MANUVIKASA

Manuvikasa' activities:

• Building small tanks/springs: MANUVIKASA is helping build small tanks and springs in the Sirsi, Siddapur, Mundgod and Yallapur areas of North Kannada district, Karnataka, in association with the Deshpande Foundation, Hubli. Till date, they have helped develop around 2235 water bodies. This has enabled the NGO to provide irrigation to over 2,000 farmers covering 2,500 acres of land.
• Implementing System of Rice Intensification (SRI): SRI is a paddy cultivation system which requires 10x less water than by using traditional methods. Training and field development were conducted in 13 villages of the working area and covered 419 farmers. An estimated 35% yield increased after adoption of SRI method.
• Women Empowerment: MANUVIKASA has helped form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in rural areas and small cities to help empower women. So far they have helped 1,000 SHGs which in turn have saved funds in monthly installments and then used this capital for lending. MANUVIKASA has also helped 340 SHGs raise bank loans. It has collaborated with MicroGraam Social Development Foundation (a peer-to-peer lending platform) to support income generation activities of poor women through micro loans.
• Educational Support: The organization provides vital necessities like medicines, clothes and stationery to children. 1500 school children were sponsored and were awarded scholarships for higher education.
• Conservation of environment: MANUVIKASA is implementing a project in collaboration with UNDP and CEE to improve the economic conditions of Betta land in north Kanara district. Betta lands are minor forest areas with rare endangered species of plant life and animals. The organization has developed over 10,000 nursery saplings of globally threatened and endangered species.