Dahod, India

The long search for water in a drought-stricken area.

Health

• Trained 86 traditional birth attendants in antenatal and postnatal care, safe delivery practices, nutrition, immunisation and HIV/AIDS prevention. The birth attendants received delivery kits.
• Organised mobile medical clinics where adults and children had eye examinations and general health check-ups.
• Held an AIDS awareness week to coincide with World AIDS day. Almost 14,500 people attended the specially organised events, which included poster competitions and educational talks.
• Organised a Healthy Baby competition, with 1670 participants from babies to six years old. Prizes were awarded to parents based on nutrition, immunisation and cleanliness.

Education

• Trained 39 teachers in the kindergarten curriculum, child development, growth monitoring and hygiene.

Agriculture

• Trained farmers in low cost agricultural practices, vegetable cultivation, use of organic fertilisers and water management.
• Organised a visit for 72 farmers to another village to view agricultural practices, such as a lift irrigation scheme (in which water is pumped from a water source up to a higher field).
• Helped a village form a dairy co-operative.

Water

• Deepened more than 40 village wells. Some of this work was done as part of a food-for-work scheme.
• Installed 17 hand pumps/borewells for drinking water.

Leadership development

• Organised leadership training for more than 100 young men.

Miscellaneous

• Organised training for approximately 600 women in savings and credit management.
• Distributed 1300 woollen garments to children in the area.
• Arranged a parent-child meeting to raise awareness of the definitions and dangers of child labour. The meeting marked the 2002 World Day Against Child Labour.