In 1978, displacement via a national dam project gave Jyotirmaya Khara (Jyotirmaya Ji) his start in community organizing. A 35-day march. 20,000 villagers. A mass movement for potable water, roads, electricity, and schools.
In 1991, Jyotirmaya Ji launched Sahara to promote village self-sufficiency and holistic community development including economic, public health, and education activities. Formerly a technician with Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Jyotimaya has leveraged technology as a tool for community development. Accordingly, Sahara runs a virtual technology laboratory behind its administrative offices where staff members experiment with housing materials and farming methods. Young members of the Sahara staff have modified inexpensive bricks and roofing tiles. Through these efforts, Sahara has developed and promoted a micro-concrete roofing tiles technology which is more durable and helps save trees (as it eliminates the need to bake mud roofing)
Similarly, in 2007, Sahara developed its own energy-efficient solar LED system to replace sooty kerosene lamps. To date, Sahara has distributed the LED lamps to 2,000 families. Sahara hopes to replace one million kerosene lamps with solar LED lamps by 2020. To help in the upkeep of the LED light system, Sahara has formed village energy committees (VECs). Sahara provides the VECs with tools and training to maintain the LED systems. The VECs collect a monthly maintenance (Rs. 10) fee from the villagers to buy necessary replacement parts.
With respect to farming, Sahara has tested and implemented paddy cultivation using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology which doubles the yield of rice for almost the same input cost. Sahara promotes diversification of crops, encouraging farmers to grow sugarcane, corn, and vegetables. This has increased the farmers’ income 1.5 to 2 times from the same land. Sahara has promoted vermin-composting, seed improvement techniques and organic fertilizer to improve the soil fertility and reduce the input cost. Sahara is in the process of developing a soil-less agricultural technology where sand on plastic sheet is used to grow plants. Plastic below the sand reduces water wastage and heated sand in the sun kills insects.
With 13 full-time and 8 part-time employees, Sahara currently reaches 30,000 villagers in 105+ villages. Sahara has formed over 50 women self-help groups (SHGs). SHGs promote savings and micro-loans among women. SHGs also collaborate on women and children’s health, technology solutions for livelihood, and education. Sahara SHGs support families engaged in a variety of livelihood activities, including selling pickles and running flour mills.
Sahara has organized SHG groups in two large cooperative units, called federations, which represent over 25 SHGs each. Sahara plans to empower these federations to run mini village-level banks (“micro-banks”). These micro-banks will provide services to the individual members of the associated SHGs. Advantages of such micro-banks include:
• Interest paid on loans will remain within the village and help maintain the micro-bank
• Villagers will have easy access to the micro-banks
• Villagers will develop basic banking skills
At present, CENDERET center at the Xavier Institute of Management at Bhubaneswar supports the micro-bank with training in banking activities and pays the micro-bank salaries.
Sahara has motivated the villagers to regenerate the degraded forest of their respective villages. Approximately 500 hectares of degraded forest have been regenerated through Sahara’s effort in Koraput district. To ensure long-term protection of the forest, Sahara has formed 30 forest protection committees. Villagers protect trees from being cut in designated areas of the forest.
Need for Project:
In 2006, Sahara commenced its solar LED lamp project with a grant of Rs 50,000 from CENDERET: Sahara assembled its own solar LED lamps and provided them to villagers. Since then, Sahara has been distributing solar LED lamps in villages with subsidies from various institutions and individual donors. A Sahara LED lamp cost Rs. 2200 to make in-house. Sahara collects Rs 600 from villagers; the remaining Rs. 1600 comes from donors. Sahara currently has two full-time staff dedicated to the solar LED lamp project.
Sahara envisions providing one million LED lamps to villages by 2020. To achieve such a vision, Sahara needs to streamline production and reduce operating costs. Sahara needs to mobilize more resources to assist with the implementation.
As an August 2010 Indicorps Fellow, you will expand the program to replace kerosene lamps with solar LED lamps. Initially, you will gather information about the customer base and their light usage to understand the program. You should survey customers to understand their experience with the solar LED lamps. This will also help you form relationships with villagers and members of the Sahara team involved in implementation. You should learn about the solar LED technology and be able to guide and assist with technical modifications to suit the local conditions.
Next, you will identify a subset of new villages to target for the distribution of the solar LED lamps. You should plan a strategy to inform villagers about the LED lamp and associated advantages. This may require you to prepare presentation(s), organize village-level meetings or lead exposure trips to other villages that have implemented solar LED lamps. Once you provide solar LED lamps in villages, you will involve locals in the upkeep of systems through formation of village energy committees (VECs). You will train VEC members in the maintenance of devices.
As the program progresses, you will document learnings to enable improvement in the operation of the program. At various junctures in your Fellowship, you should present your work such that your assessment and suggestions can be incorporated into the larger Sahara vision.
Skills or experience in engineering, management, or community organizing would be valuable.
Target Community:
Your target community is Below Poverty Level (BPL) farmers in the Koraput area of Orissa. Farming is the main vocation in Koraput and more than 80% farmers are below poverty level. Village families’ income averages at Rs. 15,000 – 20,000 per year. Most villages do not have electricity and so villagers generally burn kerosene for light. At present, villagers spend average Rs. 60 per month on kerosene.
Objectives:
• To spread awareness about the benefits of solar LED lamps
• To streamline operations and cost of the solar LED lamps and expand reach
• To implement LED technology with the assistance of villagers and the Sahara staff
Challenges:
• Convincing the community which lives on marginal income to invest Rs. 600 upfront for a new technology
• Traveling to many different villages to showcase and implement technology
• Building confidence that the technology is a good long term investment
Team-Based Model:
Each project is designed as a three-way partnership between you, Indicorps, and a partner organization. Each grassroots partner organization – in this case Sahara – will be hosting two to four Fellows. Consequently, the August 2010 Fellowship will have both an individual and a team component.
As a team of Indicorps Fellows, your focus is to empower villagers through technology and skill trainings. Team members will focus on different areas including expanding the reach of solar LED lamps, assisting farmers in improving their livelihood through use of technology, and capacity-building to run federation micro-banks.
You will be provided accommodation with a family in the village or in an apartment in Similiguda village. Simple vegetarian food will be provided. You will do your own laundry and assist with team chores. The nearest major town Koraput is 25 km from Similiguda. Buses and jeeps service Similiguda from morning 6 am to 9 pm. International dialing is available in the village; internet facilities are available in the village and at Sahara’s head office. For local transportation, you will travel by bus or tandem with staff on motorcycles.
The language spoken at Sahara is Oriya. For this project, a basic knowledge of Oriya is required. If you do not have basic knowledge of Oriya, you can still apply if you commit to learning the language before the start of your Fellowship year.
Please explain the qualifications that make you a strong candidate for this project - be sure to elaborate on any experiences with micro-enterprise and/or energy.
2.
Design a rural marketing campaign to maximize the reach of the organization's solar LED light initiatives. Specify what channels you plan to use to reach end users. How will you gather grassroots market research to support your campaign?
3.
Describe a time when you had to convince people to do something for which they could not see the immediate benefits. What personal characteristics enabled you to succeed in this situation?
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