Testimonials

Community Development

Mahan Seva Sansthan frequently encounters the truism that even the best intentions can fail to help change society. To try and prevent good intentions from floundering, MSS works to connect rural Indians in need of help with established channels of assistance. The Indian government has created dozens of projects aimed at helping develop rural communities. However, the targeted communities are frequently unaware of the government scheme and, consequently, do not take advantage of them. Having identified this problem, MSS has established a Village Development Committee (VDC) Initiative. The VDCs are made up of and run by villagers who receive training from MSS team members about all of the government schemes in existence to assist them. Thus, MSS empowers the VDCs to use their knowledge to help their communities. (click to expand and read the rest of the story)
An example of the types of communities targeted by the Indian government is the Jhanjhar Ki Pal, a revenue village (an administrative region which includes many small hamlets) of the Thobawada Panchayat, with a population of three hundred and fifty families, the majority of which belong to tribal communities. The villagers depend upon agriculture and manual labor for their livelihood. However, these activities frequently do not provide a sufficient amount of income; consequently, many villagers migrate to Udaipur city or the state of Gujarat for employment.
Mr. Manglaram (55) and his wife, Mrs. Rajki Bai (52), live in the village. They have three sons whom live separately from them and no regular source of income other than their small field.
On the night of Deepawali (a light festival), Mr. Manglaram’s corn silo caught fire. The neighbors tried to help extinguish the fire, but tragically, all of the corn, which is the family’s primary food source and cattle feed, burned to ashes. It ruined the family, leaving them with no foreseeable way to survive.
Thanks to the local VDC, Mr. Manglaram and his wife received the help they desperately needed. In Mr. Manglaram’s moment of need, the VDC, using the knowledge they learned from MSS, interceded on his behalf and lodged a First Information Report (FIR) with the local police and obtained a Panchnama (police report of a crime or accident). The VDC also registered Mr. Manglaram’s plight with the Patwari (the village accountant who tracks crop productivity for the Indian government). Finally, the VDC wrote a letter to the Government Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) on behalf of Mr. Manglaram. Typically, the GERF allocates only 10 kilograms of wheat to a needy family, but thanks to the tireless work of Sri Bhawarlal, Sri Ramlal, Sri Phulchand, and Sri Amritlal, the local VDC members, Mr. Manglaram and his wife received 50 kilograms.
By working in tandem, MSS and the Jhanjhar Ki Pal VDC were able to prevent a terrible accident from devastating them.

Children’s Rights

Southern Rajasthan’s most vulnerable population is its children. Since its inception, Mahan Seva Sansthan (MSS) has recognized the threats unique to children and worked to educate the children in the area about what they can do to protect themselves and how to speak up for themselves. To achieve this goal, MSS created the Bal Panchayat (child council) program. During Bal Panchayat meetings MSS team members educate children about their rights and how to fight for them, while the children vote for leaders and upon what pressing issues affecting them they want to tackle. (click to expand and read the rest of the story)
One area where MSS has implemented its Bal Panchayat program is the Jhadol block of Udaipur. The Ashram Hostel for Tribal Girls of Panarwa Gram Panchayat is located in Jhadol block and has a student population of 50. The students of this hostel are also members of the Bal Panchayat Newaj, Panarwa, and Anjroli. Thanks to MSS’s Bal Panchayat program, all of the girls are aware of their rights and are capable of speaking up for them.
The hostel warden, Poonam Doda, consistently failed to properly execute her duties. She did not provide the proper meals nor did she serve them on time. She withheld items like oil, soap, shoes, slippers, sweaters, towels, etc. and prevented them from enrolling in classes they wanted to take. The boarders, thanks to the help of MSS, recognized that the warden’s actions were a violation of their rights and decided to file a complaint against her. They brought their problem to the Adyaksha of the student committee. With her help, they went to the Sports and Youth minister of the state, Mr. Mangilal Garasia, and informed him of the warden’s misconduct.

On 22 December, 2009, the warden read in the newspaper that the girls had filed a complaint against her and immediately rushed to the hostel. Upon arriving, without asking anything of the girls or fellow staff members, the warden proceeded to beat the two students she assumed were responsible, Kali Kumari ( Adhyaksha ) and Nitya Kharadi. The other students were so perturbed by the warden’s actions that they told their parents what had happened. The parents, upon finding out, immediately went to the Panarwa police station and filed a First Information Report (FIR). The police collected the two injured girls from the hostel and took them to the Panwara Primary Health Center to receive treatment and record the evidence of abuse.
Having collected the necessary evidence, the Police Superintendent submitted his report, recommending that the warden be suspended, to the proper government agencies. After the facts of the case were verified, Warden Poonam Dooda was relieved of her position.
While MSS would prefer the children’s rights violations did not occur, the organization is incredibly proud of its Bal Panchayat program and the young boys and girls who have been courageous enough to stand up for their rights when adults fail to do so.

Women’s Empowerment

India is a traditionally male dominated society. Consequently, women in India continue to work to find their voice and place in the world’s largest democracy. MSS believes that gender equality is a critical part of sustainable development, since total community buy in from both genders is necessary for a village to grow. In order to help advance women, MSS works to educate women about their political rights. (click to expand and read the rest of the story)
The tribal village of Jhanjhar Ki Pal, in the Jhodal block, is one such community where MSS has implemented programs aimed at increasing female participation in local self governance. Mrs. Manki Bai is one of the literate women in the village who has benefited from attending MSS training sessions about women’s rights and proper election procedures in the Panchayati Raj system.
In 2005, Mrs. Manki Bai, an agricultural worker who is also responsible for all her family’s household upkeep, submitted her name as a candidate to represent her fellow citizens as a member of the Panchayati Raj. She lost the election by one vote, but she did not allow her loss to dissuade her from continuing her efforts to help continue development and education initiatives in her village.
In 2010 she submitted her name again as a candidate. Unfortunately, during the time leading up to the election, Mrs. Manki Bai discovered that her opponent, Mr. Keshulal, had committed fraud. Mrs. Manki Bai was able to identify that Mr. Keshulal was not following electoral rules thanks to her participation in MSS’s Voter Awareness Campaign, which educates citizens about proper election procedures, and its rules and regulations. She submitted proof of Mr. Keshulal’s deception to the proper authorities and he was dismissed from the ballot. Mrs. Manki Bai won the election and now represents her community as an elected official.
Thanks to the help of MSS, Mrs. Manki Bai was able to use her new found knowledge of the electoral process to draw attention to wrong doing. Mrs. Manki Bai stated that MSS’s work has been very fruitful for her community and herself.