Campus: National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad
NIRD
Day 1: Registration
Day 1: Opening Ceremony
Dr. Robert Chambers - thought leader in the field of Participatory Rural Appraisal Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex
Rama (VP - Basix) and Malla Reddy (Director - Rural Development Trust) sharing their thoughts on sustainable livelihoods.
The Great Indian Tea Break.
Shoba, Jacques, me and Shiv Shankar
with Dr. Chambers
Mr. Somesh Kumar - visionary behind PRAXIS and now AeA's iLEAD program,
Big dinner before starting out on the field trip.
The modest NIRD dorm
Poster boy!
Heading to Kurnool district
Reliance A1 Plaza - the big guys are setting up Dhabas too!
Spacy, clean and still affordable.
First stop: KBS Bank on Wheels
Couple of bank officials and security guard drive around villages collecting providing basic financial services (savings, loans, and insurance)
Bank manager explaining their operations.
Second Stop: Reliance Bulk Milk Cooling Units - a milk route has been set up and villages around a BMCU now enjoy higher prices for their produce.
Milk purity tester located at each village level procurement point and also at BMCUs.
One of the Six BMCUs in operation. Capacity: 2000 Ltrs. Milk collected and transported to Reliance factory in Hyderabad.
The Barber Shop
The Clinic
Sharing session with argi loan customers of KBS bank.
Govt has set up haats (markets where nearby village produce comes together). There was a board displaying current prices of produce in the major towns to help farmers bargain a better rate from the middlemen.
Artificial Insemination: part of KBS bank's AgBDS (agri business devel services) in partnership with BAIF. Rs. 40 for a super cold shot!
My turn next.
First smile at the weavers' village :)
Touch of the final product - pure silk Gadwal saari
Advisory services/Training the local weaving community with basic book keeping to facilitate savings and loans for the Self Help Groups.
A thread at a time, 8 hours a day and it takes her 1 week to finish one saari. She will earn Rs. 600 - 800 per saari.
Good teeth, i must say!
Getting my fortune told! if you are curious to know what i heard, drop me a note! :D
Cattle insurance: tagging
This bull is capable of plowing 5 acres in 1 day. A champion in the region!
Sitting at the village chawdi
Final Stop: iLEAD program at Adoni. Short vocation training tailored to local needs facilitating trainees to get jobs immediately. In picture: 10th Std (pass/fail) girls being trained for Desktop Printing
Motor rewinding
Hearing their stories
The mid-day heat did lull some into slumber
watch how fast they go!
Case Study session
The real heros.
Back on campus: Sharing our experiences.
Is the model working?
Bhavna and Michelle: all done, so lets eat!
The funky Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods group: Shoba, Bhavna, Amresh, me, Michelle and Sunitha. Anurag goofing around!
hang it up there for all to see
Final thoughts, thanks and goodbyes
