Amar Ujala Foundation has adopted 8 villages in Baandal Valley, (situated near Dehradun, Uttarakhand) in collaboration with HESCO. The project has a mission approach for Holistic Development of Bandal Valley through science and technology. The focus areas were to build capacity of self-help groups (SHG) through knowledge on savings, loan facility and training on Dhoop-Augurbatti and Gulal making. Along with activities focusing on provision of bio-geysers to support alternative energy, protective cultivation to enhance the production quality and escalate profit margin to meet the demands of vegetables.
Seetapur, Sharkhet, Ghantusera, Tachila, Sillasera, Fuleth, Kumalda and Bharwakatal villages of Baandal Valley have been connected in this project. In eight villages of Baandal Valley, meetings are held every month with women SHGs run by HESCO and Amar Ujala Foundation. In the meetings, the savings of women self-help groups are deposited every month and along with-it loans are given to the needy members. Formation of women self-help groups, while on one hand women have developed the spirit of working together, on the other hand, awareness of their rights and sense of empowerment has developed among women. At present, women self-help groups in each village have their own bank savings account.
