REBUILDING SCHOOLS OF HOPE

Divine Shakti Foundation is rebuilding two schools – Brightland International School in Chandrapuri and Goswami Ganesh Dutt Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Laksheshwar, Uttarakhand – which were washed away during the floods.

These school will be empowered with green technologies such as bio-sand water filters, bio-toilets and green education, and basic sanitation and hygiene will be covered thoroughly in the classes and after school village empowerment programs.

Further, the school buildings will also be utilized as a women’s vocational training center in the afternoon/evening hours after school finishes so that the women and older girls of the village can receive training and marketable skills.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PLANS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS, CLICK HERE.

MY TREE/MID-DAY FRUIT PROGRAM

The My Tree/ Mid-Day Fruit Program is enabling schools to present each child with his or her own fruit-bearing tree. As the tree is nurtured by the students on school grounds, they learn valuable lessons about the wonders of nature. Later, they will experience the joys of harvesting their own fruits, which they can enjoy fresh from the tree. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

THE GIFT OF WATER, SANITATION & HYGIENE IN SCHOOLS

Every day, some 1,100 children in India die due to the lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). For this reason, Divine Shakti Foundation and Global Interfaith WASH Alliance are working to bring clean water filtration systems and proper, eco-friendly toilets for every school in the state. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

TRIYUGINARAYAN LIVELIHOODS CENTRE

Just 25 kilometres from Kedarnath, the sacred spiritual pilgrimage site which was the centre of the Uttarakhand floods last year, Divine Shakti Foundation has constructed a new vocational training/ livelihoods centre. The centre will train 100 families from the region to spin and weave shawls, knit sweaters as well as other skills which will be marketable in the textile industry.

Additionally, Divine Shakti Foundation is partnering with institutions and companies to create buy-back programmes so that the women’s products are ensured a market in which to be sold, which in turn will guarantee them a steady income to sustain their families.

DSF is also planning to build three additional livelihoods centres in the flood affected regions, benefiting some 500 families. It will also be working to create Centres of Excellence for the trained women to gain further skills in the industry so that they can not only survive but thrive.

RURAL UTTARAKHAND

Divine Shakti Foundaiton has started vocational training programs in disaster-affected areas that will enable struggling disaster survivors to escape poverty, including:

1. Handicraft Production
2. Organic and Zero-Budget Farming
3. How to make Bio-Sand Water Filters
4. How to make products from cow’s milk and more
5. Computer Training
6. Priest Training
7. Construction
8. Women’s empowerment training and cooperatives
9. And much more

BIOSAND WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS

Taking the lead in producing biosand water purifications systems, which will be placed in affected areas’ schools, will be women, including widowed survivors of Uttarakhand’s 2013 floods, so that they may be uplifted from poverty. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

NECTAR OF HOPE PROGRAMME

Through the Nectar of Hope Programme, impoverished survivors will be taught skills so that they may learn how to also earn a living from new cattle they will be given, such as how to produce and market natural medicine and improved milk. They will also learn organic gardening techniques that will be accentuated by the fertilizer naturally provided by their cows. In such a way, family incomes can be earned and healthy food can be put on the table for growing children. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT, PLEASE VISIT OUR ANIMAL SEVA PAGE.

In a village named Sanga, an hour away from Kathmandu, in the mountains of Nepal, the village along with their sacred shrine had been shattered and devastated from the earthquake, with their ancient and beautiful idol of Lord Buddha, other deities, ancient scriptures and texts lying tattered and scattered amid the rubble. It was touching and moving to see that their pain and anguish for their damaged temple was far greater then their equally affected homes and buildings. Pujya Swamiji immediately inspired the local community to come together as one community, as one family, and pledge to rebuild their temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima. The bhoomi poojan for the temple was carried out recently and the work to rebuild the temple has already been started.

MY TREE/MID-DAY FRUIT PROGRAMME

Through the My Tree/ Mid-Day Fruit Program, which enables schoolchildren to plant and nurture their own fruit-bearing tree, mothers will be empowered to add to their household incomes through the creation of Women’s Empowerment Cooperatives, which will enable them to produce, package and market wonderful products made from the uneaten fruits of their children’s trees. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

REBUILDING THE VILLAGE TEMPLE & CHOWK IN PARODI

The villagers of Parodi unanimously decided the first reconstruction activity of their destroyed village would be the reconstruction of the village temple and chowk. Together, the villageworked on the design, taking into account not only the design but also their religious beliefs and traditions, and events to be held in the chowk. By this reconstruction, they not only rebuilt their temple and chowk, but rebuilt the sense of community and hope.

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SMRITI VAN PLANTATION

The International Memorial Garden (Smriti Van) will have indigenous and sacred trees planted in memory of the departed souls from the tragic 2013 floods in Uttarakhand. It will also be developed as an eco-tourism location where people can be with Nature as well as be inspired to protect and preserve the environment, and in so doing abate natural disasters and save countless, precious lives.

REBUILDING THE FLOURMILL IN PARODI

Following the flooding and landslides, the traditional water-run flourmill in Parodi and its connecting water channel collapsed, forcing villagers to have to walk to neighboring villages to get flour. 75 meters of water channel, the flourmill and its connecting mechanism all needed to be rebuilt. In ints rebuild, its connecting mechanism’s efficiency was improved and upgraded, making it capable of multi-purpose use in power generation and running farming equipment.

SAVING STREET COWS

As an added component of our work, relocation services are also being provided for ailing street cows who have no homes and desperately require veterinary care. For too long, these animals have been forced to graze on solid waste, ingesting plastic bags and toxic materials in their search for food. Through the help of compassionate sponsors, they can be relocated from alleys, roadways and trash heaps to rich, green pastures. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.