Salem Project – 2 villages (Mallikundham et Kaligoundanur)
Cuddalore Project – 2 villages (Vadathalaikulam et Kundiyamallur)
Beekeeping Project – Pilot project

Background and location

 

The three projects presented are located in the south of India, in the rural state of Tamil Nadu, which is affected by great difficulties of access to drinking water and sanitation. This lack of infrastructures result in serious health and environmental risks, lack of dignity and security, low school enrolment, negative impact on economic activities and women empowerment. There is also a lack of information and awareness on sanitation, clean water and waterborne diseases and their prevention. This situation is particularly unfavorable for populations from the lowest castes, and in particular the Dalits (or “untouchables”). Women are the main actors of the project since our actions directly improve their daily lives. In India, they are in charge of the well-being and water supply of their family.

 

India was strongly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic began in March 2020, the entire country was subject to a full lockdown for three months. The closure of companies, factories and the suspension of service activities resulted on a shutdown of economic activities. A large part of the population lost suddenly their jobs without receiving any government assistance. Without work, unemployed people returned to their villages, resulting in significant migration from the cities to the countryside. Billions of people were displaced and walked hundreds of kilometers to return home, as public transportation was suspended. These population displacements have led to a real humanitarian crisis, exposing displaced people to hunger, insecurity and health risks (transmission of COVID-19 and other diseases related to lack of hygiene). The COVID-19 crisis underlined the importance of water, hygiene and sanitation access for poorest populations, to limit the spread of COVID-19 and diseases in general. In India, lot of people live in crowded conditions with a limited access to essential services. This context made impossible to implement basic hygiene measures (such as handwashing), which are essential to limit the spread of the virus and save lives.

 

 

Salem Project

Mallikundham and Kaligoundanur

 

 

Project abstract: This project is the continuation of Salem Project, a first village of which has already been financed by the Rainbow Bridge Foundation. The project goal is to improve living conditions in two disadvantaged villages in the south of India by providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene. This second phase concerns the implementation of activities in the villages of Mallikundham and Kaligoundanur.

 

Location: India, Tamil Nadu, Salem District, two villages : Mallikundham, Kaligoundanur

 

Beneficiaries: 1276 people (Mallikundham : 803 habitants ; Kaligoundanur : 476 habitants)

 

Project goals:

 

• Improve the accessto drinking water for the villagers, by the rehabilitation of boreholes, the construction of filtration systems and the installation of water filters in village schools.
• Improve the access to sanitation through the construction of collective sanitation facilities for women and children, connected to DEWATS wastewater systems.
• Implement a waste recovery management system for the families and the villages.
• Sensitize and train the community in water management.
• Raise awareness of the population on hygiene and prevention of COVID-19.
• Sensitize and provide access to menstrual hygiene for women and girls.
• Create and train women’s management committees in the local management of water resources (one per village).
• Strengthen technical and general skills of local actors.
• Preserve the environment and its natural resources by innovative and ecological techniques.
• Sensitize women to family and organic agriculture through the creation of a “showcase” kitchen garden. This garden will use the wastewater from the toilet sanitation system. It will serve as a model for the construction of 30 kitchen gardens in each village. All these kitchen gardens will be free of chemical amendments and pesticides, and will use agro-ecological techniques that preserve their natural environment, providing healthy food and additional income
• Train women to sell harvested vegetables and increase their financial resources

 

Planed activities:

 

• Construction of two boreholes per village (rehabilitation)
• Renovation of pipeline system
• Installation of sand filtration systems treating water
• Distribution of ceramic water filters in schools
• Construction of sanitation facilities with DEWATS system
• Awareness on hygiene, training on infrastructure management
• Access to menstrual hygiene for 50 women
• Training on waste management, recruitment of 2 garbage collectors per village
• Waste equipment supply, construction of a landfill waste
• Training on vermi-compost for women
• Training on family agriculture and installation of kitchen garden

 

Provisional timetable:

Project Start: February 2021 for a period of 15 months. It will take place as follows: 3 months for the preparatory phase, 9 months for the construction phase and 3 months for the awarness phase.

Total budget for 2 villages: 132 036,51 euros

 

Cuddalore Project

Pilot Project – Vadathalaikulam and Kundiyamallur

 

 

Project abstract: The Cuddalore project is a water, sanitation and hygiene project in two disadvantaged villages in the Cuddalore district. The Cuddalore project has similarities with the Salem project and will be implemented according to the usual Kynarou model. The novelty of this project is the type of sanitation facilities that will be implemented: an individual system of ECOSAN toilets, contrary to the usual community DEWATS toilet.

 

Background:

• Climate and location: The Cuddalore district is sadly known for its natural disasters. Located along the coast, it is subject to cyclonic depressions, and the resulting rains and floods. Moreover, climate is dry and it rains only during the monsoon period. These climatic events make Cuddalore a fragile and vulnerable state whose infrastructures are deficient. The tsunamis of 2004 and 2011 caused considerable material and economic damages.

 

• Why ECOSAN toilets? ECOSAN toilets are ecological dry latrines with a closed system that have the particularity of separating urine from excreta. This system has several advantages: is hygienic and avoids soil and groundwater contamination, and the separated excreta can be easily treated and reused as fertilizer. The ECOSAN model is particularly suitable for Cuddalore where the soil is clayey. Sceptic-tank toilets, recommended by the government, are not appropriate because the risk of soil contamination is high, especially in times of flooding. In this district where the majority of the habitants live from agriculture, the implementation of this system, combined with the promotion of organic farming, brings real added value and can helps to stimulate economic activities and increase financial resources.

 

Location: India, Tamil Nadu, Cuddalore district, two villages: Vadathalaikulam and Kundiyamallur

 

Beneficiaries: 2862 people (Vadathalaikulam: 414 habitants ; Kundiyamallur: 2448 habitants)

 

Project goals:

 

• Improve the accessto drinking water for the villagers, by the rehabilitation of boreholes, the construction of filtration systems and the installation of water filters in village schools.
• Improve the access to sanitation through the construction of individual ECOSAN sanitation system for families.
• Implement a waste recovery management system for the families and the villages.
• Sensitize and train the community in water management.
• Raise awareness of the population on hygiene and prevention of COVID-19.
• Sensitize and provide access to menstrual hygiene for women and girls.
• Create and train women’s management committees in the local management of water resources (one per village).
• Strengthen technical and general skills of local actors.
• Preserve the environment and its natural resources by innovative and ecological techniques.
• Sensitize women to family and organic agriculture through the creation of a “showcase” kitchen garden. This garden will use the wastewater from the toilet sanitation system. It will serve as a model for the construction of 30 kitchen gardens in each village. All these kitchen gardens will be free of chemical amendments and pesticides, and will use agro-ecological techniques that preserve their natural environment, providing healthy food and additional income.
• Sensitize women to the production and use of organic compost from ECOSAN system.
• Train women to sell harvested vegetables and increase their financial resources

 

Planed activities:

 

• Construction of two boreholes per village (rehabilitation)
• Renovation of pipeline system
• Installation of sand filtration systems treating water
• Distribution of ceramic water filters in schools
• Construction of ECOSAN sanitation facilities
• Awareness on hygiene, training on infrastructure management
• Access to menstrual hygiene for 50 women
• Training on waste management, recruitment of 2 garbage collectors per village
• Waste equipment supply, construction of a landfill waste
• Training on vermi-compost for women
• Training on family agriculture and installation of kitchen garden

 

Provisional timetable:

Project Start: February 2021 for a period of 15 months. It will take place as follows: 3 months for the preparatory phase, 9 months for the construction phase and 3 months for the awarness phase.

Total budget for 2 villages: 84 772,38 euros

 

Projet 3 : Projet Beekeeping

Salem District

 

Project abstract: The Beekeeping project will be implemented in the 5 villages of the Salem district, including the two villages presented in the first project. The objective of this pilot project is to train women in beekeeping techniques, and the creation of their own sale activity and honey production. Beneficiary women will be able to share the acquired knowledge with their family members and other inhabitants, in order to involve interested people in their beekeeping activities.

 

Beekeeping in India:

 

India has the second largest agricultural area in the world and offers a favorable context for beekeeping. About 50 million hectares of land is under the cultivation crops which is useful to bees and benefitted by bee pollination. In addition, there is about 60 million hectares of forest area with beekeeping potential. India produces 50 millions of tons of honey every year, is the 9^th honey world producers. The growing demand for honey at the national and international level represents an opportunity for job creation and increased income for people in rural areas.

 

Location: India, Tamil Nadu, Salem District, 5 villages : Mallikundham, Kaligoundanur, Vellappampatti, Upparapatti, Valiurkottai.

 

Beneficiaries: 50 women and their families, 5109 habitants.

 

Goals project:

 

• Train 50 women in beekeeping techniques to fight against rural poverty.
• Promote beekeeping and provide a regular and stable income for 50 families.
• Provide skills in beekeeping and honey production to 50 families.
• To encourage the creation of IGAs related to beekeeping and increase bee colonies in the target area.
• Improve the health of the target population through the therapeutic use of bee products such as honey and propolis.
• Implement an innovative an innovative model of microeconomic enterprise which can be replicated in other villages of Salem district.

 

Planed activities:

• Recruitment and training of the local team
• Identification and selection of the 50 beneficiaries
• Training of beneficiaries in beekeeping (production and honey crop, bees and beehive activity, medicinal properties)
• Entrepreneurship training (strategy, business model, market research, added value of beehive products)
• Distribution of beehives and beekeeping equipment
• Awareness of the population on prevention of COVID-19

 

 

Provisional timetable: The project will start in February 2021 for a duration of 12 months.

 

Total budget for 2 villages: 29 206,25 euros