Increasing Income for Landless Farmers in India

Summary

To improve the quality of life for 5,100 people in 40 rural villages in Bihar, India, through self-help groups to increase income, manage their savings, and improve their health and education.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

More than 70% of the 100 million people in Bihar live in poverty. Most belong to socially marginalized castes. Women are especially disadvantaged. Only 11% of women are literate. Many girls marry before they are 18. Women suffer from lack of maternal health care, unwanted pregnancies, and closely spaced births. They lack vital health knowledge and have a limited role in decision-making. More than half of the farmers are landless and work on other people's farms.

How will this project solve this problem?

Activities include providing high-quality community-based reproductive healthcare services, agricultural training and training in women's leadership and organization.

Potential Long Term Impact

The program strives to help people gain food security through technologies that rely less on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Also will improve the status of women, address sexually transmitted diseases and improve water and sanitation.

Project Message

We support GPSVS because of their philosophy [of] "Swarajya," self-reliant local governance based on justice and equity. GPSVS is a high performance, low profile agency in this marginalized area.
- Gopal K. Nakarmi, World Neighbors Program Coordinator

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources