP). This initiative aims to reduce #poverty by boosting #horticulture production, creating #jobs and #climate-proofing public #infrastructure. HEEP will benefit over 70,000 smallholder farmer households, including 2,000 individuals with disabilities, as well as a further 50,000 households living in the vicinity of #HEEP activities. Read more in our 2023 Annual Report #OPECFundAR2023: bit.ly/4f1TOSG

🌡️ "We need to make old buildings cooler," says Bushra Afreen, North Dhaka’s Chief Heat Officer. Amidst severe heatwaves, Afreen's initiatives include planting over 5,000 saplings and integrating weather forecast data into local applications to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. 🔍 “Raising awareness is vital for restoring green spaces and preserving water bodies,” Afreen explains, emphasizing the importance of combating the urban heat island effect, which is exacerbated by rapid urbanization and deforestation. 📈 Despite criticism, Afreen remains dedicated to long-term solutions like urban forests and waste management improvements. 💧 Discover more about the ongoing challenges and innovative solutions being implemented to protect Dhaka's population: https://loom.ly/FAYjjXk #Dhaka #ClimateChange #UrbanHeat #GreenSpaces #HeatResilience

The population of the world is increasing steadily. Even though we wish it would reduce, it is still growing. This means the need for cold storage is also increasing every day. Cold storage helps reduce food waste because it keeps food fresh for longer periods. As the population grows, more food needs to be stored properly to prevent spoilage. This is where initiatives like #World #Population #Day come into play. World Population Day, established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, and observed on July 11th each year, raises awareness about global population issues and the importance of reproductive health and family planning. It highlights the challenges posed by a growing population and emphasizes sustainable practices to ensure everyone has access to essential resources, including food. Moreover, the growing population also intensifies the demand for affordable housing. Prefabricated and modular construction techniques are increasingly being adopted to meet this demand swiftly and sustainably. These methods not only reduce construction time and costs but also minimize environmental impact by optimizing resource use. In summary, with a growing population, the demand for cold storage facilities is rising to help manage and reduce food waste. Initiatives like World Population Day remind us of the critical need for sustainable practices to ensure food security for current and future generations, while innovations in prefabricated and modular construction contribute to addressing the global need for affordable housing. #WorldPopulationDay #GlobalPopulation #SustainableDevelopment #PopulationGrowth #PopulationAwareness #HealthyPopulation #PopulationMatters #Sustainability #FutureGenerations #DemographicChange #UN #UNDP #Health #Food #Housing

In rural India, women often devote a significant portion of their day to providing meals for their families. This also implies the task of collecting firewood. The situation is no different for Kamla Bai who belongs to Beklaya village, an area that is part of the #NarmadaLandscapeRestorationProject (#NLRP). In this picture, she is on her way back after collecting firewood by traversing more than 5 km of undulating forest terrains, while carrying around 25 Kg of firewood on her head. She along with other women folks in her village must spend around five to eight hours every week to collect firewood. Unfortunately, this burden is just growing heavier. As forest resources dwindle due to degradation, the trips are becoming longer and more exhaustive. The physical strain and lost time are challenging enough, but the added health risks from inhaling smoke while cooking make the situation even more critical. In response, the NLRP introduced energy-efficient cookstoves to these communities. These stoves significantly reduce firewood consumption and improve health and well-being, especially for women. Community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with reports that the new stoves use less wood, emit less smoke, and free up time for other activities. While not everyone has adopted the new cookstoves yet, early feedback indicates that even small shifts can greatly alleviate daily burdens. The potential to reduce deforestation, enhance health, and restore valuable time is enormous. USAID | NTPC Limited | Indian Institute of Forest Management | GGGI India | MP Forest Department | Global Green Growth Institute | Nitesh Kumar | Rushalee Gupta | Neeraj Gautam | Lakhan Patidar | Pragya Bhatt Mamgain | Soumitri Das | Omprakash Madguni #landscaperestoration #forests #climateadaptation #greengrowth

Whiteready Repairing water boreholes in Eritrea Context One in nine people around the world do not have access to clean water close to home, and 60% of the world’s population live in areas of water stress, where the water supply cannot or will not continue to meet demand.  Eritrea is a small coastal country in northeast Africa, in which only 19% of the population have access to clean water close to home. Others must travel many miles to find water, or rely on unsafe surface water sources such as rivers or open wells. This lack of clean water and sanitation has profound health impacts, and is the second biggest driver of death and disability in the country. Years of persistent drought conditions in the region has further restricted access to water resources, compounding the problem and putting strains on local communities. Project This Zoba Debub Community Boreholes project will provide long term access to safe and clean drinking water to hundreds of households within the Zoba Debub district in Eritrea, using borehole technology.  Boreholes are used to access safe clean water from underground. Holes as deep as 100m are drilled into the ground, and drilling pipes are installed. A hand pump is then fitted meaning that water can be pumped out by hand.  Many existing boreholes in Eritrea have fallen into disrepair because maintenance programmes have been poorly managed, or proven too expensive leaving people without access to clean water. This project works to identify broken down boreholes, renovate them and supply a maintenance programme to ensure that clean, safe water is delivered.  Zoba Debub is a largely rural district in which many local people typically use wood fuel on inefficient stone fires to purify their drinking, cleaning and washing water. This process results in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of wood. By providing safe water this project ensures that households consume less firewood during the process of water purification and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion process.  This project also supplies the local community with a source of clean, safe, drinking water, helping to improve health and relieve poverty. 

AidEnvironment, on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) took the initiative to empower local people in bee keeping by training and supporting them with production technology and access to market. This is because their farming land reduced due gulley rehabilitation and riverbank restoration activities.  There is need to create harmony between man and the environment through training and supporting communities in alternative sustainable livelihood projects like beekeeping. The project intends to contribute to poverty alleviation and enhance environmental security. The project will help communities generate income through self employment, provision of honey, a much needed health food and medicine, and employment of other members of the local community. This reduces pressure on the environment as people become economically self-sufficient from income generating activity instead of encroaching on riverbanks for farming. 

Safe and equitable access to water is peace, water security is paramount to reduce conflicts and water builds social fabrics and enhance livelihoods.

We usually grow trees, but when we do plant them, why are seedlings first grown in nurseries and then transplanted to restoration sites? 🌱 Growing seedlings in nurseries allows us to provide a strong, controlled start. Direct sowing in the field can sometimes lead to seedlings being washed away or failing to germinate due to dry conditions or excessive heat. This makes them vulnerable to diseases. Tree nurseries, where seedlings are nurtured under conditions that closely mimic their natural habitat, offer a protective space for careful monitoring and disease prevention. When planting time comes, the age of the seedlings depends on the ecosystem and the project location. In Ethiopia, for example, most seedlings are planted after being taken care of for nine months in a tree nursery. In Brazil, planting can happen after four months. In many of our projects, community members carefully transport the seedlings to our restoration sites and carry out the planting. They are literally the hands of the community, planting change and a greener, brighter future 🌳 What else would you like to know about some of our processes? 💭 📷: ©IPE