As we celebrate 150 years of Gandhi, in this newsletter, we reflect upon some of his core philosophies and Ambuja Foundation's work to advance these philosophies for the betterment of rural India.

For the women of Farrakka, chickens were bad news. Many of them had lost large sums of money investing in poultry farming with encouragement of the Government - but with limited support, training or veterinary services, the efforts were disastrous.

Sukhdeb discussing issues with the women group

Knowing what to do in Community mobilization is important, but it is equally important to know what NOT to do.

When you visit a village in Rajasthan, you are bound to find a 'talab' close by - a village water pond that supplies water for drinking, domestic and livestock purposes.

Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL) is a diversified, research and development focused agri-business company, dedicated to improving the productivity of Indian farmers through innovative products and services.

When it comes to developing a rural community, unfortunately many interventions are undertaken by an external party and participation of the community in their own development is not always considered. At best, a general assessment of the needs of a community is undertaken and the willingness of the community to undertake certain activities is assessed during project formulation.

Developing institutions which are managed by their own members, is accepted as an important function for those committed to making development people-centric and sustainable. Ambuja Foundation has, from the very beginning, involved the community in charting their own future and whilst the process may look difficult in the beginning, has found that it actually pays in the long run.

Anagha Mahajani, Ambuja Foundations General Manager (Research & Monitoring) shares key insights into how they achieved local involvement and ownership of 26 PIMs (Participatory Irrigation Management) in a 2 year period in Gujarat. Covering 30 villages and 12443 farmers across 13326 hectares of land, Ambuja Foundation had the role of facilitating and strengthening groups.

Working with Farmer Producer Companies across locations, Ambuja Foundation has placed a heavy focus on helping build the capacity of Farmers to generate thriving business models which deliver returns to the people's institutions and its members. Here are 3 FPOs, supported by Ambuja Foundation, that are making waves in business.

Chandrakala Uttamroa Ramgirwar, better known as 'Chanda Didi,' is the Secretary of the Ekta Women's Federation in Chandrapur Maharashtra, and a mother of two. In a conversation with Thrive, she talks about her experience and journey after becoming an SHG member and the transformation that this people's institution has brought to women and communities in the district.

As part of its placement model, SEDI organizes exposure visits for students, to help them gain first-hand knowledge about their respective fields and experience the work culture.