The latest rural news, most touching stories and insights from villages – where nearly two-thirds of India lives. Find out about rural start-ups and livelihood trends, impact of rapid development on the environment, advances in health and nutrition, innovative approaches in learning and literacy, and much more.
Rural News
Livelihoods
How women are taking care of livestock health in UP
With veterinary clinics being miles away, livestock healthcare was difficult for villagers in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. Trained women pashu sakhis now treat goats locally, getting financially independent and empowered in the process.
Blacksmiths show an iron will in this MP village
Faced with dwindling sales, blacksmiths in Kala Dumar village of Jabalpur are looking at giving a contemporary touch to their products to get good prices and also engage their future generation in the skill-based ancestral practice.
From pond to Padma Shri, Odisha’s aquaculture icon charts new waters
Batakrushna Sahoo, the ‘Aquaman’ of Odisha, rose from humble beginnings to national recognition for revolutionising fish farming and empowering thousands through free training programmes and initiatives like Aqua Chaupal.
Environment
A journey of devotion and activism to revive Odisha’s Prachi river
As the once-glorious Prachi river languishes in neglect, a noble initiative known as Prachi Parikrama and led by spiritual guru Paramahamsa Prajnanananda seeks to breathe new life into its waters.
Sparrow Saviors of Jeypore: A Tale of Community Conservation
A contract worker pours in his savings, and efforts, for the cause of the sparrow in Odisha’s Jeypore city where urbanisation has taken its toll on the species.
Her rural oasis of green lends respite to Ludhiana
Agripreneur Ramandeep Kaur Sandhu’s dream project – a plant nursery in Birmi village near Ludhiana – offers over 1,000 varieties of plants and provides employment opportunities to villagers.
Health & Well Being
Curbing malnutrition, one poshan vatika at a time
In the malnutrition-prone Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, where children experience stunted growth and women are anaemic, growing organic vegetables in nutrition gardens is improving the health of villagers, while helping them save money.
Right to Health: A Holistic and Empathetic Approach
‘My health, my right’, is the theme for this year’s World Health Day, to ensure that everyone gets good health services, drinking water, air and nutrition, among other things. Here is how we can make it work.
Boat ambulance brings solace to isolated villagers in Odisha
No bridge, bring boat. This old saying encapsulates both the challenge and the solution for over 20,000 residents of 138 villages in Odisha's Koraput district, separated from the district headquarters town by the Kolab reservoir.
Education
Main Bhi Curie: Haryana schoolgirls learn secrets of science
A school in Jalmana village of Haryana’s Panipat district witnesses ‘Main Bhi Curie’, a transformative initiative that aims to foster STEM education and scientific temperament among girls.
‘More awareness is needed about safe internet use’
“We need to involve parents in conversations about internet safety,” Unmesh Joshi, co-founder and COO of Responsible Netism, tells Village Square.
Letters that sing and dance
Warnamala Pariwar, a Kalimpong-based organisation, uses local references to make education more fun for young children by integrating music, animation and games into alphabet lessons.
Gender
Three generations, one melody: Meet Saas Bahu Ki Jodi
Geeta Parag, who forms the ‘Saas Bahu ki Jodi’, a trio of bhakti (devotional) singers along with her mother-in-law and daughter in Madhya Pradesh, overcomes social dictates and inspires young women and girls to embrace their musical heritage.
From acid attacks to STEM, these NGOs are working on issues concerning women and girls across India
Health, education, livelihood, gender crime…. When it comes to the issues faced by women and girls, the list can be long. Here are some development organisations working towards making the country a better place for them.
How these rural women shatter stereotypes
Women, who once played traditional gender roles, are now working to uplift not just their own lives but also those of their communities. This International Women’s Day, we revisit inspiring rural women featured on Village Square.
Governance
‘We need to communicate what safe water means’
Several regions across India face acute shortage of safe drinking water. We speak to Amar Prakash, state programme director for WaterAid in Madhya Pradesh, about their interventions, challenges and success stories.
‘More awareness is needed about safe internet use’
“We need to involve parents in conversations about internet safety,” Unmesh Joshi, co-founder and COO of Responsible Netism, tells Village Square.
On Kolab reservoir’s perilous pathway, villagers await bridge
Despite being a 15-minute drive from Koraput town in Odisha, 138 villages remain isolated due to the absence of a road bridge over the Kolab reservoir. They currently use a two-foot-wide pathway attached to an old railway bridge.
COVID-19 Impact
Boom in Kashmir’s bloom business
Stuck at home in the pandemic, many Kashmiris became avid gardeners and are now turning their passion into a business by transforming their backyard patches into plant nurseries.
Uninhibited menstruation talk on “Hello Saathi” helpline
Want to have an uninhibited talk about menstruation? Try the “Hello Saathi” helpline, a game-changing scheme from the menstrual health group Uninhibited helping 150,000 people in less than two years, as two of its practitioners report.
Rural theatre acts out vaccine hesitancy
Setting the stage to bust myths around vaccine hesitancy, tribal dance and theatre productions manage to convert the unvaccinated in Rajasthan, proving the power of tailor-made messaging.