Only after the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then you will find out that money cannot be eaten

(Cree Indian Prophecy)

Sharing in the Treasures of Betterment

The initial programs of the Nagwa Social Centre were started in ‘The Cooperative Garden’. Families gather to till the soil, and grow vegetables. The pump room of the garden, housed a number of activities such as: sewing classes for girls, typing classes, and quilt making. The social importance of these activities is that they give women a chance to come together without their husbands, to freely share their lives and their secrets. The garden has run successfully for twenty years. It creates an abundance of food, bringing the community together, creating awareness of the freedom from the shackles of caste and class!

Cooperative Harvest

The cooperative garden creates employment.  The people of Nagwa pay a one time fee of two hundred Rupees (five dollars) to rent a small plot of land on which they grow the vegetables and herbs of their choice. They are also required to contribute free labour for certain garden projects when required. From the harvest, they take what they need to feed their family.  The rest they sell to Ashray.  This provides them with a sense of self esteem, earning a living with pride.

Synchronizing the Garden with Ashray

Our primary objective at the clinic is to increase the immunity of the people of Nagwa.  The consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit nourish with essential vitamins and minerals. At Ashray clinic we have a vegetable cart outside our door that exchanges coupons issued by the clinic for fresh produce some of which is grown in the garden. We issue these coupons like a prescription for ailments, as part of our ‘veg as meds’ program.  The clinic also uses herbs from the garden that are ground and made into poultices.

We believe in educating people about the nutritional importance of consuming a variety of vegetables.   Recognizing this we start early with the school children of Ashray.  Once a month the children venture out to the cooperative garden for educational fun.   The children participate in the various stages of cultivating and harvesting the crops. We emphasize the necessity of farming.  This exciting school trip familiarizes them with the earth and the beauty of nature, giving them a sense of reverence for our planet!

The Miracle of Light

In Varanasi electricity is seen as a miracle appearing multiple times a day. People shout out in the streets, cheering when the electricity has come, as we suffer more than half the day without power and you never know when it’s going to go. Irrigation of the land requires electricity for the pump to fill our large tank. Becoming independent with the use of solar power is the next project for the cooperative garden.

Updates and Upgrades

With the implementation of solar powered energy the garden can be run more effectively. This combined with a new sprinkler system, replaces the old flood method of irrigation with a more efficient sprinkler method.  In order to advance with this project we need direct funding.

Another project we need assistance with is the building of a children’s sports field and playground. Since houses have gone up all around the garden, there is a large plot that gets no sun and would be ideally converted into a playground for the children of Ashray.  Food is not the only thing needed for health but physical activity is of great importance also. Team sports are essential for the people of our area to reduce class boundaries, creating friendships and increasing comradery. The sports field would also be income generating, being rented out to local sports teams for an hourly rate. We anticipate its great success as presently there aren’t any sports facilities in the area.