Rain Drop is a French organization that aims to improve living conditions through thesustainablemanagementofnaturalresources.

RAPPORTD’ACTIVITE2016AssociationRainDrop

ACTIVITYREPORT2017RainDrop

TableofcontentIntroducingRainDrop..................................................................................................................1

LegalInformation...........................................................................................................................2

MessagefromtheDirector..........................................................................................................3Somenumbersfor2017..........................................................................................................................3

Partners,sponsors,andsupport...............................................................................................5

OURPROJECTS.................................................................................................................................6

AyurProject......................................................................................................................................7Context..........................................................................................................................................................7Rechargeundergroundaquifersandharvestrainwater............................................................8Watershedmanagement.......................................................................................................................................8Treeplantation........................................................................................................................................................10

Ensurepropersanitationinthevillages.........................................................................................12Raiseawarenessonhygieneandsanitation...............................................................................................12Constructlatrinesinthevillages.....................................................................................................................13

Strengthenwomen’ssocialandeconomicpositioninthevillages........................................14Raisewomen’sawarenessontheirrightsandvillageleveldecisionmaking.............................14TrainSHGsonleadershipandcommunitymobilisation......................................................................15Createwomendecisionmakingcommittees-WomenGramSabha...............................................16

BuildSHGscapacities.............................................................................................................................17Trainwomeninaccountingandmanagement..........................................................................................17Createafundtosupportotherwomenledbusinesses.........................................................................18Trainonlatrinemaintenance...........................................................................................................................19Traininentrepreneurshipanddevelopmentofsmall-businesses...................................................19

CreateaDalhMill....................................................................................................................................20

SpringofLifeProject-Followup.............................................................................................21

ProjectSummary...........................................................................................................................211.Improvewatermanagement..........................................................................................................22Waterharvestingponds......................................................................................................................................22Watersavingirrigationsystems......................................................................................................................22Treeplanting............................................................................................................................................................23

2.Strengthencommunity’scapacities.............................................................................................233.Diversifymeansoflivelihood.........................................................................................................24Improveagriculturetechniques......................................................................................................................24Diversifyproductions...........................................................................................................................................24Chickenfarms..........................................................................................................................................................24

OtherDevelopments....................................................................................................................25ProjectwithAquassistance..................................................................................................................25TuljapurProject.......................................................................................................................................25Awarenessandtrainings....................................................................................................................................25Sustainablemanagementofnaturalresources.........................................................................................26Strengthenwomen’scapacities...................................................................Erreur!Signetnondéfini.Diversifysourcesoflivelihood.........................................................................................................................28

TreeNurseryinBargarh.......................................................................................................................28

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................29

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IntroducingRainDrop

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LegalInformation

Name: Rain Drop Title: Association loi 1901 (Registered in France) Objective: To improve living conditions and the sustainable management of natural resources Registration Registered on the 2nd March 2010 in Paris Changed headquarters on the 23rd December 2010 to Grasse Board : President : Benjamin Gratton Secretary : Cyrielle Diaz Treasurer: Malek Ouahes Contact : Rain Drop 9 Traverse du Chemin de la e-mail : info@rain-drop.org Coste d’Or Supérieure website: www.rain-drop.org 06130 Grasse France

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MessagefromtheDirectorThis past year, many countries suffered harsh weatherconditions.Theareaswherewework in Indiahavenotspared.Periods of intense drought alternating with heavy rainfalldestroyed much of the agriculture, bringing misery toinhabitants. As a consequence, we focused on reducing theseadverseeffectsbycollectingwaterwhenabundantandusing itwhen scarce, and by developing less climate dependanteconomicalternatives,likeadalh(lentils)mill.December 2017 also ended our involvement inBargarh,where theRainDropprojectwasborn7yearsago.After5yearsofoperationsanda2-yearfollowup,thetimehascomeforthevillagerstofindtheirownequilibrium.Forasmoothtransition,thepast2yearswerededicatedtocapacitybuildingandatotalappropriationoftheprojectbythefamilies.OuractivitiesinIndiacontinueinMaharashtra,withRainDropIndia.Inadditiontothework in the villages of Ambajogai, Rain Drop India ‘s Director Ashok Sarwade, isdeveloping projects in Tuljapur, another region of Maharashtra. We support hisendeavors,mainlywith fundraising and are thrilled by Ashock and Rain Drop India’sgrowingautonomy.Thisyear,RainDropgotinvolvedonanewcontinent:Africa.Weareexploringaprojectin Togo in the maritime township of Amoussimé. It entails the implementation ofsustainablewaterandagriculturalmanagementpractices.Thisprojectisinitsinceptionphaseandtechnicaldevelopmentstage.Weaimtodeterminetheappropriatesolutionsthatbestcatertotheneedsofthepopulationsandtheenvironmentalressources.We thank our benefactors for their support, which enables us to continue to worktoward improving the quality of life of rural community and better manage naturalressources.

AlexisRoman

Somenumbersfor2017

• 7yearsofactivity• 47members• 4employees• 8activevolunteers• 16587treesplanted

• 14500beneficiariesin26villages• 16waterretentionbasinsbuilt• 1050communitymeetings,trainingand

awarenesscampaigns

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Partners,sponsors,andsupportPublic

Private

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OURPROJECTS

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AyurProjectContext

TheAyur(«life»inSanskrit)ProjectstartedinJanuary2016inthe Marathwada region, more specifically in Ambajogai, BeedDistrict.Wearenowworkingwithfivevillages:DongraPimpla,Rajewadi,Bhautana,SonawalaandDhavadi.Declineofundergroundwater&absenceoflatrines

Thevillagesweworkinhavebeendeclared«DroughtProneArea»bytheIndiangovernment.Thedecreaseinrainfall(aslowas431mmin2012)combinedwithexcessive irrigation has led to the depletion ofunderground aquifers. Many villages are forced toreserve the scarcewater resources only for domesticuse and cannot irrigate their fields. Sanitation isanotherworrisomeproblem,as97%ofthepopulationdoesnothaveaccesstolatrines.

Agriculturaltransition&lackofeconomicopportunitiesFamilies depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Theharvestofsugarcaneandcottonisnolongeraviableoptiondue to the lack of water. The absence of economicalternatives forces many families into migration to findworkinthecities.Isolatedruralpopulationsandgenderdiscrimination

Dhangars andLambanis tribes aswell as lower castesarethemain inhabitantsof thisarea.At thebottomofthe economic and social ladder, they have limitedaccess to government programs and poor economicalternatives.Within these groups, women suffer evenmorediscrimination.Although they legallyhave equalrights, they are often subservient to their husbands.They have no economic or political power and areconfined to household chores. Nevertheless, ourconversations revealed a genuine concern for thedevelopmentoftheircommunity.

Bucketswaitingtobefilledatoneoftherareremainingwaterpoint

Driedoutsugarcanefield

SHGfromBhautana

Marathwadaregion

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Rechargingundergroundaquifersandstoringrainwater

WatershedmanagementInitially, our objective was to manage 20hectares watershed land to facilitate theretentionofrainwater.Withoutthislayout,themonsoonrainsflowdownhillintoriversremovingthefertiletopsoil,thehumus,andnotinfiltratingdeeplyintoagriculturalland.

The construction of fiels bunds aim toretainrainwateronagriculturalplotsbyerecting elevated ridges around theparcels. Inordertodistributethewaterequitably, deviations are created toredirecttheflowtowaterneedyareas.

Wehaverehabilitated28hectaresofland,morethanourinitialojectiveof20hectares.Fromtheridgestotherivers,bundswerebuiltinordertomaximizewaterinfiltrationineach plot of land.Wedug openings in the bunds, letting thewater trickle to the nextparceldownhill,carefulnottoprovokethecollapseofthebundsunderpressure.Motivation being essential, we asked the farmers a 20% contribution of theconstruction’s total cost. As a result,wewere able toworkwith a greater number offarmers,74peopleintotal,andlandscapedlargersurfacesthanplanned.WeworkedontwoareasaroundthevillageofSonawala,asshownonthemapbelow.

Mr.Gosavi’splotisirrigatedandcultivatedthankstotheridges

Embarkmentsarecoveredwithvegetation,contributingtotheirsturdiness

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BhaskarGosavi,afarmer,explainedthatbeforetheproject,hislandwasunexploitableduetothelackofwater.Onaslightslope,hisplotandthatofhisneighbors’didn’tretainthe monsoon precipitations. Now, he said enthusiastically, with the new waterharvestingstructures,hewillfinallybeabletocultivatehislandnextyear!Then,heshowedushiswell,whichwasfullofwater.Bandhu Chaudhari and his brother are also very happy, but for the opposite reason.Theirparcelsareatthebottomoftheslope,theirculturesweredrownedbythewaterflowingalongthewatershed.Now,thewaterspreadsalongthelengthofthewatershed,supplyingjustthenecessaryquantityofwaterneededforagoodharvest.The 74 beneficiaries of the watershedconstructions are unanimously satisfiedwiththeresults. Inadditiontothemoreefficientmanagementofwaterresources,soilerosionhasbeenreduced.Fertilesoilremains on the parcels rather than flowintheriver.

Mr.Ramdascombinedtheconstructionofdikeswiththeplantingoftreesaroundhiswaterharvestingpondsformoreefficiency.

We can see on the map theriver (green line indidactedby the green arrows),betweenthetwo landscapedareas of land (marked intransparent white). Thewater would flow down theland into the river withoutinfiltrating in the soil. Theywould then join the markedriver which in turns joins alargerriver(toprightof thepicture). In addition to thebenefits for the farmers, thebunds also reduce riveroverflows inperiodofheavyrains as water is sloweddown.

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TreePlanting

This year, 247 families planted 1957 trees. Wehave supplied multi-purpose trees, they have adouble advantage: they maintain the ecologicalbalance and they provide extra income for thefamilies.Wechosemoreresistant,2to5yearoldtrees to guarantee a higher rate of survival andgenerateincomemorerapidly.Compared to last year, we observed that morepeople are recognizing the economicpotential ofthe trees. PallawiMagarhandUjualaTivari fromBhautana, RamdasMaske from Sonawala, KavitaKorpade from Dongra Pimpla and LakshmiKendre fromDawadi preferredplanting30 treesratherthanthe6initiallyplanned.Understandingthepotentialoftrees,theydecidedtoplantmoreand increase their chance of making a betterprofit.Apartfromthesefamiliesthatalreadyprovedtheirmotivationtocareforthetrees,withother families,we decided to focus less on quantity butmore on quality and survivalrates.Werequiredfarmerstomakea10%contributionofthecostofthetrees.

This strategy worked well, as many farmershonestly admitted that they didn’t feel theycould care for too many trees, or that theylacked water resources, time or didn’t haveprotectionagainstanimals.This explains why we didn’t reach ourobjective of 5000 trees for 2017. Next year,weexpect toplant the remaining3000 treesof2017plusthe5000treesplannedfor2018,withamaximumchanceofsurvival.

Thetreeswereplantedaroundthewaterharvestingpondsbuiltlastyear,nearhousesandaroundfamilies’agriculturalland.

TreedistributioninthevillageofBhautana

JanabiGarkarfromthevillageofRajewadiwithmangoandguavatreesonherheadand

herbabyinherarms.

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Thefollowingtreeswereplanted:

CommonnameMango Lemon Mulberry

Guava

ScientificnameMangiferaIndica

Citruslimon

Morusnigra

PsidiumGuajava

AegleMarmelos

Properties fruits fruits fruits fruits fruitsNumberoftreesplanted 296 50 322 85 75Commonname Shisham Rudraksha Teck Amla Jujube Ritha

ScientificnameDalbergiasissoo

Elaeocarpusangustifolius

Tectonagrandis

Phyllanthusemblica

Ziziphuszizyphus

Sapindusmukorossi

Properties wood ornemental wood fruits fruits antibacterialNumberoftreesplanted 86 155 50 191 100 25Commonname Tamarin Jackfruit Promogranat Sapodilla Total

ScientificnameTamarindusindica

Artocarpusheterophyllus

PunicaGranatum

Manilkarazapota

Properties épices fruits fruits fruits Numberoftreesplanted 200 100 97 125 1957

MainaYadavischoosingsprouts Mangotreeplantedthisyear

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Ensuringpropersanitationinthevillages

Raisingawarenessonhygieneandsanitation

InthevillageofBhautana,onJanuary4th2017, we invited two nurses, DeepaGorkhi et Swati Mune, from the localmedical center to speak about theimportance of clean water. 35 womenand girls participated, they discussedpersonal and feminine hygiene and thefactthatthefabricsusedarenotcleanastheyarewashedincontaminatedwater.Itwassuggestedthattheybuythemorehygienicdisposabletampons.

Illnesseslinkedtowaterwereexamined-diarrhea,cholera,feverandstomachcramps-simpleremedieslikeboilingwaterwereadvised. It is particularly important duringthe rainy season when contaminations areat their highest. The nurses presentedprinted material to illustrate good hygienepractices.During this session, the nurses noticed that some of thewomenwere too thin. Bloodtests were performed, the results indicated low hemoglobin levels. The nursessuggestedamorebalanceddietcomposedofgreenvegetables,wheat,nutsandfruits.RainDrop’sawarenesscampaignsaregaininginpopularityinthecommunities.OnApril14th 2017, the Women’s Center of Bhautana invited Komal Pardeshi, a Rain Dropemployeeforadayofinstructiononpersonalhygienefortheyoungergirls.

Thenursesmeasureandweighteachparticipant

KomalPardesh,RainDrop’scoordinatorofprojectsforwomen,isparticipating

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BuildinglatrinesinthevillagesOn October 2, 2015, the day of Mahatma Gandhi’ s birthday, the central governmentannounced the start of Swatchata Bharat Abhiyan – Total Sanitation Campaign. OnOctober2,2018,allvillagesinIndiamustendoutdoordefecationandhaveatleastonelatrineperfamily.Intwooftheproject’svillages,womenplayedamajorroleinthiscampaign.Thankstotheir implicationand thepressuresexerciced throughWomenGramSabah (groupsofvillagewomen), encouragedbyRainDrop, the toilet construction campaign started inJanuary2017inBhautanaandinJune2017inRajewadi.TheMaharashtragovernmentthen required all of the state’s villages to initiate their toilet construction campainbyAugust,15,2017.Therehastobeatleast1toiletperhousehold.However, theconstructionof toiletsdoesn’tguaranteetheirusage!Besides,somepoorfamiliesdon’thavethefinancesnorthespacetobuildthem.ThisiswhereRainDrop can help. We will support the governmentprogrambyraisingawarenessontheuseoftoilets.Wewillalsohelpthepoorerfamiliesbuildlatrineswiththefunds we have collected. In January 2018, we willevaluate the situation, understand the reasons somefamilies haven’t started the construction and assistthemintheprocess.Oncetheseelementsareknown,wewillbuildpublictoiletssoallvillagershaveaccesstolatrinesbytheconstructiondeadlinesetbythegovernment,October2,2018.

Toiletsbeingbuildinthevillages

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Strengtheningwomen’ssocialandeconomicpositioninthevillages

Raisingwomen’sawarenessoftheirrightsanddecisionmakingprocessesOn April 21, 2017, Dr. Rama Pande,professor at Manovlok University,specialist in women’s legal rights, metwith 21women of 5 villages to lectureon the rights of victims of domesticviolence, explainmarital laws and legalprocedures ifagirlunder theageof18isforcedintomarriage.

TheProfessorthenspokeofwomen’seconomicrights.Inthevillages,thelandisinthehusband’sname.DrRamaPandesuggestedthatwomenputtheirhouseoratleastsomeof their land in their ownname, so as to guarantee an economic security in case of aproblem with their husband. Those parcels of land can be used as they see fit, forinstance,todiversifycrops,plantvegetableseveniflessprofitableinthemarketplace,topromoteamorebalanceddietfortheirfamily.She also provided a list of court sentences andphone numbers to call for help especially in casetheir familiesforcethemtoabortortheirhusbandbeatorleavethem.Lastly,DrRamaPandeinitiatedaroleplayinggame:She represented a police officer or a governmentofficialandthewomenhadtoexplainthedilemmasthey face. In the habit of keeping silent and nevermentioning their problems, this staging was hardfor thewomen. She insisted on the importance tolearntospeakupinordertoreceivehelp.

Dr.RamaPandeexplainingwomen’srights

Rolegameonobstaclesfacedbywomen

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TrainingSHGsonleadershipandcommunitymobilisationFebruary 21 to 23, 2017, 26 womenfrom the 5 villagesmet at KVK center(Krishi Vigyan Kandra – center foragricultural sciences) for a class onleadership and communitymobilization strategies. This coursewas taught by Mrs. Mamta Triparti, aspecialist in women micro-entrepreneurship. She encouragedthemtothinkaboutalternativesourcesof revenue other than agriculture andemployment opportunities to ensure astrongerfinancialincome.

She reported on various types of micro-entreprises related to agriculture like foodproducts derived from soybeans, tomatosauce or amla jam. She explained in detailthe transformation processes, costs andprofits associated with each product. Theparticipants observed the different toolsand the operation of machinery. After thistraining session, somewomen of Bhautanadecided that in their situation,managing adalh(lentils)millwouldbeagoodchoice.

Since this training, we have been working withthemontherealizationofthisproject.Following this workshop, Kamal Shendge ofBhautana bought a noodle making machine. Thewomen bring their wheat dough and transform itintonoodlesfor15Rsperkilo.Otherwomenarethinkingofstartingnurseriesandstill others want to create small paper plates buttheseprojectshavenotyetbeenachieved.We organized another training session with 18participantsonDecember19,2017.

Demonstrationofadryerwithspinach

Transformatingwheatdoughintonoodles

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Creatingwomendecisionmakingcommittees-WomenGramSabhaTohelpwomenparticipatemoreactivelyinthe villages’ political life, we createdWomen Gram Sabah. A Gram Sabah is amonthlymeetingcomposedofthevillagers,the villagemanagement committee and itspresident. Women rarely participate inthosemeetingswhereimportantdecisionsare made. They don’t dare express theirviews, mainly due to pressure from theirhusbandsandothermen.So, we introduced Gram Sabahs for womenonly. Thepresidentandsecretaryof thevillageare invitedtogetacquaintedwiththewomen’sconcernsandtakenoteofthedecisionsbeingmadeduringthemeeting.TheyrelaytheinformationduringthegeneralGramSabahforfinaldecisionmaking.Animportantdecisionmadeduringoneofthesemeetingswastheconstructionoftoiletsin Bhautana andRajewadi, constructionwhich startedwell before its requirement bythe government. In Dongra Pimpla, the women pressured the village committee toconstructsoakpitstocollectanddrainwastewater.InSonawala,thewomenaskedthattheroadsberepairedandaccesstocleandrinkingwater.Theirrequestswereacceptedat the general GramSabah. ThewomenofDawadi asked the secretary to present thegovernment programs in favor of women. They wanted them publicly presented topreventdiscrimination.

Despite these achievements, toomanywomen are prohibited from attendingWomenGram Sabahmeetings, by their husbands. As amatter of fact, the president and thesecretary didn’t come tomost of themeetings that we organized. These are labelled“generalmeetings”inthechartabove.

Village NumberofGramSabah Generalmeetings

Numberofparticipants

Bhautana 2 9 17DongarPimpla 2 7 19Dawadi 1 6 18Rajewadi 1 8 22Sonawala 3 6 22Total 9 22 98

Bhautana’spresidentduringtheWomenGramSabah

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ReinforcingSHGscapacities

Trainingwomeninaccountingandmanagement

March 4 and 5, 2017,we organized atwoday training inbookkeepingandmanagement.WeinvitedMmeShobahMurkute, a government employee inthe Rural Employment Missiondepartment,toaddressthe25womenpresent.Shespokeoftheimportanceofkeepingallreceipts, and all official papers. Theconversation then focused on theproblemsencounteredbywomen.

One challenge is to keep a comprehensible accountingmethod in the women groups(SHGs).Sheexplainedthe9differentdocumentsthathavetobemaintainedbySHGs.Mme Shobah Murkute suggested instoring a penalty system in order to avoid latepayments.ARs.5dailyfeewouldbechargedforeverylatedayofpayment.Thiswaytheotherwomeninthegroupwould’thavetocopewiththeunpleasantaspectofhavingtopressurizethetardypayer,whointurnknowsshewillbefined.Shealsourgedwomentothoroughlythinkaboutthedifferentundertakingstheycouldstart and accurately calculate the costs and earnings to avoid bankruptcy. Lastly, sheexplainedhowtogetfundsfortheirenterprises.

MmeMurkuteexplainsbasicaccounting

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CreatingafundtosupportotherwomenledbusinessesFollowingthenurses’observationsconcerningthe consequences of an unbalanced diet, wecreated small vegetable gardens. Wedistributedorganicseeds to80women in the5 villages. They received cucumber, spinach,pumkin, gombo, coriander, zucchini, radish,beet,tomato,eggplantandhotpepperseeds.

These vegetables will cover the dietary needs of the families. With an average of 7peopleperfamily,thisactivitybenefits560people,ofwhichamajorityarechildren.

TwowomenfromBhautanaintheirspinachandgombovegetablegarden

PallaviMagarisplantingseedsdonatedbyRainDrop

SushilaTirke’sdaughterwillbenefitfromthemagnesiumandvitaminsofhermother’s

vegetables!

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TrainingonlatrinemaintenanceTwo training sessions took place on theproperuseandmaintenanceoflatrines.Thefirst, on October 29, 2017 in the village ofSonawalawith22womenattendingandthesecond on November 14, 2017 in DongarPimplawith31womenattending.Mrs.DipaliGorkhe, a midwife at the regionalgovernmental hospital first went over theimportance of toilets for the hygiene of thevillage and for illness prevention. Womenare especially affected by the lack of toiletsbecausetheyhavetowaituntilnightfalltodefecateinthefields,riskingsnakebitesandassaultsbymen.Manyhavetoholdoffalldayresultinginstomachcramps.Mrs.Gorkhegaveadetailedexplanationofhowtomaintaintoilets.Ithastobecleanedatleastthreetimes aweek, the door has to stay shut to avoid dust anddirt to settle there, and, ofcoursehandsmustbewashedwithsoap.Lastly,sheshowedthewomendifferenttypesoftoilets.Percolationtoilets,composttoiletsandbiogastoiletswhichalsoproducegazforthekitchenstove.

Traininginentrepreneurshipanddevelopmentofsmall-businessesOnNovember20, 2017,MrsAnita Jogdand, entrepreneur in anearbyvillage, came toSonawala to tell her story. She narrated the difficulties and satisfactions of starting abusiness. «At first, she said, it is very discouraging, everyone says that it’s impossible.Family, friends, the whole community tries to persuade you that you’re not going tosucceed. That is why you have to stay confident, even if you don’t succeed in the end,persevereandmotivateyourself.»Shethendescribedthequalitiesofanentrepreneur:honest working habits in order to establish trust, a positive and creative attitude tomotivateyourcollaborators.Shethen,initiatedgamestodemonstratehowtomotivateandinvolveeventheshyestteammembers.

December, 9, 2017, a second trainingsessionwasscheduledbutthelecturerwasabsent due to health reasons, so the RainDropteamfilledin.Komalorganizedagamethat left the women pondering. Eachparticipantwashandedan inflatedballoonandinstructedtoprotectitfromtheothers.The player remaining with her balloonwould be the winner. Systematically, thewomen tried to burst their neighbors’

Explanationonthedifferenttypesoflatrines

Gamewithbaloons(seefollowingpagesfordetails)

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balloons.Attheend,Komalpointedoutthattheyhadn’tbeeninstructedtobursttheirneighbors’balloons,butthattheyhadallpickedthatoption.Shecomparedthisactiontoeverydaylife,wheretoomuchtimeisspenttryingtopullothersdown,thinkingitwillbring an advantage. Had they decided to cooperate, they would all still have theirballoonandeveryonewouldbeawinner!CreatingaDalhMillOneof themainpurposesofourproject is toencourage women groups to develop newsources of revenue. With the help of TATAcorporation employees, a market study wasdone to determine the most appropriateactivityforthewomenofAmbajogai.Itwasdecidedthatamillwasthebestoption,managing it is relatively simple, it iseconomicallyinterestinganditisusefulforthecommunities. Dahl is an Indian lentil that hastobe separated from its shell andsplit inhalfto be cooked and eaten. It is the basis of the Indian diet. Currently, farmers take outloanstobuyseeds,tools,fertilizers…etc,theyselltheirharvesttomillownerstobeabletorepaytheirdebts.Afewmonthslater,themillownerssellthedalhtothefarmersforamuchhigherprice,asit’snolongerlentilseason.ThisprojectconsistsinpurchasingadalhmillsoBhautana’swomenmanageit.Theywillmakeextraincomefortheirfamiliesandtheneighboring farmerswillbeable toprocess theirharvest themselvesorsell itandbuyitbackatareasonableprice.

Wehavehadmanymeetingswiththewomeninterested and motivated by the project.Together, we think over all aspects of itsoperationandmanagement.With theVillageCouncil, we have determined its location.December9,the18womenconcernedvisiteda dalh mill in the area. They becameacquainted with the functioning of themachineryanditsmaintenance.

Visitingadalhmill

Thewomenseethefunctioningofadalhmillforthefirsttime

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SpringofLifeProject-Followup

ProjectSummary

The Spring of Life Project started beginning 2013and ended December 2015. In January 2016, webeganafollow-upphase lasting2years. ItenabledustomonitortheevolutionoftheactivitieswithoutdirectinvolmentbyRainDropandthepossibilitytoimproveouractions.During this project, we worked with 21 villages,512 families, to help them better manage theirnaturalressources,mainlywater,toreinforcetheirskills and diversify the their sources of revenue.This project has provided an importantcontributiontothepopulationsofMau.We work mainly with the lower castes and villagers originating from the tribalpopulations,theKols.Aswithallourprojects,weemphasizeaclosecollaborationwiththebeneficiaries, includingtheminallphasesof theproject, fromitsconceptionto itsinstauration to its follow-up. This participatory approach promotes an in-depthawarenessandunderstandingof themethodsand technologiesput inplace. ForRainDrop, it is a learning experience, as every project is “alive”, adapted to the specificconditionsofeachvillageandeachfamily,evolvingregularlyinharmonywithindividualneeds.The3mainobjectivesoftheSpringofLifeProject:1.Improvewatermanagement2.Strengthenthecommunity’scapacities3.Diversifymeansoflivelihood

Bundelkhandregion,IndiaSource:Wikipedia

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1.Improvingwatermanagement

WaterharvestingpondsThe 12 water harvesting ponds webuilt in the villages of Ajadpurwa,Kechuhat, Panihaï, Lasahi andGuruwa are all still in use. Theyreplenish groundwater and are usedto irrigate 52 hectares during thedroughtseason.In 2016, the farmers Fulchandra,Bajragee Lal, Babbu, Ramesh,Ayodhaya and Rakeshput utilized thepondsforfishfarming.Thefishareconsumedbythefamiliesorsoldatthemarketplace.But, this year, rainfall was too sparse. The ponds weren’t full enough to cover the 6monthsperiodnecessaryforthedevelopmentoffishes.Thewaterharvestingpondsareour most useful and effective action, especially that the farmers can easily duplicatethem. The water retention ponds have a positive effect on the environment, theyreplenishgroundwaterandrecharge thewellsused fordrinkingand incaseof severedrought, thewater is used to irrigate the soil. The livestockquenches its thirst in theponds and uses it to keep cool. Ponds like these are an ancestral Indian method toconservewater,sotheyarewelladaptedtothelocalculture.

WatersavingirrigationsystemsOf the80farmershavingreceived irrigationsystems,28arestillusingsprinklers.Themajority,42familiesuseonlythehoses.Wewerethefirsttointroducesprinklersanddripirrigationinthisregion.Despitecloseguidanceandassistance,manyfarmersdidn’tadoptthesetechnologieswhicharetoodifferentfromtheiragriculturalhabits.Nevertheless, we hope these irrigation methods will develop, they represent aninevitable transition considering the increased strain on water ressources. The 28farmerswillbeexamplesforfuturegenerations.

M.BabuAdiwasiofLasahiinfrontofhispondconstructedbyRainDropin2015

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Treeplanting

Weplantedatotalof5810treesduringtheSpringofLifeProject.Theybenefitthecommunitieswiththeirfruits as well as their healing properties but alsotheir environmental value. 3578 of these trees arehealthyandgrowing,withasurvivalrateof61.5%.It’sanimprovementcomparedtoourfirstattempts,butstillbelowourexpectations.Themaincausesforthis mortality is a lack of upkeep, aridity andaccidents(theyoungsproutsareeatenbylivestockor broken by children or neighbors). In the AyurProject, we plant older trees to improve theirsurvival rate. They aremore robust andbear fruitsmorerapidly.

2.Strengtheningcommunities’capacitiesThetrainingsorganizedduringthefirst28monthsoftheprojectwerevaluablefor Mau’s families. We organizedworkshops on entrepeneurship,womenandfarmers’rights,sustainablefarming,hygieneandsanitationaswellas instruction on value-addedagriculturalproducts.Thesetrainingswerevitalfortheimplementationoftheactivities.Theymotivatedthreegroupsofwomentoinitiatevegetablegardenstobetterfeedtheirfamiliesandselltheextraproductionatthelocalmarket.Owingtoabetterunderstandingofadministrativefunctioning, 8 women received 6 goats for breeding through a government programpromotingruralemploymentforwomen.TheapplicationswerewrittenandsubmittedwithRainDrop’shelp.

RajkumaripicksguavasfromtreesplantedbyRainDropin2013

SudhaDevifromGuruhavillageiscaringforhergoats

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3.Diversifyingmeansoflivelihood

ImprovingagriculturaltechniquesDuringtheyear2017,70farmerspursuedthe enhanced agricultural practicesintroducedbyRainDrop:SRI(SystemofRice Intensification) and SWI (System ofWheat Intensification). 33 farmersundertook agricultural diversification byplanting vegetables. Traditionally, theyused toplantonly rice,wheat, lentils andpotatoes.

Diversifyingproductions

FollowingRainDrop’s numerous trainingsessions, many families in the project’svillages realized the advantages of adiversified agriculture for the well beingoftheirfamiliesandtoensuremorestablerevenues incaseofcrop failure.Althoughtheimportanceofdiversificationwaswellunderstood, only 35% of the farmersimplemented it because of timeconstraints, soil quality and past habits. Nevertheless many farmers diversified theirproductionbyplantingfruittrees.

ChickenfarmingOutofthe30chickencoopsbuilt,12stillhave chickens. Thanks to their efforts,BrijbhanofAjadpurva village andAmritLal of Chuhuda Colony succeeded inturning their chicken farms into asuccessful source of revenue. They buychicksregularlyinordertodiversifyandincrease their chicken population. Theyhave also perfected their egg and chickproduction. The chickens and eggs areeaten by the families and sold at themarketplaces.

RampratapofKechuathasbeenusingSRIfor3yearsresultinginbetterproductivity

Bajrangilalshowshistomatoplants

ThedaughterofBrijbhanKolofAjadpurva’sinfrontofthehenhouse

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OtherDevelopmentsProjectwithAquassistanceIn March 2015, Aquassistance, a team ofexperts in water management visitedAmbajogai to assist Rain Drop in a wateradduction project. In 2017, Pierre Chaou,Chief Project manager at Aquassistancereturned to Ambajogai to complete thetechnicaldetails for thedistributionofwater.We identified two drilling sites that couldsupply the whole village of Rajewadi indrinking water. We also localized the spotswhere the 6 fountains would be as well as a7th in the school.We performed pressure teststohaveafirstideaoftheaquifercapacityandthewaterlevel.ThesefirstindicationswillbecompletedinApril2018byapumpingtestthatwillhelpusdetermineiftheflowissufficienttosatisfyagriculturalandvillageneeds.TuljapurProjectSinceRainDropIndia’screation,wehavehelpedAshokSarwadeandhisteamdevelopnew projects in India. In 2013, young farmers from Tuljapur, asked our help toovercomethedroughtproblemsandharsheconomicconditions.WehelpedRainDropIndia secure help from Apollo Tyres Foundation to start a project in threevillageslocatedaroundTuljapur:Kamtha,ApsingaandKati.This project has two main objectives: preserve natural ressources by guiding thevillagers toward an efficientwater and soilmanagement programandpromote socialandeconomicautonomyofwomen.

AwarenessandtrainingAs with all our projects, we organised many awareness-raising campaigns andperformedmanytrainingsessionspreparingthevillagersfortheimplementationofourvariousactivities.Wearrangedfieldvisitstodisplaythescopeofouractions.Throughplays,meetings,thescreeningofdocumentariesandthepresentationsofspecialists,wetrainedvillagersonthemesofwatermanagement,sustainableagriculturalpracticesandsoiltesting.

Measuringthetubewell’spressure

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Sustainablemanagementofnaturalresources

ConstructingwaterharvestingpondsThisyear,2waterharvestingpondswerebuilt in the village of Kamtha. For theinauguration,we invited a professor fromthenearbyuniversityandsomeimportantlocal leaders. They encouraged thevillagers to build more ponds to harvestrainwaterandalleviatedroughtproblems.

TreeplantingInordertobringaboutasustainablechange,weplanted2966treeswith156familiers.Belowisalistofthetreesplanted

Villagename

Pomegran

ate

Guava

Mango

Lemon

Applecinnam

on

Sapotdilla

Amla

Moringa

Tamarind

Total

Kati 42 78 139 335 84 29 14 82 19 822

Apsinga 72 103 172 279 112 42 18 107 71 976

Kamtha 180 117 187 182 98 29 18 297 60 1168

Totaldistributed 300 300 500 800 300 100 50 500 150 3000

Totaldamaged 6 2 2 4 6 0 0 14 0 34

Totalplanted 294 298 498 796 294 100 50 486 150 2966

WaterharvestingpondinKamtha

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Strengheningwomen’scapacities

OrganizingWomenGramSabahFour Women Gram Sabah wereorganized in the project’s villages. InKamtha, 52women came to the twoWomen Gram Sabhas to talk to thevillage chief. Theywanted to discusstheir concern about a broken drainpipe leaking unto the road. Theyaskedhimtofixit.In Apsinga, 27 women came and inKati 24 women were present. Theybecame familiar with the variousgovernment programs and their eligibility to subsidies. It was their first visit in thevillage chief’s office: impressed, they didn’t formulate any demands but wished toregularlyreiteratetheexperience.Developkitchengardens,chicken&goatfarms

Having identified the neediest families, wedistributedgoatstothreewomen.Atotalof25goats were given out, 5 of which already hadbabies.Thesegoatsareusedfortheirmilkandto be sold. The team helps women save theirincome so they can purchase more goatstherebycreatingasustainableeconomicmodel.We proceeded the same way with theconstruction of seven chicken coops, this timewe asked for a 40% participation of the cost.When the construction was finished, we gaveeach family 200 chicks. We continue tosupervise the breeders in order to turn theseintosustainableactivities.

MeetingwiththewomenofKamta

Gudyaandhermotherwithagoatandher2littleones

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Finally, we set up 10 model vegetablegardensanddistributed12differenttypesof seeds to 30 women. We encouragedthem to produce organically withoutpesticides or chemical fertilizers. RaniTalbhadore explained that she savesRs.200 (3€) a week, amount she used tospend buying vegetables. Having realizedthe advantages of a vegetable garden,other women in the village expressedtheirinterestinstartingone.

Diversifyingsourcesoflivelihood

Inorder toguaranteeeconomic stability,RainDrop India also conducted activities todiversify means of income. An importanttemple being located in the nearby city, weencouraged Mr. Tukark Deshuk to cultivateflowers. These flowers, like the tuberose arethen sold to the temple. This activity hasyieldedaRs.1,25,000profit(1640euros).Thissuccess has persuaded him to dedicate morelandtothisproduction.

WeadvisedMr.KuberPawar toplantwatermelons.Hegrew them with vermicompost, drip irrigation andstraw-mulching. Thanks to these techniques, heproduced34 tonsofwatermelons andmadeaprofit ofRs. 3,50,000 (4600 euros) in only two months. Fewfarmers produce this fruit, and demand is high. He isrepeating this experience this year and suggested tootherfarmerstodolikewise.

Theflowerswillbesoldtothetemple

KuberPawarinspectshiswatermelonsbeforeharvest

VegetablegardeninthevillageofApsinga

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NurseryinBargarhRameshChandra,owneroftheRainDropnurseryinBargarhsince2012continueshisworkwithaddedzealandpassionaseachyearpasses. Heownstheonlynurseryina100kmradius,agrowingnumberoffarmerscometohimforthequalityofhissappings.His interest in our trainings and enthusiasm for learning have led him to experimentwithgraftingmango,lemonandguavatrees.Theserepresentmostofhissalestotaling2470treesthisyear.Through Ramesh and his nursery, Rain Drop’s objective of providing and plantingquality trees in the area of Bargarh continues. Facedwith harshweather conditions,many farmers, following Ramesh’s example, have chosen to convert their productionfromwheatandricetofruittreeswhichislesslaborandwaterintensive.

ConclusionTheyear2018hastwogoalsinadditiontothecontinuationofourprojectsinIndia.Thefirst is todevelopour activities inAfrica,mainly inTogo.The second is toworkwithRainDropIndia’steamtorenderthemstillmoreautonomousandenablethemtorealizetheirprojectsbyraisingfundsinIndia.

RainDropanditsteamthankyouforyoursupport!

SapplingsinRamesh’snursery