Recycling Proposal Follow-up

The past few weeks have been quite busy since submitting our proposal to the District Development Commissioner. This is what has happened since then.
Pardisan was initially invited to give a presentation to select few to see what we had to suggest and what we could do. Amongst those people was IAS probationer Ravinder Kumar. He has been assigned to manage the solid waste management project. Ravinder who is not a local to the state, is very passionate about looking after environment and has ensured that he will do everything he can to get this project up and running and be a success.

From that meeting several things were discussed and decided upon. The main thing is education. Unless people are educated to look after outside and not just the inside of their home, this project isn't really going to work. Children are the future. We intend to contact all the local colleges, environmental clubs and other NGO's to help with the education of everyone and especially children. They will be included in meetings.
A media campaign will be there. Radio, TV and newspaper. No flyers, as this will just add to the already growing litter problem.

The problem that we will be facing initially is that although a solid waste management plant is in the planning this won't unfortunately be operational for 2 years. So as a community we have to learn to reduce our rubbish and recycle what we can at home or as a smaller group. There are 22 wards in Udhampur, the head of these wards will also be asked for their contribution and to to encourage them to get their residents composting at least.

the Saturday 13th November Pardisan was invited to give a small lecture on recycling at the Govt Women's College in Udhampur. This was part of their NCC Recycling week. Ann gave a half hour presentation which was very well received.

This week on Monday Ann was invited again to the DDC office for another recycling meeting. This time the managers of the relevant departments were in attendance. It was a good meeting. Lots of good discussions and a few things decided with what to start with. Infomercials, Newspaper adverts and competitions to get the community interested. Vermi-culture seems to be already being used, but only by the farmers in the District. This needs to come to town level.

The search for volunteers is on. We can't do this on our own. A volunteer recruitment drive will be taking place over the next few weeks in colleges initially and then to everyone. Volunteers will be required so that we can do an awareness camp in the town.

Pardisan will be given a list of all the Panchyarts (villages) in the district and introduced to the manager in charge so that we can meet everyone and get the word out there that Pardisan is here and here to help people through social enterprise. Newspaper bags will be needed desperately very soon.

It's all exciting stuff.  

Recycling Project Proposal

India is a rapidly changing country. Although the majority of the changes that are taking place are good and only beneficial to the population at large, with some of these changes, extra problems occur. And one of these problems is what to do with the excess rubbish that we are creating, especially the non-biodegradable rubbish. As there is no proper refuse collection in the majority of the country, the rubbish gets dumped in the street.
The District of Udhampur like the whole of country is a beautiful place. Surrounded by some spectacular countryside. But what spoils it, is the rubbish that is dumped everywhere. If this rubbish was disposed of correctly it would make the country amazingly spectacular. Which in turn would increase the number of visitors in the area, which in turn would generate more income. Creating more jobs. Cleaning the rubbish would also create more jobs, giving people more money to spend, and once again make the are prosper.
The majority of waste we create is biodegradable, so composting is the key for that. For the non-biodegradable, this needs to be sorted and either given to NGO's, social enterprises to make other things out of them. Once again creating jobs, generating income. What no one wants can be sold onto specialist recycling companies, to recycle and re-use.
Pardisan has created a proposal, which has been submitted to the District Development Commissioner to suggest this as a way of solving the refuse problem, which is everywhere. You drive around and you see refuse which has been dumped by the highway, down gorges, into the river. Not very nice to look at, even more so to smell. Just not attractive to the area at all.

 The purpose of the proposal is to suggest ways that the town / District can be cleaned up and the benefits, of which there are many. Employment, financial, health, empowerment.
Everyone seems to be in agreement that something needs to be done. Just that no one seems to be the one to do something about it. In steps Pardisan. As a group of trustee's we have travelled around India and other parts of the world and can see how others

 are solving the refuse problem. We have seen the benefits to a cleaner town, village, city, country. Pardisan aim to act as an advisory panel how to get things done. We will do the research. In turn we will get some of the materials that can be then made by our ladies into other things. Giving them not only empowerment, but a cleaner and healthier place to bring up their children and families. They will be part of the clean up and maintenance process.
We can create new groups and maybe some other small social enterprises to do with recycling. We will get them involved in the education of recycle, re-use and reduce.
This needs to be a community project. So the plan is to involves local colleges, the possible leaders and business people of the future to help with the education of the harm we are doing to our area. What we should be doing? And what the benefits will be.
Together we can achieve so much. Recycle, re-use, reduce.

Update

We have been busy the past few months. Several projects are in the pipeline to help empower women and the local people. To also improve the local community and eventually the District as a whole. 

Some of the projects we are planning to implement in the very near future, are cross stitch book marks and cards, composting, school gardens. We are just waiting on funding and the green light to go ahead with some of these. 

Now that the monsoon is ending we will also be able to venture out into the surrounding area and visit villages and the local people there which is where our help is really needed. 

We are also introducing English classes from our office in Gole Mela. This is to ensure we are able to reach out to a larger group of people. To help improve the lives of many more. Who in turn will hopefully help others. 

Well, things seem to be happening, slowly but surely. We are beginning to raise funds through donations and with Ann holding spoken English Classes at Little Angels High School in Udhampur. Through school we are also spreading the message about why Pardisan has been created and what we are doing and hoping to do.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world - Nelson Mandella

We are beginning to form relationships with other school's. Education is the key to all the things we are wanting to achieve. Education and awareness.

Ladies have been knitting hats to sell. This is part of our social enterprise and women's empowerment. Ann is busy searching new idea's and busy teaching herself new crafts so that she in turn can teach others these crafts. So that women in need to earn a bit of money can make items at home for Pardisan to then go ahead and sell. One things Ann has discovered recently is finger knitting and through this has remembered her mum teaching her to french knit. There are many things that can be made from doing these 2 crafts, and they are so simple to master.

Local lady receiving payment for knitting woolen hats

An Introduction to Pardisan

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Pardisan and the people involved to you.

Pardisan was created in 2012 by Dushyant Bhat, with the aim of primarily empowering the local women in need through social enterprise, via arts and crafts using recycled and natural materials sourced from the local area, as much as possible. Through sourcing from the local area, we will be helping the local economy too.

Other activities that Pardisan will be involved in are the environment, conservation, recycling, rehabilitation of destitute and abused victims, education, training, helping the needy. Although our work will be mainly in the District of Udhampur, anyone in need regardless of where they are will not be ignored.

Pardisan has five Trustees, Dushyant Bhat, Roxy Sharma, Tarun Khajuri and Vishant Baru all local to Udhampur and Ann Hawkins from the UK.  Between us we have various degrees of experience covering a wide area. But the main thing we have is the passion and drive to go out there and help as many people as possible, so that they can help themselves and others around them in return.

Our upcoming plans for the immediate future as follows:

1.                              a.       Spoken English Classes will commence at Little Angels High School, Monday 4^th March. Each                               course will be for 8 weeks at a time at a charge of Rs.2000/- per student.

b.      Corporate training courses available for Spoken English, Communication Skills and Cross-culture. Please contact us for more details.

All fees collected from these activities will be paid directly into Pardisan, so that we can help others who are less fortunate and who need our help.

c.       Recycle drives. Requesting our supports to donate old clothes, fabrics, newspapers, magazines, materials of any kind, so that we can train people to make items that can then be sold to raise funds and for the people making these items can earn a living.

3.       Marketing of Pardisan – We will be issuing a press release very soon to the local media in the area. To inform the local population that we are here, that we require donations, financial and in kind, and to create awareness to people who may need our help, that they have someone here who will help them in whatever way we can.

We are making sure that we, the trustee’s, are being seen, meeting as many people as possible. Including business heads, business owners, government departments, the legal profession, village elders and villagers and towns’ people.

Please let all your family and friends know about us, and forward this newsletter to as many people as possible. If you are not already doing so, then please follow us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/pardisan and on twitter, www.twitter.com/pardisanngo. For further details we can be contacted via email pardisanngo@gmail.com and by phone. Dushyant – 0091 94169 15938, Ann – 0091 96223 24177

Our bank details for any donations are J & K Bank, Main Branch, Udhampur, J & K 182101. Account no: 0028010100003182, IFSC: JAKA0UDMPUR

Thank you for your kind words, support and prayers.

Kind Regards     

                                                                                                      

Dushyant, Ann, Vishant, Roxy and Tarun