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Continuing Projects
Kalakaar:
Vocational training in carpentry promoting employment skills development. Graduates go on to employment or
start their own businesses.
PustaKar:
A library- on- wheels, which delivers books to 4000 school children.
ChitraCar:
Video-on-wheels program delivering education and entertainment to villagers and schools.
Schools' Initiative:
VHF provides facilities and ideas. Computers, music programs, libraries, environmental beauitification
are some of the initiatives. Schools are encouraged to write proposals for these facilities.
Akola Teachers' Center:
A resource center for teachers in which they can continue to learn, exchange ideas and improve and advance their teaching
methods.
Project Grow:
Enviromental projects are a key component VHF programs. This initiative is to create a nursery for tall trees.
The tall trees are naturally being protected from cattle, and have higher survival with scant watering.
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New Projects
Check Dams:
A series of dams is under construction in the villages surrounding Akola. The region suffers from chronic water shortage,
forcing some of the poorest to mine for sweet water in dry channel beds. This project is a Rotary-to-Rotary Matching Grant,
funded by Rotary Club of Mercer Island, Washington and Rotary International. Click here for a video.
Clean Drinking Water:
In a second Rotary-to-Rotary Matching Grant, VHF is providing on the ground management of a project
to build clean drinking water facilities. In some cases, simple disinfection is called for. In others, desalination is also
necessary. This project is integrated with the next one below.
Sanitation:
This follows on a Mercer Island Rotary Club grant of 2009, when 42 family toilets were built in the village of
Goregaon (now site of a large triple arch dam, see video on Water page). Funding for approximately 500 toilets is in
place. Novel designs for sustainability are in progress.
VEEP (VHF Educator Exchange Program):
In July 2009, five Seattle and Mercer Island teachers led by Dr. Sandy
Hunt, conducted a series of workshops on how to teach math, science and language arts in a more interactive
and child-centered manner.
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| VEEP exchange teachers |
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| Constructing an arch dam |
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| Village childern happily add finishing touch to their check dam |
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