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Through grassroots initiatives, the Art of Living has empowered rural
communities to become partners in the process of sustainable development.
Sri Sri started the 5H Programme ((Homes, Hygiene, Health, Harmony in
Diversity and Human Values) in 1997 to engineer a socio-economic
transformation that will eradicate poverty, misery and disease and ensure
peace and harmony among communities. The 5H programme is implemented by
rural youth trained under the Art of Living's Youth Leadership Training
Programme In India, 56,146 trained youth leaders are working in 32,000
villages The 5H projects are operating in villages and slums across Africa,
Asia and South America.
86 schools have been set up providing free education to 7,500 children every
year in the tribal, rural and semi-urban belts of India, where child-labour
and poverty are widespread.
The Art of Living is pursuing a comprehensive programme in the Vidarbha
region of Maharashtra, where farmers have become suicidal due to successive
crop failures and mounting debts. Earlier statistics suggested that one
farmer was committing suicide every eight hours. In the 308 villages where
the Art of Living volunteers have worked so far, there has not been a single
reported instance of suicide. Encouraged by the results, the Government of
Maharashtra has requested Sri Sri to take up the work in all affected
districts. The Vidarbha programme focuses on:
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Building community support systems;
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Instilling confidence and enthusiasm in farmers;
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Promoting alternative farming techniques such as organic farming and
zero-budget farming, to improve the yield of crops in the long run;
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Rainwater harvesting; and
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Implementing the 5H programme for overall self-sufficiency in villages.
Sri Sri has inspired numerous initiatives to uplift and create opportunities
for women, especially in rural areas. He has initiated mass campaigns
against female foeticide. With female literacy rates abysmally low in some
parts of the world, the Art of Living rural schools encourage parents to
send girl children to school. At one such school on the outskirts of
Bangalore city, 46% of the children are girls, with the numbers rising every
year.
Women are given vocational training to reduce economic dependencies, and are
given free homes registered in their names. Health education for women
covers nutrition, hygiene and disease prevention, while self-development
courses help to instil inner confidence. |
Ariamma, from Udipalya village in Karnataka, stands in front of her new
toilet. Through the 5H Program, free toilets have been built for poor
families to improve health and hygiene. This initiative has especially
brought great relief to the womenfolk. |