In their third week, the SLT students divided into smaller groups to research and devise individual projects. They then met with Mr Govind Rathore to introduce these projects and seek advice.

Micro-Finance and Banking Project
Sharada, Kiki and Anna-Maria

This project is around the women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) with the focus to educate the women about these schemes. The project’s aim is to increase the financial independence of women through education. The main questions to consider are “What are SHGs?”, “What is the outcome of an SHG?” and “What kind of SHG is more successful?”. The project will use small scenarios, teach basic math and share success stories from previous SHGs.

The students will be looking at Sambhali Trust’s SHEERNI project. The women will be informed of the types of training they can undergo within an SHG, such as candle making, textiles, food and spirulina production.

Community Forum and Trash Disposal Project
Dennis and Karo
The community forum project is about creating sustainable meetings, potentially using the Sarpaanch, Sathines, Anganbari and community members. A possible meeting place is the Setrawa Rajput Communal Hall, located behind the Khonia Kheptal Ji Shrine. Community participants could include elders, and usually also wealthier people although there are few/none in Setrawa.

The trash disposal project is about cleaning up the village and finding a permanent place for trash. The proposal is stone trash bins with a slanted bottom and drainage hole, that can have trash burnt in them, positioned around the village. One day or one half-day is proposed to be committed to physically cleaning up the trash, an activity participated in by anybody/everybody including children from the local school.
It is also proposed that the sides of the trash bins be painted with the names of everybody who participated in the project and motivational slogans for the village people, such as child marriage awareness information. This can be a group project and children can help to paint.

General Health and Womens’ Health Project
Jessica, Eileen and Evelyn

The aim of this project is to educate and provide health care for all people in the village. The first aspect is a two-day health workshop for local women which will cover general health as well as specific womens’ issues. A health camp with an eye doctor, our priveledge was that Dr.Desai from the Tara Bai Desai Hospital in Jodhpur, came personally to take the eye camp in Setrawa, dentist and general practitioner is also proposed to provide check-ups and any necessary further treatment to everybody in the village. The Eye patients were also transferred to Jodhpur for eye surgery and were looked after by the trust.

The workshops will be advertised via distributed flyers and will teach home remedies as well as basic hygiene and health advice. A female translator will be present and the women will be divided into two groups – married, and unmarried. This is because it is not appropriate in the village to teach unmarried women certain topics.

It is also proposed that there will be a free demonstration by an ambulance crew on dealing with an emergency (emergency number is 108). Health education in schooling is present but minimal.

The most important message in the workshop will be one’s own safety. Major issues to be discussed include tobacco-related cancer, cooking outdoors so as to prevent lung damage from smoke, AIDS, malaria, menstrual hygiene, pregnancy, menopause and anemia, including information about accessing free iron tablets. An anonymous question box will also be provided overnight, and the answers discussed on the second day of the workshop.

Government Accountability Project
Jackie, Andrew and Melissa

The aim of this project is to increase the accountability of the village leaders and provide a voice for village people. It is proposed that a Student Council will be established, made of one boy and one girl, who can act as student leaders and approach the school Headmaster or any relevant authority when there is an issue. These students can also work from the platform of Sambhali Trust and support the work that the organization is doing.

Both elected students will need to provide a written application, run for election and were provided with a scholarship upon selection. Over 90% of girls do not stay in school past 8th standard because of the conservatism of their parents, so it may be necessary to choose a girl from 10th or 11th standard if there are none in 12th.

It is proposed that the elections be run akin to Indian Government elections, with an ink finger-mark for each voter. This will generate more enthusiasm and expose the students to real democratic processes. As a celebration following the formation of the student council, 50 trees will be planted around the school, to be maintained by the students.

The students will be educated in all the issues facing the village and will act as role models, raising awareness about issues such as the caste system.They will also have their pictures in the local newspaper. Both the students were given paid job as Hindi teachers at the Sambhali Setrawa project from 4.00 pm till 5.00 pm tentatively on contract of six months.