Oholi, India:
Past District Governor Dr. Meena Patel has brought several requests to District 6650 from OHOLI in Taluka Wai, District Satara, Maharashtra state of India.
This small village is deprived of nearly-every natural resource required to meet and maintain basic standards of life. Every day, women spend half of their working hours collecting water over long distances and climbing lots of steps (more than 5 to 6 trips a day for their family).
After age 35, the women are exhausted and unable to continue this work. This has led to cases of socially unfavorable family polygamy with the sole objective for someone to gather water.
Providing a Water Well:
The first Rotary Foundation Global Grant in 2016-17 provided for digging a production water well, installation of pumping machinery, and laying a pipeline to transport water to a stand post.
Our District dedicated $10K toward the Global Grant (GG1642747) which along with $6K from District 3132 and $1K from the local Rotary clubs was matched by The Rotary Foundation providing $35K for the project.
This fundamentally changed the community. Women were freed from this time-consuming task.
Providing Agriculture Equipment:
The following year, we submitted a Rotary Foundation Global Grant (GG1865511) providing for an Agriculture Equipment Bank for the farmers in the village. Our $5K DDF was matched by D3132 and donations along with $17K from the world fund to provide $38.5K for this project.
A Goat Farm on the Mountain:
This past year, we once again partnered to assist the people of Oholi with a Rotary Foundation Global Grant which provided goats for each household (one female goat with few male goats) for reproduction and eventually to provide goat meat (mutton), goat milk, goat cheese, goat fertilizer, and potential goat sales to generate income for the community. With proper care, the goat herd can become self-sustaining.
This has proven very successful and has allowed the younger men of the village to remain somewhat isolated from the Coronavirus since they have a way to make income locally.
Our District dedicated $5K toward the Rotary Foundation Global Grant (G1865511) which along with $7K from District 3132 and $6K from club donors was matched by The Rotary Foundation providing $33K for the project.
To view a slide show of the Oholi Village, click HERE!
Thank you for your support.
Peter Apicella, M.D., DRFC 330-207-0500 Peter@salemrad.com
