Partnerships

We partner with non-governmental, indigenous, volunteer organizations that work with some of the most neglected people in the world.

SUCHI
(Social Unit for Community Health and Improvement) is located in Andhra Pradesh (near Chittoor) about 200 km west of Chennai (Madras) in India. With this partner we:

SGUS
("Sarvik Gram Unnayan Sangha" or "Organization for Peace and Rural Re-construction") is located in a remote area of Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal about 200km s.w. of Kolkata (Calcutta) in India. With this partner we:

RUCHC
(Rural Community Health Centre) in Nabarangpur District, Orrisa;
and
WBGPF,
(West Bengal Gandhian Peace Foundation), just west of Kolkata (Calcutta)
P.O. Nabarangpur District
Orissa, India

WORD
(Water for Overall Rural development)
David Blackham, Secretary
42 Logos St Ramasamypalya, Maruthisavanager
P.O. Kamanahalli Main Rd
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

HAVE Committee
From its inception in 1982 as a charitable organization, the HAVE Committee has provided assistance to impoverished villagers in rural India, primarily by drilling bore wells and installing hand pumps to make potable household water easily available. Our mandate was inspired by Mr. Gerard (Gerry) Feltham, who undertook to visit and monitor the well sites at his own expense. With his considerable knowledge of village India, Mr. Ishwar Lal, an Indian-born Canadian, later teamed up with Gerry to share all aspects of HAVE activities, including on-site monitoring and evaluation. Through the example of these two founding members, the HAVE committee has continued to operate entirely on a voluntary basis, keeping administration costs to a minimum. Registered as a non-profit corporation in 2004, HAVE has no religious or political affiliations.

Partner Selection
Over the span of two decades HAVE’s mandate was broadened to include other aspects of development work. Because some of its members were involved with Habitat of Humanity work in Nicaragua, HAVE participated in a pipeline project there. We also helped in Gambia, not only by digging 11 wells, but also by funding and organizing a primary reading program. HAVE’s involvement in Gambia ended in 1998. Now its activities are concentrated in India, where we have secured reliable, knowledgeable, result-based and management-oriented partners. Supported by matching grants from CIDA, HAVE to date has installed over 650 wells (to date) to provide potable, household water for villagers. In addition, our organization has participated in the establishment of rural community-based health and development programs, vocational and educational work, community leadership training for women, as well as forums concerning sustainable development. For the foreseeable future we intend to continue providing this type of aid, assisted by CIDA and by our capable partners in India.

HAVE chose to focus first and foremost on potable water projects and this is the prime mandate of the organization. Much of this work is focused at the grassroots level in Haliburton and the adjoining counties. Many of its functions including its pamphlets, speaking engagements and broadcast interviews, HAVE emphasizes its traditional mandate. Although in fact it is impossible to disentangle the engineering side of water management from community development in the broad sense. In Haliburton, a popular fundraising effort has been the annual Walk-for-Water event. An event that involves many volunteers from the local community and has proven to be a popular and successful fund raiser.

In order to maintain credibility with the grassroots, with our partners, and with our co-funders, it is important to stress transparency and accountability in the monitoring and evaluation phase of each project. To this end we have several members, including Mr. Feltham, who regularly visit our projects in India and report first-hand on their status. In January 2006, the co-director of HAVE, Ron Reid, will join Mr. Feltham to familiarize himself with site survey methodology – of course at his own expense. From the engineering firms responsible for the infrastructural work we insist upon accurate and timely pre- and post-drilling project reports; and we endeavor to incorporate planning for on-site monitoring and evaluation in each of our projects.

Partner Expertise
Having already installed several tube wells for potable water with HAVE assistance, Sarbik Gram Unnayan Sangha (SGUS) is well equipped to administer the proposed project in West Bengal. Founded in 1986 to promote the Ghandian principles of village self-rule and non-discrimination, this NGO has gained considerable experience working with the more isolated and least fortunate villages in this State. SGUS’s initial project was to set up a village drop-in centre staffed by local volunteers. Building local capacity through orientation and vocational training, SGUS went on to develop wider links with various state, national and international organizations. Receiving its FCRA registration (#147040116) in 1988, it commenced fundraising in Germany, U.K., U.S.A., and Canada. Presently SGUS maintains eight full-time and seven part-time staff on a basis of gender parity.

The secretary of SGUS, Mr. Biswajit Ghoroi, associated with a number of prominent Indian social workers following his graduation from college in 1981. With additional training in rural development, he worked for three years in the Medinapur district of West Bengal. On fundraising visits to the U.K. and the U.S.A. he lectured on the theme of social transformation through self-transformation. His central inspiration remains Mahatma Gandhi.

Among the identified objectives of SGUS is a focus on development programmes for women’s empowerment. Recognizing in its own literature that women in the rural areas are “tortured mentally, economically and socially,” SGUS seeks to raise women’s awareness through village group meetings, training camps, exposure tours and annual conferences. In addition, it has helped organize women’s committees at the village level to remedy social ills such as dowry and alcoholism. For the purpose of skill development SGUS has provided vocational training in mat making, tailoring, wool knitting, etc. to more than 200 unemployed women. To circumvent usurious interest rates, SGUS has established micro-credit arrangements with over 250 women to provide start-up capital for small business ventures. Under the administration of SGUS, there are now a total of 26 micro-finance groups in Mednapore District.