The need

Seva Mandir works with more than 500,000 people in 1,300 rural villages in southern Rajasthan. The region is hilly and semi-arid, with poor infrastructure. 84% of the population are subsistence farmers who struggle to make a living from their small landholdings. The average income of a rural farmer is £140. Increasing numbers of men migrate to distant towns to work as labourers in mining, construction or agriculture, leaving women to run the smallholdings, look after the animals, labour in the villages and look after children, many of whom have to work in the home or the fields.

The area suffers from a lack of clean drinking water and toilets (open defecation is still commonly practised) and poorly functioning health and education facilities. Malnutrition is rife, particularly among young children. In this patriarchal society, women continue to face domestic violence and illiteracy and they lack socio-political and financial independence.

Around 70% of the population is tribal. Tribal people, who traditionally inhabited the forest areas of India, have their own social and governance customs. They score lowest on all measures of development, lack opportunities to improve their development and frequently face discrimination.

Women

44% of women are married before the legal age of 18
37% of married women face domestic violence
76% of married women have never attended school
74% of women are anaemic

Education

In Seva Mandir’s area, over half of rural children do not attend school
Over a third have never been to school
Rural government schools are often far from needy communities, under-resourced, under-funded or closed
When children do get there, classes are large, teacher absenteeism very high, pedagogic methods poor and very little learning takes place

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is the leading cause of child mortality in India
Between 40 and 50% of deaths under 5 are due to malnourishment
60% of children in Seva Mandir’s work area are suffering from some form of malnutrition, with many cases being life-threatening

WASH

There is drought every 3-5 years
50% of villages have contaminated water
Knowledge of safe water-handling practices is poor
Only about 50-60% of villages have access to clean drinking water
Water-borne disease is rife
20-60% of families still do not have access to a toilet

Natural Resources

95% of rural people depend on land and water for their livelihood, but this livelihood is threatened
67% of the area’s land is undergoing rapid degradation and desertification
84% of farmers have 2 hectares of land or less, only about half of it fit for cultivation
Most families cannot produce enough food grains to last them for the whole year

Citizenship and Empowerment

Many of the tribal communities Seva Mandir works with are among the most deprived and backward in the country
Government provision of basic services is limited and inefficient, and [local government] often fails to build community solidarity
Illiterate and poorly educated people are often unaware of or unable to claim their rights
Women have traditionally had no voice and received little sympathy in community institutions