E-Newsletter December 2024

Cover Story.

Recognitions & Distinctions.

S M Sehgal Foundation received recognitions across multiple platforms, closing December 2024 on a high note.

(ARCEdTech team with Pooja O. Murada and Debika Goswami, SMSF)

Global Sustainability Award in the category of SDG 2: Zero Hunger for the work in promoting kitchen gardens and improving nutrition intake—especially for women farmers and youth.

(Digital certificate presented to S M Sehgal Foundation)

The EU-Tech SDG Award in the category SDG 1: No Poverty for empowering smallholder farmers in India through sustainable farming and entrepreneurship training.

(Sonia Chopra, program lead; and Pooja O. Murada, principle lead, OFD, SMSF accepting the award)

A silver plaque by Access Development Services as Development Catalyst 2.0 for contributions by NGOs working in the “Livelihood” space for twenty-five years.

(Neeraj K Dubey, assistant program lead, LPS; Niti Saxena, CTO SMSF, at the event)

Recognized at the Flipkart Foundation’s Sampark 2024 event for the impactful initiative, Fostering a Green Future: Empowering Children and Youth with Eco-Consciousness.

Stories of Change.

In December 2024, Shalu participated in the Rajasthan Yuva Mahotsav held in Malakheda and organized by the Rajasthan government. Leveraging the skills she had gained through the digital library and training sessions, Shalu created a presentation on mobile applications for the digital fair, emphasizing their benefits and limitations. Her well-prepared and engaging presentation earned her first place at the block level, for which she received a shield as an award.

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Partnership Highlights.

HDFC Project Inauguration.

On November 19, 2024, S M Sehgal Foundation launched the HDFC Bank Parivartan Project in Mahendragarh, Haryana, with key participants including Dr. Manmeet Yadav, Sub division agriculture officer, and Shri Nitin Kumar, bank manager, HDFC Bank. The three-year initiative will focus on activities such as crop demonstration, soil health management, and setup of a mustard expeller unit in fifteen villages.

(S M Sehgal Foundation and HDFC Parivartan team)

On October 17, 2024, the foundation launched the Holistic Rural Development Project in Hyderabad, Telangana, with eighty-six participants, including HDFC Bank representatives and government officials. The event highlighted financial literacy, rural empowerment, and community impact.

(SMSF team lighting diya during the launch event)

FPOs Recognized Nationally.

India is leveraging farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to enhance agriculture and support smallholder farmers. Adding to this effort since 2021, SMSF and Walmart Foundation’s “Bolstering FPOs” project has impacted 23,000+ farmers so far, promoting climate-smart practices, value addition, and digitization.

(Left: Sudhir Kumar, CEO, Kaurihar Organic Krishak FPO felicitated)

As the intervention receives more recognition, Kaurihar Organic Krishak FPO (Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh), honored by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Vishabhavathi Agriculture FPO (Kolar, Karnataka), received Special Recognition for Technology Deployment at the CII FPO Excellence Awards.

(Left: SMSF team with FPO pre V. Venkateshappa, president; and Venkatesh DG, director, Vishabhavathi Agriculture FPO)

Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs.

On November 28, 2024, S M Sehgal Foundation joined Pernod Ricard India Foundation in celebrating Women’s Entrepreneurship Day at the PRIF Community Center in Behror, Rajasthan.

The event spotlighted thirty-five women entrepreneurs whose businesses—ranging from mustard oil production to tailoring and baking—are transforming their communities.

(SMSF team and Pernod Ricard India Foundation team with women beneficiaries)

Month At A Glance.

World Soil Day.

(World Soil Day in Mahendergarh, Haryana)

Community events were held across Telangana, Mahendragarh, and Aurangabad, to mark World Soil Day. Key activities included expert talks on soil health, workshops on sustainable practices including composting and organic farming, live demonstrations of soil sampling, and free soil testing services. Farmers pledged their commitment to maintaining soil health and environmental sustainability.

Gen Z’s Approach to Work.

(Sam Kapoor, senior manager, AI & Academic Partnerships, SMSF at Shiv Nadar University)

Mr. Sam Kapoor recently participated in a panel discussion titled “Aligning Industry Trends with Innovative Curricular Design” at Shiv Nadar University focusing on Generation Z’s approach to work that covered themes such as social sector partnerships, agile curriculum design, skill-based learning, leveraging technology, and understanding global perspectives.

Let’s Connect Podcast.

(Indu Verma, senior program lead, Transform Lives; and Priya Chaudhary assistant program lead, OFD)

In the latest Let’s Connect episode, child psychologist Ms. Indu Verma discusses the education gap in rural India with Ms. Priya Chaudhary. Their conversation explores solutions to bridge this divide, increasing dropout rates, BaLa (Building as a Learning aid) concept, and the role of IQ and EQ in shaping children’s futures.

Watch here.

Kitchen Garden at Exhibition.

(Priya Chaudhary, assistant program lead, OFD; and Aparna Singh, assistant program lead, Food & Nutrition)

At the second day of the Arc sustainability event, Ms. Aparna Singh and Ms. Priya Chaudhary showcased a 3-D model of a kitchen garden under the Krishi Jyoti project—a joint effort of The Mosaic Company and S M Sehgal Foundation. The Kitchen Garden initiative works to improve nutrition security, especially among women.

Promoting WASH in Schools.

S M Sehgal Foundation proudly participated in the Global Learning Exchange webinar hosted by CAWST. Mr. Ankit Ojha, program lead, Transform Lives one school at a time, joined an esteemed panel of representatives from countries including Mexico and Kenya to share insights, learnings, and challenges in implementing this transformative approach .

(A snippet of the webinar)

Water Research and Training.

(Last day of workshop at IIHM, Jaipur)

S M Sehgal Foundation organized a three-day training workshop on Fluoride and Fluorosis Mitigation, in collaboration with UNICEF India and the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) at IIHMR University Jaipur. Prof. JJM Chair Professor Gopal Naik, IIM Bangalore, addressed the participants emphasizing collective responsibility. The event also featured a session by Aparna Singh on the role of nutrition in managing fluorosis symptoms.

Blogs & Articles.

SMSF Connect Podcast features a bouquet of interesting programs about rural development and other social issues and themes. TUNE IN to our podcast channel on I-RadioLive. Podcasts also available on Spotify.

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E-Newsletter December 2024

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