Rural Development

Holistic life through 5H Program (Homes, Healthcare, Hygiene, Human values and Harmony in diversity)

The 5H program aims at ensuring that every rural area/village has Homes for the homeless, Healthcare, Hygiene, Human Values and Harmony in diversity. Set up in 1997, 5H program acts as a catalyst for social transformation. The program aims to eradicate poverty, misery, disease and to ensure peace and harmony in rural and tribal areas worldwide.

Young people from the local community undergo the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). This gives them the skills, motivation and ability to initiate and lead service projects in their own villages based on local needs.

Only a strong spiritual foundation brings self-esteem and self-confidence that is unshakeable. It is this combination of spirituality, as well as skills and leadership training that ensures the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of this program.

The individuals and communities become self-reliant at the grassroots, both socially and economically, this ensures the effects of the program are long-term and sustainable.

5H Achievements

Reached 40,212 villages
Trained 110,000 rural youth in YLTP
Conducted 165,000 free stress-relief workshops benefiting more than 5,688,000 people
Conducted 49,500 hygiene camps and 25,950 medical camps benefitting 2,582,500 people
Planted more than 10 million trees
1895 homes, 5418 toilets, 1152 bore-wells and 904 bio-gas plants built
55 model villages developed benefiting 115,000 people
Trained over 6000 people in organic farming

Join the revolution for change

Are you inspired and ready to take on social responsibility?
Want to be focused and be the part of the change you want to see?
Are you ready to be committed and build a team of leaders?

Then join the Family - Contact a YLTP Coordinator

Videos

Testimonials

Devendra Borde
A farmer from Vidarbha
Before Art of Living, there was depression and debt everywhere. I'm confident that with the zero budget farming taught in the course, the produce will improve and debts will be cleared.

Pravin Thakre
Rural Development
I gave up alcohol and tobacco after the training workshop. It helped me to regain my confidence. There was a time when I used to lease my land to other farmers. The chemical-free farming skills I have learnt have given me the confidence to cultivate my own land.

Jayant Bhole
Coordinator, Project Vidharbha - Swavalamban Programme
There has not been a single instance of suicide in the 509 villages we have worked in so far. There are about 1, 000 villages in the Amravati region of Vidarbha. We are training more youth leaders to reach out to all the villages.

Vilasrao Deshmukh
Chief Minister, Maharashtra at a gathering of half a million people in Mumbai, Nov 2006
The Art of Living has given a new lease of life and stopped the suicides (in Vidarbha). This is what His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been able to do, for which the Government is very happy. I am happy that the organization has given farmers the strength to live.