Namaste

When I was India in 1999 I met a young boy-man who was deeply inspired to give service to his community. Although he was only 14 years of age, Sandeep displayed a comprehensively mature understanding of the social needs of the people from the surrounding villages and was determined to devote his life energy to improving their circumstances. His main wish was to bring a Health Centre to his family village of Mahuain, situated some 30km out of Gaya in the state of Bihar.

In my naivety, I suggested that I would search for funding for his project when I returned to Australia. I was, however, unable to secure any funding from a broad range of funding bodies and welfare agencies.

The one positive response I received was from Rajeev Khedkar of the Academy of Development Science (ADS) near Kashelle, Karjat in Maharashtra state, on the opposite side of India. Rajeev offered to train six people free of charge in basic social welfare skills if I could pay for their expenses in getting there and back, and so it was that Sandeep, his father Jitendra and four other villagers travelled to Karjat and underwent a basic training course.

Upon returning home the group realised that the cost of establishing a Health Centre was greater than the resources that were available to them. They set about opening a school at nearby Berma to replace the village school that had in the meantime closed when the teacher departed the village. They also started a Charitable Trust under the name of Academy of Root Development (ARD) to administer the school and seek funding for the Health Centre. This was in 2001/2002.

When I returned to India in November 2004, the Trust was actively working to establish a social programme that would provide the people of their village district with education and employment opportunities that would assist them to remain in their villages and not have to migrate to the metro-cities.

I found a dedicated group of around twelve people who were maintaining the organisation through an administrative office in Bodhgaya. The members include doctors and social workers, as well as others whose skills and qualities give the group a diverse and cohesive base.

Together we drew up a comprehensive programme to tackle poverty and child labour at it's root causes. The project utilised the concept of Women’s Self Help Groups in conjunction with micro-credit initiatives to develop the will and abilities to operate village-level businesses to supplement their basic income derived from agriculture.

For a detailed description of the workings of these Self Help Groups and their implementation, please see our website and the accompanying literature.

The Trust is eligible for support through 'Government of India' programmes as well as allowing the acceptance of funds from individuals and agencies from overseas.

To date ARD has survived by the generosity of all those directly involved, both physically and financially. The work that is being done at this grassroots level is empowering for the ARD team as well as for the people of the villages, who are availed of an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and disempowerment.


If you would like to contribute to the work being done by Academy of Root Development, there are many ways in which you can help:

·  Make a financial donation to ARD today.

·  Direct Deposit or occasional donations are gratefully accepted and can be made to:

Account Name: Academy of Root Development,

Bank: Summerland Credit Union,

BSB: 728-728 Account Number: 22256190

Swift Code: cuscau2sxxx//au728728

·  Volunteer your time and energy for one of our social welfare projects.

·  Set up a 'Friends of ARD' group in your area.

·  Consider bequeathing a donation to ARD in your will or Legacy.

·  Pay a visit to our organisation office in Bodhgaya, India.

·  Please visit our website at www.ard-india.org

Yours sincerely,

Graeme Batterbury

Director, Academy of Root Development

Registered Charitable Trust No: 141/2002

PO Box 3040, Lismore NSW 2480

Phone: +61 2 6689 7098

e-mail: