So little from us makes so much for them !

Bodhyanga's Mission is to contribute to :

IN INDIA:

1/ SHARE (Solidarity for Harmony, Awareness, Responsibility and Empowerment) Bangalore, Southern India:

Project Name: HIV AIDS Intervention in 5 Panchayats of Peri- urban Bangalore South
Country : India
Duration of the project: 1 year
Main activities : HIV AIDS intervention and awareness programmes, to develop information centres on HIV, advocate gender and sexual health issues, to promote counselling, care.
Budget request : Rupees 1'136'000 Indian roupees or 21'846 euros (Rs.52 = 1 Euro)
Organization: SHARE (Solidarity for Harmony, Awareness, Responsibility and Empowerment)

Area of Action: 50 villages in 5 panchayats (local communities) of south Bangalore located on and around National Highway 209 (Kanakapura Road). Also, SMEs (construction industry, brick kilns, garment factories, pickle factories, etc.), which fall within the Raja Rajeshwari Nagara City Municipal Corporation, where migrants commonly seek casual employment.

Project Objectives: The major objective of the present project is to enhance knowledge, skills, and motivation of people in these 50 villages and in their workplaces for their continued participation to address the critical area of HIV / AIDS and STI on a self-sustaining and replicable basis.

SHARE's experience in Responding to HIV-AIDS Issues:
Ullalu Upanagara is a peri-urban settlement 25 km southwest of Bangalore, with a population of 17,235, consisting of mainly victims of urbanisation from Bangalore slums (minorities and dalits),people at SHARE have worked in Ullalu since 2000 on a project to create awareness on HIV-AIDS and motivate people towards safe sexual behaviour. SHARE believes that an integrated, community-based approach towards HIV-AIDS issues offers the best possibilities for effective action. Its work has included Behaviour Change Communication , through Outreach Educators from the community, STO Care and Counselling , Condom Promotion , and by creating an Enabling Environment (panchayat, hotels, shops, barbers, SHGs, anganwadis, religious leaders, arrack shops, teachers and so on).

Implementation strategy : People at SHARE have already promoted community based organizational (CBO) methods involving self-help groups (SHGs) and building micro-finance institutions. Working partnership with panchayat members has been established. 5 panchayats (local communities) have been identified which have seen majar migration from other districts of Karnataka and elsewhere, involved in brick-making, construction, garment factories, driving and other unskilled or semi-skilled labour. We will work together with C80s and SHGs to undertake capacity building and leadership development for women, youth and PRI representatives. Intensive trainings for awareness and correct perspectives will be enhanced through effective behaviour change communication (BCC) by utilizing audio-visuals, cultural activities and other simple, cost effective, methods.

A baseline survey and annual re-survey will be undertaken to measure the efficiency f effectiveness and capacity building initiatives through the field communicators.

Outcomes :
The community as a whole becomes aware of HIV-AIDS through provision of accurate and comprehensive information about the issues related.
2. Sensitised key members become resource persons within their communities (outreach educators).
3. Reduced stigma and discrimination against PLWHAs.
4. Reduced prevalence rate of HIV-AIDS among high risk groups and in general.
5. Reduce risk of HIV transmission through behaviour change and safer sex practices, including condom use.
6. Easy access to knowledge of HIV and how to reduce risk of infection through information centres in all 5 panchayats (local communities).

The total Budget for the 1st year is 1'136'000 Indian roupees or 21'450 euros

In addition we need to build one community centre for a total cost of 70'000 rs or 1'500 € The are grateful for your help!

2/A response to malnutrition : local production of Spirulina
What is called "spirulina" actually bears the scientific name of " Arthrospira platensis ", a cyanobacteria. But the common name "spirulina" is universally used. Spirulina is nutritional complement of high value .   This edible aquatic micro-organism can be produced locally in warm regions.
Dried Spirulina ready for conservation or consommation. Spirulina is extraordinarily rich in micro-nutrients, and since it does not have cellulose walls the are easily abssimilated by the human organism.  Spirulina is rich in beta-carotene (on the basis of which Vitamin A is formed), in iron, in vitamin B12,  in gamma-linolenic acid and other indispensible micro-nutrients.
Clinical tests undertaken by Antenna Technologies and the Medical College of Maduraï in South India, which were presented to the World Conference on Nutrition in 1999, have established that between one and three grams of spirulina per day, taken during 4 to 6 weeks, are enough to efficiently complement the meals of children between 0 and 5 years of age, in order to cure them from malnutrition.
Spirulina is easy to cultivate:
A system has been developed for producing spirulina in basins sized between 4 and 20 square metres.  These basins, about 20 cm deep, are built with simple materials available in developing countries.  A selected strain of spirulina is provided, as well as appropriate methods for cultivating, harvesting, and consuming spirulina. A basin of 20 square metres produces up to 200 grams of dried spirulina per day which permits to re-equilibrate the nutritional status of over 150 children on a daily basis. 

An example of village production of spirulina

Average cost for a basin of 20m2
Construcción con techo y tela mosquito 1957€
Productos para un año 1004€
Cosecha (bomba, tamiz, tela) 934€
Secado solar 157€
Pequeño lab de control 700€
Pequeño material (palas, cubos, barreños, escobas, jarras… ) 350€
TOTAL 5'102€

3/ Zongkar Choede Monastery, near Hunsur, needs urgently a modest Solar System to heat water for domestic use (mainly hot shower) for its 250 monks and 180 children.

Total cost is 6250€ for 1000 LPD

IN SPAIN

BUDDHIST PEACE FELLOWSHIP (for which Bodhyanga serves as the Spanish Chapter) which Statement of Purpose is :
-To make clear public witness practice as a way of peace and protection of all beings;
-To raise peace, environmental, feminist, and social justice concerns among Buddhists;
-To bring a Buddhist perspective to contemporary peace, environmental and social action movements;
-To encourage the practice of non- violence based on the rich resources of traditional Buddhist Teachings;
-To offer avenues for dialogue and exchange among the diverse sanghas of the world.

IN MOROCCO
Drinking water  :  
construction of a water reservoir to supply the homes of the village of Anraz and the local school with running drinking water
Education :      
-construction of a wall to protect the school 
-construction of a library
-cothes for school children – boys & girls 5/6 and 14/15 year of age (the villages are in a mountainous region, cold at night and in the  morning in winter and quite hot in summer) school satchels supplies (pencils – colour crayons erasers - pen - notebooks, etc...)  -2 to 5 second hand computers for the village  administration and schoolteachers
Health
-drugs and first aid kits
-construction of a dispensary for first aid and emergency care for the inhabitants of the Berber villages of Anraz - Agouni- Torord et Tikhfist , far away from the first Health Centre of Ouirgane.
Agriculture
-construction of an irrigation system to salvage what is left of the fruit tree plantations, one of the two principal sources of income for the families of these villages.

For more information on these projects please email your queries to

info@bodhyanga.org