Dear friends of Vayam,
Ram-ram!
2012 has been a great year for us and we wish to share the joy with you. Here are some highlights:
This year at Vayam:
+ Vayam believes in free sharing of knowledge. The ideas and methodologies of empowering youth in tribal villages developed by Vayam are shared freely with other organisations, individuals, and volunteers. Vayam field team provided knowledge inputs to other organisations; viz. Aerohan (Mokhada taluka), Shramik Vikas Sanstha (Jawhar taluka), Pragati Abhiyan (Nashik district), Maharashtra Prabodhan Seva Mandal (Nashik district), Adivasi Vanvasi Jagruti Sanghatna (Raigad district), Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (Maharashtra), Communist Party of India – Marxist (Jawhar taluka), Pragati Pratishthan (Jawhar taluka), Sah-Astitva (Ganeshpuri, Vasai taluka), and State Government of Goa (Goa).
+ We shared our ideas-that-have-worked with all the organisations mentioned above; specifically we could help them with People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR), Community Forest Rights (CFR), Right to Food through PDS and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). The way we empower village youth to take these issues up is appreciated and adopted by many of our friends.
+ Knowlege sharing has certainly been a two-way process. We have learnt many more things from our friends mentioned above.
+ We conducted two leadership camps this year, both having a mix of new and seasoned volunteers. Keeping with our tradition, both camps were conducted on contributions given by the participants.
+ We have embarked our second lap. The villages where law-based-advocacy has succeeded in empowering the youth, it is now time for the community to take up self-driven initiatives. We have begun a new project coined by local volunteers as “Aplyach Gaavaat Apan Sheth” (translation: we will be rich in our own village). AGaAShe is entrepreneurship development project. It’s skill-training component is being supported by Vigyan-Ashram, Pabal.
+ This year also saw a huge challenge taken up by our village volunteers. They came across a dam that was planned to be built submerging the villages. The government had flouted the rules of law and had not even informed the affected citizens. Our village volunteers formed “Khargi Hill Dharan Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti” (resistance committee). Eight villages united under this banner and told the government to follow the law. The Samiti has declared that negotiations must be held with entire Gram Sabha (village assembly) and not in closed-door discussions with political leaders. This lawful agitation has brought the dam to a standstill.
+ Our urban volunteers have been active in raising awareness in cities about dams, displacement, and injustice to our weakest brethren. An online signature campaign and a trek through the submergence area has had a handsome response from our city friends.
Thank you for supporting us all through. Of course we know you will continue to be a part of Vayam family. With this, we wish you and us (that’s Vayam) an amazing year ahead!
ram ram,
– the team
वयम् चळवळ Vayam India 
I was glad to read the updates of Vayam. According to me, the major victory that i have seen for Vayam this year is bringing the progress on Hateri Dam to standstill. Although it looks simple, i can understand, how difficult it must be when it comes to facing our great politicians. Vayam has proven that, if you know and follow the law, if you are united, you are empowered to do great things. I visited Jawhar and Vayam office this year and that was my most memorable trip of Year 2012. we stayed with Adivasi’s, we talked, we ate with them and it was such a wonderful experience to live with these innocent people.I could clearcut see the respect they had for Milind and for Vayam. Today Vayam has given them a clear direction which they know that it’s for their development, their survival. i must appreciate Milind for his thoughtful direction and support to these people. It’s not a social ervice but its a ‘social wisdom’… (I read this somewhere)….I wish a great and truly happy New Year 2013 for Vayam and Vayam’s entire family!!!! May it face many more challenges with more empowerment and with more confidence in this new year….
Vayamcha activity kharach Chan aahet. Nadurbarlahi he kam suru zalyas aajcha sukriya sahabhag rahil.
Shashikant ji, तुम्ही हे काम नंदुरबारला सुरू केलेत तर आमचा सक्रिय सहभाग राहील.
– मिलिंद
For Work at Nashik let’s know
dear Mahendra, please contact Shri Sumant Joshi in Nashik 9370010424 On 3 Jun 2015 02:12, “वयम् (Vayam) आपल्या विकासाची आपली चळवळ” wrote:
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