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"Visitor's Impressions"
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Brendan Nadeau Vanakkam, minna-san! Sunday, November 15th, 2009 by sjpd-india This means “Hello, everyone!” Actually, that’s a combination of Tamil, a language spoken here in India, as well as Japanese, both of which I (sort of) speak. My name is Brendan Nadeau, a junior political science major at Gustavus Adolphus college. This week, the SPJD group was in Andhra Pradesh, near Zaheerabad, Medak district. Earlier, we were in Hyderabad, then traveled here to the Deccan Development Society, an NGO that helps out with farmers and the poorer people of this area. They primarily work with Dalit women, the bottom of the social class, on farming techniques that have been around for centuries, such as multi-cropping, or planting more than one crop per field, using compost piles, and such. We’ve visited several villages, such as Gangwar, which we experienced the seed-saving and seed-utilization process, Metalkunta, where a day-care center was set up for farmers and their children, and Kalimela, in which we interacted with Village Health Workers, who were involved in local, traditional methods of healing. readmore As part of their Annual Forum ICT for Development Community Resource Team, UN Solution Exchange a 30 member team stayed with DDS from 2 – 4 March and Sagarika Bose wrote we were very impressed with the dedication and enthusiasum of the group especially the radio programme. The work seems to be tremendous and we wish the members all the very best for the future. Mr Ashish Singh from TISS, Mumbai Now I can say that I have understood the meaning of grassroot and gram swarajya. Geetha Nambisan Bhardwaj Very inspiring visit. My best wishes to all the women of sangham radio and DDS A group of visitors from Federation for Ecological Security (FES), Madanapalle visited on 25th January 2009 and their team leader V Dhanasekharan & Ramprasad wrote in our visitors book as We have got a real inspiration to adopt and implement the DDS activities in our projects areas. Really we learnt a phiosophy of life after discussion with DDS women Sangham members. Very much inspired about diversity in cropping systems and community owning the PDS> the way of promoting DDS these systems quite appreciable. Mr & Mrs Tobias Zollenkopf , ASW, Berlin and Mr L V Prasad from CWS visited DDS Projects in the second week of December 2008
Thank you so much.... I have learnt so much from you in my short time here. I look forward to keeping in touch with you about your excellent work. Thanks for delicious millet dosas. Shilpa Johnson & her colleague from Wilson College Mumbai visited on 13th October 2008
We are deeply inspired and thankful, for our visit to DDS and meeting powerful ad committed people. A group of Students from Loyola College, Hyderabad visited 30th September 2009 and some students expressions in the visitors book are
Food Security is very important thing for human, therefore DDS work is really good and inspire us. Though we are also working in biodiversity some more new techniques have been learnt from DDS. Mr Kalicharan Marandi from Dulal Orissa came to DDS for an exposure visit along with a group of farmers on 19th September 2009 The exposure visit for me and other farmer participants is highly essential and beneficial towards knowing crop diversification and food diversification. Ms B Pushpa from Timbaktu Collective visited on 11th September 2008 along with a team of farmers for exposure trip. Very good inspirational work Mr K Senthil Prasad from Keystone Foundation, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu visited on 10th September 2008 Innovative and attention to livestyle along with nature. Amanda Farrant from Christian Aid, UK visited on 15th August 2008 If only all development projects were as amazing as the rural poverty would have a different face. Thank you for every thing. Yanny from Indonesia, Jeremiah Karuki, Ahamed Arar, MB Irfan from Sri Lanka visited DDS on 20th July 2008 Very inspirational activities on food autonomy, well structured and organised and innovative. Programmes are very good. A Sountharajah, Riyaama & Suganthiraj from Sri Lanka visited DDS Projects on 20th July 2008 Very useful information regarding organic agriculutre. Very good example for the world. Very well and very important of this work. Ms Brigitta Herrmann from Oikocredit an international ecumenical development cooperative society which supports microfinance institutions and cooperatives in Southern countries with credit, Germany visited DDS on 16th June 2008 Your work is very impressing. I am really impressed and I congratulate you for your grate work and wish you and all the people you are working with a great and prosperous future. Thank you very much for sharing the experiences.. Mr Richard Whittell from UK visited DDS on 29th May 2008 to discuss with Mr P V Satheesh on the role of the UK Government in India in the name of development, especially its actions through its DfID. Thank you very much for your time. Stick it to my government Mr Ankush Dudhate and Mr. Angad Dudhate visited DDS on 16th April 2008 to understand Green School & Agriculture work. Green School is one of the fascinating thing.Konstanze Schoenthaler, Board member, Oikocredit an international ecumenical development cooperative society, Germany One of the most promising approaches we visited here. I am convinced of your “experiments” on integrated rural development. Hopefully the sustainability of the project will be proven on the long run. Olivia Taghioff, Country representative of a small swedish funding NGO, the Swallows mainly working in Tamil Nadu Thanks for a very interesting day. Johan Van Herk from Netherlands & E Lilli Rani
Ms Puneeta Roy, Executive Director, The Tehelka Foundation, New Delhi visited us in March 2008 and here are her comments I was completely bowled over by the work you have been doing at DDS these past 20 years! I have shared my experience with Tarun this morning, about meeting the illiterate women farmers, who form the highly articulate & dynamic DDS Community Media trust....the work on bio-diversity, enabling the community to take empowered decisions on prioritization of crops, the Green school. the ethnic cafe, the Farm Science center etc.... the vision & scale of your work took my breath away! Gareth Haysom & team from Sustainability Institute, South Africa visited us at the end of February 2008 and below is their opinion Thanks for your time. We have enjoyed a different perspective of developments in India. Much learning to take home to South Africa Narsingh Majhi, Mohudia, Tiring, Muyanbhaj, Orissa visited at the end of February It should be what every agriculture nation should accept. Arya Vijay Kumar , Uppada Raju & Vishal Diwan, Mass Communications students from Hyderbad Central University, Hyderabad visited us at the end of February 2008 and here are their words Better I would have been here. It is nice experience to uplift the poor. Very encouraging. Dedication is awesome. Sam Sundheer & Janne Bjcoruses, Communication Department, Exchange Student from Norway, Central University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad You have generated my passion to do more and to contribute to the society on you do. Hoping to be associated with you in future David Bruer, Inter Pares, Canada visited us in the middle of February 2008 and below are comments Amazing work and an honour for us to be able to collaborate with DDS. I have learned so much over the past few days and have met so many great farmers. Thank you Ok Kyung Pak & Jennifer Thomson, CIDA, Canada visited us in third week of February We had a very inspiring day. Thank you for telling us all about your work and giving us a very meaningful day we will take home with us. A team visited from ECONET, Pune in third week of January and below are their expressions after their visit We are the working with nomadic and dalit communities in Ahemadnagar. We really inspired after visiting DDS specifical the work women group is doing. We are very thankful that DDS give us opportunity to see the work. We wish you all the best David Mc Dougal & 20 students from The Beacon School Trilok Fusion, New York, USA visited us in the last week of December 07 American high school students had a tremendously inspiring and eye-opening experience today at DDS. We are moved by what you do and even more by the strong leaders and communities that you service. Mr Saban Shrestha, SAHAS, Nepal visited in the last week of October We are 12 members, we spent here 3 days. This visit is very fruitful and me based very much and we are very impressed from your work. Ms Sadhana Strehbel Visited in the first week of September Certifying our ideas, efforts and approaches to development. It can only be demand driven development that will sustain K J Abraham & MH Suresh, Nagrath Charitable Trust, Indore, MP visited first week of September Unforgettable learning visit and interaction Dr H K Jain, Director, Institute for Resources Conservation, Indore visited in the first week of September Memorable & fruitful visit to DDS Shradha Biyani, Bangalore visited in the first week of September I am ancestruck by the of DDS. I hope it spreads far and wide. Thank you very very much. I received a lot of warmth Gigi Manicad, Programme Officer, Global Strategies and Analyses, Oxfam Novib, The Netherlands visited in third week of July 07 Thank you very much for the “safe space” Prof Aabha Adhiya & Prof Aashish Kumar Dept. of Communication, Southern Connecticut State Univ., New York, USA visited in the first week of July 07 It is an honor and privilege to be making a film about DDS’s work. We hope to return soon to do more filming Dr K Hanumantha Rao, NIRD, Hyderabad visited in last week of May Congratulations for the innovative experiments of DDS Ms P Sulochana, DWMA, Vikarabad visited in last week of May Indur social forestry is very good. It is inspired.
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