With the Global Warming, natural disasters are becoming more and more common and severe at the same time. Recent Cyclone has caused our brethren in Sri Lanka tremendous agony and pain.
Sewa International plans to work on the Relief and Rehab of the affected people in Sri Lanka and request your kind support for the same.
Sewa International plans to work on the Relief and Rehab of the affected people in Sri Lanka and request your kind support for the same.
Together we can make a difference to the lives in pain!!!
A medical camp—fixed in Chindanaar Village of Naxalite dominated Abujmarh region of south Bastar—was threatened to be cancelled for certain intra-village rivalry. It was December 12, 2015. A space was requested in a nearby goverment school. I could feel a tensed up Dr Ram Godbole. In a staff room temporarily cleared up for patients’ checkup and testing, a dusty lady walked in with her little son saying that her son takes frequent breaks, while playing and had a frail health. As fear rose in my mind, I nervously put my hand on his chest, and felt the blood rushing through causing chest movement. I called in Dr Ram Godbole and he could also hear the murmur of blood flow. We decided to investigate further. But, it was difficult to explain the parents. The suspicion was that the child had a Congenital Heart Disease but it required to confirm the diagnosis. For that imaging studies were required to be done. We took the address of the child and the Arogya Mitra, Jitu went with parents to his home so that he could be followed up.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers distributed nearly 65 tonnes of cattle fodder at different drought hit villages of Northern Karnataka on May 6 as a part of the drought relief campaign. Prant Sahkaryavah Sridhar Nadgir distributed the fodder to farmers at Kundagola. Karnataka Uttar Prant Sah Sanghachalak Shri Aravinda Rao Deshapande and Karnataka Uttara Prant Sah Karyavah Sridhar Nadgir visited few villages along with other local functionaries and joined the RSS teams distributing fodder. “So far we have distributed nearly 65 tonnes of fodder in six districts of northern Karnataka. It will serve nearly 2,500 cows. Through RSS relief campaign we could reach almost 1/3rd of farmers of these 6 districts” said Sridhar Nadgir. Hadalagi Village of Alanda Taluk of Gulbarga District, Bharamakhodi Village of Athani Taluk of Belagavi District, Kodliwada Village of Kundagola Taluk in Dharwad District, Chikli, Matkhed, Dabka and Ganeshpur villages of Aurad Taluk, few villages of Bhalki and Basavakalyana Taluk of Bidar District were among the villages where fodder was distributed. 
Till now Chief Secretary of Maharasthra Swadhin Kshatriya, Minister Pankaja Munde, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Devgiri Prant Sanghachalak Dada Pawar, Paschim Kshetra Sah Kshetra Pracharak Shri Vijayrao Puranik, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sewa Pramukh Shri Suhasrao Hiremath, RSS Jankalyan Samiti Maharashtra organising secretary Shri Sharad Khadilkar and Jalpurush Rajendra Singh have visited the site and appreciated the efforts of the people. Till now about five km long river has been desilted. The entire work has to be finished within next 40 to 50 days i.e. before the start of the monsoon. Film star Shri Reteish Deshmukh, son of former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh who belongs to Latur, has contributed Rs 25 lakh for the project. He also agreed to be the brand ambassador of the initiative. His elder brother Shri Amit Deshmukh, who is also a MLA, also announced Rs 75 lakh for it. Despite being a Congress leader he praised the RSS leader Dr Ashokrao Kukade for his honesty, dedication and commitment to the task despite growing age.
As part of the drought relief campaign, RSS swayamsevaks started a temporary Goushala at Gudihala Village in SindhanoorTaluk of Raichur District in Karnataka in last week of April. Prant Sah Karyavah Sridhar Nadgir inaugurated the Gaushala. Tirumala Rao Deshpande, noted farmer of Gudihala Village, temporarily donated his farmland for the Goushala.
Veteran cooperative thinker and national convener of Sahakar Bharati Shri Satish Marathe said strengthening the cooperative sector is the need of the hour for balanced economic development of the country. Inaugurating Chittorgarh Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd in Chittorgarh on May 14 he said after the failure of Capitalism and Marketism the Cooperative Sector has emerged as an alternative model for economic development. He pointed out that many power and water distribution projects are successfully being run through cooperatives in the world. He said the cooperative banks are very helpful to the urban people and such banks should be granted licences on a large scale. He said the nationalised banks are today afflicted with the problem of huge Non Performing Assets (NPA) whereas the cooperative banks NPA is comparatively less. Local MP Shri CP Joshi said the technological support has strengthened the cooperative sector. Local MLA Shri Chandrabhan Singh Akya also spoke on the occasion.
On 25 May 2016 2nd Batch of Sewa Path Knitting centre, Chandrapuri, completed its 4 months training. 20 women were awarded with certificate at the completion of the training. Sewa Path Knitting centre is an Skill Development initiative of Sewa International in non-farming sector. In Sewa Path Knitting Centres women are trained to knit on the machine and teach them various patterns, colour combinations etc, in order to be able to earn a livelihood based on these skills. A little income generation would add hugely to the self esteem of these women and bring prosperity to not only their household but to the whole region. So far, 47 women have taken the training in Sewa Path Knitting Centre, Chandrapuri.
National Council Meeting of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, organised from May 21 to 22 in Bhopal, stressed the need of access to cheaper medicines and medical facilities to all. In a resolution adopted at the meeting, the Manch said as the diseases are increasing due to change in lifestyle and India sharing 21 per cent of global disease burden, the people do not have access to health facilities or medicines at affordable prices. The resolution said the medicines are getting costlier due to changes in the 2005 Patent Act, which needs to be amended again according to the changing needs. The SJM said the generic medicines should be promoted. The Manch also said that apart from increasing health budget health facilities should be expanded to the remote areas.
A Gram Kalvi Maiya Poruppalargal Payirchi Mugam (Village Tuition Centre Teachers and Health Workers Camp) was inaugurated by senior Vanvasi Kalayan Ashram leader Shri Ramachanrayya in Sriperambudur, Tamil Nadu on May 5. The camp concluded on May 29. A total of 114 teachers and health workers from nine districts of Tamil Nadu participated in the camp. Many senior Sangh and Kalyan Ashram adhikaris guided the participants. State president Shri Subramaniyam delivered the concluding speech. President of Thiruvallur Bricks Chamber Association Shri Geethanjali Sampath also spoke on the occasion. A book Panbu Malar, a guideline for the teachers, was released by Akhil Bharatiya Chhatravas Pramukh Shri Nishikanth Joshi along with other senior adhikaris including Shri Sathyan, Shri Krishnamoorthi, Shri SS Raj, Shri Sudersan, Shri Thirugnanam, Shri Kanniraju, Shri Govindan and Smt Hemalatha Kannan.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers in Rajasthan, with the active cooperation of the society, are going to take up a big project to make the earth green and clean. From this year, they are going to plant at least six lakh saplings every year. Apart from planting, sufficient arrangements will also be made for care of the plants. Such a campaign will be conducted every year under the banner of APNA Sansthan.After the global concern expressed on climate change, the RSS Karyakari Mandal meeting held in Ranchi discussed the issue seriously and the workers in Rajasthan were told to formulate effective action plan to executive it. The decision to plant six lakh saplings is the outcome of that action plan. A new organisation, Amritadevi Paryavaran Nagrik Sansthan (Apna Sansthan) was formed for it. The tree plantation will be made a mass campaign. The saplings will be planted between August 2 (Hariyali Teej) to September 12 (Amritadevi Balidan Diwas). Amritadevi along with over 300 people had sacrificed her life for the protection of trees about 300 years back. The campaign was inaugurated in Jaipur on May 28. 
Uttishta Bharatha, a youth organisation, organised ‘Spare a Day for Nature’ event. For eight weeks they are continuously contributing towards making Karnataka green again. More than 12,000 seed balls (seeds which were carefully covered with wet soil then kept for drying under sun) were successfully planted by 985 school kids near their schools and villages. Uttishta Bharatha volunteers, school teachers and public participated at Gangasandra, Devagere, Agara, Doddipalya, Tataguni and Banjarapalya school surrounding. Students also covered along the road sides. Finally, Uttishta Bharata volunteers covered the surroundings of Agara Lake also. The hope of every environment conscious volunteer in this event was to see a more greener area near South Bengaluru and plenty of fruits for the next generation once these seeds develop into big trees. 
Due to heavy rains and consequent floods, health situation is worsening in UP, especially in Allahabad and Varanasi areas. Keeping this in mind, Sewa International organized a Free Health Camp at Bhiti village near Ram Nagar, Kashi on Aug 21 2016, with the help of specialist doctors from BHU in association with NMO. A total of 9 specialist doctors, including paediatrician, gynaecologist, skin specialist, checked up over 340 patients
and gave free medicines to them. Sewa International would like to graciously thank these doctors who gave their valuable time for the voluntary service. At the camp it was realized that the need for more of such camps is immense, but resources for arranging doctors, medicines, camp expenses etc, are limited. Sewa International would like to run more such camps and needs resources for that.
Weavers were excited to be part of the day-long,"Awareness Workshop on SilkMark and Handloom Mark" and to learn about various benefits associated with these brands.The camp was organized by Sewa International on 23 Aug 2016. Shri Ramesh Chandra, Senior Executive (SilkMark), and Shri Brijesh Kumar Shukla, QA Officer (Handloom Mark), graciously agreed to provide thier valuable guidance to 
weaver community. A total of 82 weavers participated in the camp and asked a lot of questions regarding benefits, processes associated with these brands as well as told the difficulties faced by them. Sewa International's Kashi project is already registered with SilkMark and plans to empower weavers by guiding them to produce quality garments.
Being one of the tribal districts in Odisha, Kalahandi has been enlisted to be one of the most backward regions of the state. Keeping the deplorable condition of the district, Siksha Vikash Samiti initiated a proposal to run a residential school for the inhabitants of the region as they conformed the fact that the root cause of grief was the lack of education. As per the Plan, the school was established in the early 90's at Thuamul Rampur Block of Kalahandi. This is a tribal populated block inhabited by tribes mostly Kutia Kandha and Damba. The river Indravati starts flowing from Thuamul and most trusted and popularly worshipped goddess of Kalahandi District Maa Manikeswari first appeared on the same place. The residential school plays home to about 163 students and 17 members of staff.
While running the Knitting Centres in Uttarakhand, Sewa International found repairing of the hand-knitting machines (mostly from Ludhiana) to be quite a task due to lack of knowledge and training on their maintenance. This resulted in quite a few machines needing to be sent to Ludhiana or even decommissioned. To overcome these problems, Sewa International organized 
a training for better care, maintenance and repair of the hand-knitting/card machines in its centres. Mr. Alam Singh, who is an expert in this field and runs his ownknitting based business, provided the much needed training at Sewa International's Chandrapuri (Rudraprayag) Knitting Centre to the excited trainees; who were all very happy to know more about the working of their tools.
Sewa International as part of its Skill India initiative, organized a Bamboo Handicraft Training Program, at Naisingpara Refugee Camp,Tripura for Reang Tribes, in association with BTDS. It was a 10-days training program from 28 Jul- 6 Aug 2016, in which 2 professional handicraft makers from Haflong, Assam provided training to 11 youths, for making high-quality handicraft products from Bamboo.
Arogya Mitra are the community health workers, under Seva Bharati Purbanchal, they are trained in basic health care to be able to serve in the remote and inaccessible areas, especially remote villages in North- East. The training was held for these Arogya Mitras, at Titabor village in Jorhat district of Assam from 2 Sep- 10 Sep 2016. This 9-days training was attended by 25 Arogya Mitras. During the training they were taught about basic first-aid, health diagnostics, pre/neo natal issues handling. They were also given the training in the alternate medicine aid like Homeopathy and Ayurveda. After the training, they would attend a month-long medical camp, providing services to the underprivileged and needy people, in various parts of the country. They form a much needed health support, in the areas with little or non-existent health infrastructure. Their work in the Northeastern states of India is phenomenal. More than 50,000 Arogya Mitras have been trained, since the inception and 14,000 Arogya Mitras are serving in various parts of the country.
Sewa International is committed to the cause of artisans. It is supporting the Kutchi artisans and weavers, through its project Sewa Kala Shrushti Private Limited, Kutch, Gujarat. In order to showcase its products, made by the Kutchi artisans, Sewa International participates in various arts and crafts exhibitions around the year. This month we are exhibiting at, Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, for the Dastkaari Crafts Bazaar organised by Dastkaari Haat Samiti from 24 Sep- 2 Oct 2016. We are honoured to have the opportunity to expose the talent, the authenticity and the stories of our artisans. This exhibition is going to specially showcase our, Kashi-to-Kutchproject. Under the project, we take the cloth woven by weavers of the Banaras, and send this cloth to Kutch, where Sewa Kutch’s artisan women do intricate Kutchi embroidery. The outcome is a beautiful and one of its kind product in the world. Joining two traditions, centuries- old, and culturally ingressed in the region, by threads of cloth. We are going to exhibit products like bags, stoles, dupattas, kurtis in the exhibition.
A one day ‘Youth orientation workshop’ was organised in PG College at, Augustyamuni and Pokhri, by Sewa Saahas, a livelihood generation initiative of Sewa Uttarakhand. The main focus of the orientation workshop was- volunteerism, career in tourism and disaster management. The workshop was attended by 100 youths. After the completion of the workshop, 40 youths have registered with Sewa Saahas, to volunteer and attend the further training.
A mobile medical unit was inaugurated on 22 Aug 2016, in Chennai by Seva Bharathi Tamil Nadu. The Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) is equipped with all the basic facilities of a dispensary level equipment. The MMU is to provide services in the areas of Chennai, where generally there are no dispensaries or other medical health facilities are available. Currently, the MMU is operating at 2 locations daily, 6 days a week. It is serving 40-45 patients per day, at each location. MMU is working under the mentorship of Dr. Hariharan, who has been associated with Seva Bharathi for many years now. Due to limited permit, the MMU is operating at 2 locations, but the citywide permit is awaited. After gaining the city permit, the MMU is expected to serve 500-900 families, making an impact in the slum and other areas of the city with dilapidated medical facilities.
‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, is one of the biggest projects ever conceived on the subject of cleanliness. One important aspect of ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’ is to make, India open defecation free by 2019. Sewa International in support and furtherance of this government initiative, constructed 30 toilets, in Bhiti village, Ramnagar, Varanasi. Some of the beneficiaries, of the program were Rajkumar Sonkar, Sitara Devi, Omkar, Upkar, Jyoti, Gunja Devi and Rajesh Patel. They expressed immense gratitude towards the organization after the construction of the toilets in their houses.
Sewa International has been supporting the Sankaracharya Kanya Ashram, Jaleshpata, Kandhamal, Odisha. It is a Girls’ school cum hostel facility, housing 190 students. The school was facing the problem of severe power cuts. Due to that, after sunset all the activities would sieze. The students were not able to study, more than two hours after the sunset, and this restricted their personal study hours, after schools. Sewa International has decided to support the school, and install a hybrid solar power plant in the school. The proposed plant is of 5kWP capacity, which is to be installed on the rooftop of the school. Although the school has the capacity to be installed with 60kWP power plant but, the current requirement, is way less than this capacity. Hybrid Solar plant is a good option because it is a one- time investment, it is viable in remote and inaccessible areas, emits zero Greenhouse gases, no pollution of air, water or soil. It also provides reliable power supply in all climatic conditions- whether it is hot or cold, and zero wastage. After its installations, students can have longer study hours, students could be provided with electric fans, computers and it would improve the security conditions as well. It will also power the water and water purifier which will provide the students with clean and uninterrupted drinking water supply.
25 villages in two districts were finalized for operationalization of health initiative by Sewa International, Uttarakhand.
The CEO of Sewa International Mr. Nishant Aggarwal visited, Shanti Niketan Hostel in Dagshai(HP), on 24 Sep 2016. The students of the hostel were given hand-knitted winter caps. These caps were prepared and donated by our Sewa International USA donors through their Knit for Sewa initiative. The team in the USA had worked tirelessly for a month to get hand-woven knitted woollens in time for the needy kids.
Sewa International has participated in 7th Epicenter Diwali Mela, from 14-16 Oct 2016, at Epicenter Gurgaon, Delhi-NCR region. Sewa International has put up a stall showcasing our, “Kashi to Kutch” products. In this 3 day exhibition, the stall mainly showcased the bags of different styles and trendy scarves and stoles. There were different variety of bags viz. clutches, handbags, mobile pouches, sling bags of various sizes and passport holders etc. Being the shopping season, the exhibition generated a lot of enthusiasm, and had ample footfalls. Stoles made by the artisan women of Kutch, attracted the younger crowd of both girls and boys, and were a popular choice among the exhibited products. The products were made by the association of artisans working with Sewa Varanasi and Kutch Kala Sewa Trust.
Gunador is a 46 year old Reang tribesman, who lives in Naisingpara refugee camp, in North Tripura. The living conditions in refugee camps are deplorable, and there is no source of income. Sewa International has taken initiative, to improve this situation. We have started skill development programs for the youths in the camp. Earlier we have donated computers for the computer center in the refugee camps. This year we organised, a “Bamboo Handicraft Training Program”, at Naisingpara Refugee Camp, in Aug 2016. The training has been taken by two professional handicrafts trainer, and 11 youth from the camp have attended the training. Gunador is one of the trainees, prior to training, Gunador was struggling to make the ends meet. But after the training, he can produce beautifully crafted furniture from Bamboo. He now earns more than 3500 per month. His hard work and need have been channelized into a constructive activity, and he is able to generate livelihood out of the skill he acquired in the training camp. He thanks, Sewa International immensely, and says that more such camps should be held, every year benefitting the refugees living in the camp. 
Sewa International celebrated “Dev Diwali”, on 14 Nov 2016, at Balua ghat in Ramnagar, Varanasi. It was celebrated as a part of larger “Ramnagar Dev Dipawali Mahotsav”. Sewa International expressing the solidarity with beleaguered weaver community, conducted this cultural event. Dev Diwali is observed after fourteen days of Diwali, it marks a tribute to river Ganga. In the honour of goddess Ganga, locals paint their homes in vivid paintings and light earthen lamps. The cultural event supported underlying themes of Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Namami Gange and Education for all.
The auspicious occasion of Diwali also marks the fruition of our women empowerment initiatives. Sewa International participated in the Augustyamuni mela (A GoI platform for the marketing of rural products), at Augustyamuni grounds in Rudraprayag district, from 6-10 Nov 2016. Some of the salient features of the stall were as follows:
During the festival season, GoI organises various festivals and melas, supporting and creating the marketplace for the rural products, arts, and crafts. Sewa International participates in these exhibitions, one such occasion was Sri Madmaheshwar Mela, Ukhimath, Karnaprayag, from 24-26 Nov 2016. Sewa International put up a stall at the exhibition for selling agri- based products mainly. These products were prepared and packaged by the women working in our agriculture and SHGs initiatives in Uttarakhand viz. Sewa Krishi and Sewa Shrujan respectively. The Chief Minister of the state Mr Harish Rawat visited our stall and perused through the stall. He appreciated the Sewa International's efforts towards women empowerment through skill- based training and market linkages. He encouraged the workers of Sewa International to continue the good work.
You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills. The Reang tribals have been living in refugee camps for 20 years in deplorable conditions. Hence Sewa International has provided two skill development training in Oct-Nov 2016. One is “3 month Ladies Tailoring Training Program” and other is “Bamboo Handicraft Development Program”. The bamboo training was organised from 1-20 Nov 2016
This month, under the health initiative of Sewa Uttarakhand, Sewa Swasthya, we have distributed first aid kits to the Sewa Sakhis, on 18 and 22 Nov 2016. The kits were distributed in Nagli, Dhamkar, Badgaon, Bhalsoan, Devar, Pokhri villages in Chamoli district. These Sewa Sakhis received training in first aid, last month from health professionals in Chandrapuri, organized by Sewa International. The first aid kits would help in providing better healthcare in the remotest areas of the state. Sewa International is committed to bringing the basic healthcare to the doorstep of the people of the state. This is first of many steps in this journey towards a healthy Uttarakhand.
Musical Instruments were distributed among the women SHGs in Pokhari and Devar villages of Chamoli district, on 22 Nov 2016. The contribution was made by Mr Ashok Goyal. Apart from their assigned activities, these women SHGs work as the frontline in many of our initiatives in the state. They have monthly meetings and usual routine of the meeting involves the start and closing with the singing of bhajans and folk songs. One of the songs ‘’Myar Pahad” explains the hopes and aspirations of the people living in mountains, one of the line translates in to ”our mountains have clean air, flora, and fauna, so why can’t our mountains have the amenities of big cities?”. This small ritual carries with it a deeper message of solidarity and brotherhood, one of the objectives of SHGs in a nutshell.
One more project successfully got installed under the Clean Tech Initiative of Sewa International. This time, a 5KW solar power plant with 5 hours battery back up got installed at Jaleshpata Kanya Ashram, situated in Kandhamaal district of Odisha. Most inhabitants in the district belong to the Kandha (Khonds) tribes. Keeping the overall situation in mind Late Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati started ashram for girl students near the bank of Rahul Nadi Shiva Pith. It is the place of Jaleswar Mahadev. Swamiji established Jaleshpata Shankaracharya Kanyashrama in 1988. Currently, 240 students are residing and studying there.
Sewa Uttarakhand participated in 3-day exhibition “Mahakauthig” in Indirapuram Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR region. The exhibition was organised in Ramleela Ground from 16-18 Dec 2016. The exhibition was organised to showcase and honour the Uttarakhand arts and culture. This year the theme was “Industrial development, Tourism, and Culture of the state of Uttarakhand”. Sewa International put up a stall in the exhibition and showcased the products made by the women under the Sewa Srujan program. The products showcased were organic produce and woollen wear made by the various SHGs under the program. The organic products exhibited includes pulses and beans like kidney beans, toor daal, lobia and gehat etc. The hand knitted woollens were popular among the customers, and they appreciated the project as well. The response generated among the visitors is a source of encouragement and we would like to scale the production in the coming time.
Sanju Devi Goswami, 41, is the village Pradhan. A mother of two, unassuming and ever smiling, Sanju devi is popular among the village folks. She enjoys taking visitors around her home and land holding. After all, it is a perfectly run mixed farm – conventional grains are harvested seasonally along with a variety of vegetables, and flowers. She observes, “I remember when I had come to this village after marriage, farming was the mainstay of most families. Unfortunately, the changing environment and weather have become a threat to our way of life. On my part, I am determined to overcome this challenge.” She is also part of the Haat village’s Self Help Group named Shivshankar swayam sahayata samooh. From dawn to dusk Sanju Goswami is a busy woman. Says she, “The life of hill women is extremely difficult and in families where the men don’t have permanent jobs they shoulder all burden as wives, mothers, and even farmers. A farmer’s life is intrinsically connected to nature – too little or too much sun, rain or snowfall is always bad for the land. Sewa International has helped us many ways, my yield is better and through the SHG, I am saving money every month now.” She has successfully demonstrated how, given the right support, people can effectively adapt to changing conditions and transform their lives. According to her, the time has come for farmers to take all the help they can get and adapt to newer, better ways of making farming feasible. Sewa International is committed to the cause of, not only the farmers but also empowering the fabulous and hardworking women of Uttarakhand.
Sewa International Bay Area, presented Sewa’s “Namami Gange” initiative in the annual Republic Day functi
We were pleasantly surprised to see Smt. Jaya Jaitley, Founder of Dastakari Haat Samiti visit Sewa International stall, as part of the 32nd Annual Dastkari Haat Bazaar at Dilli Haat. Our products made under our “Kashi to Kutch” program included Dupattas, Stoles made of Handmade Banarasi Silk with subtle Ahir Embroidery work, as well as laptop bags, sling bags, totes by our women artisans from Kutch specializing in embroidery work.
Sewa International started 10 months Handloom training program. This program was organized at the local office of Sewa International Bharat Ramnagar, Varanasi. In This training program there were 20 weavers who are presently working with Sewa International Bharat. These weavers had quit their weaving 15 yrs back and those who are still engaged in the profession are having the important fact that their work is not quality based.
On 20th Jan, 2017 20 weavers who are associated with sewa international now were provided training about E-marketing. Santosh and Ahmed (Quality Executive) from Weavers mart online service and Association of Corporation Apex Societies of Handloom (ACASH) supported by Office of the Development Commissioner Handloom, Ministry of Textiles, guided the weavers of Ramnagar about E-marketing.
On 
Traditional wrap around called Rnai is the essential piece of Bru culture and is the most loved clothing by their women. It is made painstakingly using handlooms with specialized skills. But, due to rapid influx of cheap western clothing and high cost of hand-woven Rnai, this important part of culture is under threat. Sensing this grave issue, 
SI inaugurated its 10th Computer Centre in Dewal on 
Laxmi Ben, a 55 years old lady, received the award for her skills in embroidery from Governor of Gujarat in the year 1989. Her family comprises of her 5 daughters and husband. She resides in Dhaneti village of Bhuj block of Kutch district. She does Ahir Embroidery, she makes various handi craft products and sells it to individual buyers. Despite being a prestigious award winner, she had to struggle to earn the livelihood. Embroidery work was the only means of bread & butter for Lakshmi Ben’s family and her monthly income was around 5000 rupees per month, for the family of seven people. After few years, Laxmi got an opportunity to be associated with 
This week a delegation of social workers and social entrepreneurs from Concern India Foundation visited 
On 24 
Every day now and then we come across a person whose life has been touched by 
‘Promoting Volunteerism’ is the motto of Sewa International. In our journey spanning across 2 decades, we have come across fabulous volunteers. Needless to say, it is learning and enriching experience both ways. One such volunteer has shared her experience with us. Her name is Nazia Aqueel. Here is what she has to say:
A 3-day comprehensive Train the Trainers (TTT) Workshop was conducted by Aayushi Ketkar and Mily Gildiyal from SI Head Office, Delhi at Chandrapuri Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra for the newly inducted trainers of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi. The Workshop, held from 12 to 14 July, touched upon all key aspects of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yogana 2.0, its aims and objectives, how it is different from its predecessor (PMKVY 1.0), the stringent assessment and evaluation parameters, Qualification Packs (QP) and National Occupation Standards (NOS), attendance and other prerequisites that need to be met. An exclusive session, imparting new tools & techniques for delivering interactive theory sessions for the students that enroll for PMKK, was given to the new Trainers; of whom, some had already teaching experience while others were freshers. The final day saw the newly-inducted trainers give a brief mock class room session of 20 minutes, based on the new knowledge and skills they had acquired over the 2 days of their intensive training. Feedback of their performance was shared with them and their Centre Heads and areas of improvement earmarked for future training and mentoring sessions that will be held online on a weekly basis from Delhi Head Office.
India is prone to natural disasters on account of its geographical features, flanked by the mighty Himalayas and its ever-shifting tectonic plates. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have been a recurrent phenomena here. The vision of Sewa International is to be first responder in any disaster – natural or manmade. Hence, recognizing the need to contribute to disaster response and recovery efforts, Sewa International is developing its own mechanism to provide humanitarian assistance during disasters. keeping this in mind, Sewa International Uttarakhand conducted a 3-days Disaster Management Workshop to train its staff as primary responders in rescue and relief operations in time of disaster. The training module included both indoor and outdoor training. This 3-day training was conducted by trained professionals from the State Disaster Management Cell.
Skill India is a national movement bringing together multiple stakeholders on a common platform to maximise the potential of India’s youth. Sewa International celebrated International Skill Day on 15 July. The International Co-ordinator of Sewa International, Mr Shyam Parnade, took to social media on that day to wish all the volunteers and workers of Sewa International as well as all those involved in the noble task of skilling the youth and making them ready to Job. Sewa International organized Kaushal Mela at all our 5 newly formed Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) in Uttarakhand viz. Dehradun, Haridwar, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi. The trainees participated in the program enthusiastically. The dignitaries present at the events applauded the efforts of Sewa International and assured all support for our project. Sewa International fair on this day is organised to celebrate the unified efforts and the convergence in skill training initiatives to achieve quality and scale in our ecosystem.
Sewa International actively got involved in Flood Relief and Rescue Operations in Gujarat, Assam and Rajasthan. From raising funds through SI website to participating in relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas, Sewa International, lived up to its commitment of serving humanity in distress. 250 Sewa volunteers were engaged in more than 70 villages of Banaskantha and Patan districts of Gujarat, a large part of which continues to reel under oods. Sewa International volunteers distributed 1.6 lakh food packets, medicines and water bottles. They started help centres in Radhanpur and Deesa (in Banaskantha), alerted people living in low-lying areas which would be affected due to release of water from Sipu and Dantiwada dams, so that they can shift along with their valuables and cattle. Sewa International provided food items to 15,000 affected people and temporary shelter arrangements to the victims.
