From Fields to Future: Support MANAVLOK in Empowering Rural Communities

Marathwada is a drought-prone region with 80% dependence of rural families on agriculture. Extreme climate change has resulted in exponentially increasing dry spells, reduced yield, depleted groundwater levels, dried-up rivers, and a shortage of drinking water. Droughts led to crop failures, leaving farmers with no income. This immense financial stress on farmers pushes some to the brink of despair, leading to farmer suicides. Marathwada has alarmingly high incidences of farmer suicides and sugarcane cutter laborers. Sugarcane cutting is a labor-intensive and physically demanding job. The sugarcane industry employs a substantial labor force, often including a large number of women who work as sugarcane cutters during the harvesting season. These women endure long hours of strenuous labor in the fields. Prolonged exposure to such conditions has adverse health effects. As a result, many of these women are also forced to undergo hysterectomies.

In 1982, Dr. Dwarkadasji Lohiya and Dr. Shaila Lohiya laid the foundation of MANAVLOK, a voluntary organization, working for the socio-economic upliftment of the rural poor in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra State in India. For the past 40 years, MANAVLOK has been running programs in Watershed Development, Agriculture, Health, Disaster Relief Services, Women Empowerment, Human Rights, Community Kitchens for Senior Citizens, Empowering Youth through Sports, Self Help Groups (SHGs), and Education as the holistic approach to integrated rural development.

"Organic farming turned out to be the most profitable option. We earned over one-lakh twenty-five thousand for just one acre of organic whereas we couldn't generate even sixty thousand from one-acre chemical-based farming." - says Mukundraj Jadhav- a farmer and a beneficiary of MANAVLOK's organic farming program.

During the drought of 2015-2016, 660 farmers committed suicide in the Marathwada region. The drought took everything away from the farmers. Young adults started migrating to cities leaving their old parents behind with no food and water.

"At that time Distress Migration was at its peak. We knew we had to do something. With the ideology Gaanv ka Pani and Gaanv ke log, Gaanv mei hi rehne chahiye, we started multiple interventions to hold, store, and conserve the rainwater." - says Aniket Dwarkadas Lohiya, Secretary, MANAVLOK.

MANAVLOK started rejuvenating old water bodies by removing the accumulated silt. The desilting of waterbodies exponentially increased the water holding capacity. Moreover, the fertile silt was transported to the farmlands of the farmers to increase its yield. The intervention had a huge impact in overall increasing the water table of the region.

"Initially, we had to make extreme efforts to get water. The tanker water was for some, but not for everyone. It was only for the people with power. These people used to fill their barrels from the tanker and transfer them to their own wells. There were terrible quarrels among the villagers just to get the tank water. Yet, the one who didn’t have the power didn’t get the water at all.

But now it has become easier, especially for women. We don’t have to go to far-off places in search of water. At present, we have a sufficient amount of water for the toilet and to carry out our all domestic chores."- says Santabai Shendge, a beneficiary of the Rejuvenation of Waterbodies program.

So far, we have impacted 400+ villages in the Beed, Osmanabad, and Latur Districts of Maharashtra. More than 100+ programs have been implemented to support the underprivileged.

Yet, countless rural communities are still facing the harsh realities of poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education, water, healthcare, and basic amenities.

"We are trying our best but we need your support to maximise our efforts. Together, we can make a profound difference in the lives of people."- says Aniket Dwarkadas Lohiya.

Help MANAVLOK create more impact and touch more lives by contributing to this fundraiser so that together we can build a better India for all of us.

Pledge your support, and donate now!