Approach

• Holistic people-centered sustainable development.
• Inter-connected programs around the needs and resources of the people they serve.

Areas of Focus

• Health
• Education
• Livelihoods
• Community Building

All SMVS projects within these areas also address gender-related issues and environmental concerns.

Programs

• Education. One of the first SMVS projects was the establishment of a model village primary school, Bhaktivedanta Vidya Mandir, in nearby Ballaldighi village in 1995. In addition to the school, SMVS also operates a Women Literacy Centres Project (WLC). SMVS is implementing 6 Women Literacy Centres (WLC) in different villages of Sri Mayapur to provide basic and functional literacy, as well as health and social education, to 600 women micro-entrepreneurs.


• Micro-credit. SMVS has begun micro-credit activities with the introduction of Health Financing Model to save the poor from Poverty and Village Money Lenders. After a series of discussion with the Community, the women have arrived to a decision to form groups in which they will start their independent small-scale savings and eventually start credit. This will ultimately bring about the much-needed economic freedom for the impoverished and marginalized women of the targeted area.


• Health. The SMVS Village Health Program is designed to provide a comprehensive set of preventive, promotive and curative services for basic primary health, especially for women and children. Through supporting and enabling the residents of the region in addressing their own health needs SMVS aims to plant and nurture the ‘seeds’ of a health-full future for all.


• Water. SMVS has begun to implement a Community based arsenic remediation program in 22 villages of the Sri Mayapur Region. The ultimate goal of this project is to ensure safe, clean water for all the residents of the villages surrounding Sri Mayapur. This, of course, is a long-range goal which ultimately is the responsibility of the local government. Till now in the first phase total 8 villages have been covered under this programme where SMVS has installed Arsenic Remediation Plants in support of the community. In the second phase SMVS has introduced Arsenic free Home Filter for every household at 14 arsenic affected villages of Greater Mayapur Region. For preparing earthen & constructed Home Filter SMVS has established a Sanitary Mart.

You can learn more about SMVS' programs on their website at www.smvs-india.org.

Coverage Area

• 3 blocks
• 6 gram panchayats
• 35 villages
• Over 60 thousand population