Celebrating Twenty Years of Empowering Rural
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CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF EMPOWERING RURAL COMMUNITIES Sehgal Foundation’s community development programs and initiatives in rural India have spread over 890 villages in eight states, impacting more than 2.2 million people in the last twenty years—and the work continues to expand. Contents Message from the founders at twenty years 3 Sehgal Foundation overview 5 Key programs intersect to meet critical needs 6 Methodologies 7 Agricultural productivity results 8 Crop improvement research since 2002 13 Water management interventions 14 Good rural governance empowers communities 19 Powerful initiative transforms lives one school at a time 23 Rural research provides evidence 28 Communications enhance reach 29 Internships 31 Sehgal Foundation publications 32 Moving forward in partnership 37 Memberships & Affiliations 44 Individual and Group Donors 46 Selected Awards & Honors 50 Financials 53 Our Team 55 MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS AT TWENTY YEARS Suri Sehgal— When we established Sehgal Foundation twenty years ago with a vision to help uplift village communities in rural India, we did not want to be a “charitable” non-governmental organization (NGO) but a “development” NGO that is secular and non-political. In addition, we maintained a firm belief and a driving force that whatever we do must have impact and sustainability. We often heard from other NGOs in the field that sustainability is a “mirage” that every respectable development organization pursues but seldom achieves. In spite of this, we were determined to follow that guiding criteria in our work. As long as people are living in poverty without food security, water security, or social justice, we can never Since so many NGOs in India have a reputation for be completely satisfied that our work is done. India not being credible or transparent, we took the time and many other countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin to prove ourselves as credible, transparent, and America are in similar stages of development. The accountable. We are pleased that Sehgal Foundation work we do and the technologies we develop are is now recognized in India as one of the most credible applicable to most of these countries, so we must NGOs, known for demonstrating strong ethics, make sure our work is replicable and dynamic. integrity, transparency, honesty, and accountability. We have been honored to present our innovations at the United Nations and offer them freely From the beginning, our teams understood that throughout the world. work in the field of development is a never-ending process. Thanks to our talented teams and generous We have come a long way in our short history. partners from around the globe, work that started The growth of our key programs in agriculture in four villages in (Mewat, now Nuh) Haryana, now development, water management, and good rural reaches across India in eight states and continues to governance has been organic and strategic. We expand in collaboration with communities. To assure have combined aspects of each program in our most sustainability, all our projects begin with an initial successful initiatives such as the Transform Lives one survey on focused development areas followed by school at a time, which is giving hope for a better empowering the community with critical training in future to India’s rural schoolchildren. good rural governance. Monitoring of each project is continuous, and an impact assessment is done at As we enter our third decade in rural India, we resolve the end. From time to time, we pull back for serious to continue Sehgal Foundation’s ongoing re-evaluation introspection of our work and make whatever changes and reinvention based on positive results and lasting are needed, discard what may not be working, and impact. All in all, it is a wonderful feeling to be helping inject new ideas to ensure that the communities we people, society, and the planet, which makes our lives serve are being positively impacted. very satisfying. We are proud of what we do! 3 Edda Sehgal— When Suri and I made the decision to create a can be seen so directly by the beneficiaries and foundation to do what we could to address the by our donor partners. When a poorly attended crushing poverty we saw in rural India, we had no government school that is falling to pieces and has previous experience in development work. You could no drinking water or toilets is transformed into an say we were “innocent.” We saw the looks of defeat, attractive and nurturing learning environment with all hopelessness, and suspicion on the faces of villagers, needed amenities—including vital trainings in life skills, especially the women, who had been disappointed digital literacy, and good governance—the results can so often by false promises. We vowed to listen, and be vividly seen on the faces of the schoolchildren. the team continued to experiment with a growing Enrollment is up and communities are empowered in assortment of solutions to some of the most pressing more and more ways. That is concrete, demonstrable issues. Those early years were a powerful educational change for the better. experience. We were learning by doing, a method our teams still embrace. The vision for the future is fantastic—a vision of ongoing rapid progress and movement for change that In recent years we have seen the natural result of will continue to spread from village to village in all the team’s early work and ongoing commitment directions throughout India. I am confident that this to growth, impact, and sustainability in the three will happen, perhaps not in my lifetime, but I believe it key programs (water management, agriculture will happen. development, and good rural governance) as progress accelerates. For some years now, we have We are proud of the Sehgal Foundation team, the seen a totally new look on the faces of villagers in work, and the results, and we thank every partner in communities where we work. The sad faces we once the process—every individual, corporate, educational, knew are now alive with hope. and government partner; all the collaborating NGOs and nonprofit organizations with similar visions for a The Transform Lives one school at a time initiative better world; and each person with a desire to help has been a significant part of this because the results others feel hope for a better future. 4 SehgalSehgal Foundation Foundation visual visual identity identity | | visual visual style style ProgramProgram IconsIcons Sehgal Foundation visual identity | visual style DefinedDefined ProgramIconsIcons Icons on on TypographicTypographic usage usage OneOne colour colour IconsIcons as as a a stamp stamp iconicon colours colours squaresquare coloured coloured of of the the name name of of center center brandbrand Tagline Tagline OPTION OPTION 1 1 OPTION OPTION 3 3 backgroundbackground TTYY B BUUI I CCI I LLDD AA I I BB EESS D DEE PP N N YY UU R R EE AALL VV ITIT I I LL AA RR EE G G CC LLDD AA RR UU LL A A AA RR CC TT OO ININ L L C C PP UU H H P P U U M M G G R R A A C C Defined Icons on Typographic usage One colour Icons as a stamp I I E E C C N R R N T T G C0C0 M85 iconM85 Y85 coloursY85 K0 K0 square coloured of the name of center brand Tagline OPTION 1 G OPTION 3 A A 60%60% background S S S S S S Sehgal Foundation visual identity | visual style E E N N E E N N E E N N HGHG IOIO HGHG IOIO HGHG IOIO ALAL ATAT ALAL ATAT ALAL ATAT TY BU F OFOUNUDND F OFOUNUDND F OFOUNUDND I ILD Celebrating twenty years of empowering rural communities LL R REESSEEAAC AA ARR IN Y BU RESE AL DEV RR P CC IT IL L A R E G C D A R U L UU A H H A R C T O IN L R R C P U H P P POOLILI U M A & & CCYYG R AANNAAGG EE MM C CC A A EE I E C NN D D RR MM Program Icons R N A A V V EE E E T N N O O T T G C0 M85 Y85 K0 R R N N C C A A A E E T T A A V V W W C C O C0C0 M90 M90 Y5 Y560% K20 K20 O Y S Y S S G G E N E N E N HG IO HG IO HG IO 60%60% AL DAT AL DAT AL DAT SEHGALFOUN FOUNDATIONFOUN FO UN RESE S S S S L A E E N N E E N N LL D DEE A R H H IOIO H H IOIO RRAA VVEER C GAGA ATAT GAGA ATAT UU LL L LF OFOUNUDND L LF OFOUNUDND TT U OO H OVERVIEW L L R P P & POLIC U U M M E Y ANAG C C C A M E I I E E N Defined Icons on Typographic usage One colour Icons as a stamp N N D R M R R A V T E T G E G S M Sehgal FoundationN (Sehgal Foundation),O IndiaT a community of engaged and proactive citizens with A icon colours square coloured of the name of center brand Tagline OPTION 1 R N A OPTION 3 C A is a public, Echaritable trust registered in India since the tools to assist in their own further development. T A V W background 1999 with a mission to strengthen community-ledC Sehgal Foundation holds Special Consultative Status C0 M90 Y5 K20 O Y G OPTION OPTION 1 1 development initiatives to achieve positive social, with United Nations Economic and Social Council 60% economic, and environmental change across rural (ECOSOC), sharing its work in relation to the TY BU I ILD India in the areasS of food security, water security, Sand Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) with a C C70C70 M15 M15 Y100 Y100 K0 K0 E N E N A L DE I H O H O D P A V N socialTY Bjustice.U FoundationGA teamsTI create R integratedESE GA globalT audience.I AL EV P POOLL R EL I IL L F NDA L A L F NDA R E & & ICICU O G C D OU A R OU U L EE AYT Y 60%60% A grassroots programs in agricultureR development, C T O CC L AA P IN L P NN UC D D P U H A A V V M water management, and rural governance, Sehgal FoundationU USA, basedM in Des Moines, Iowa, G N N C O O R I E A C I E R R C C N emphasizing innovation, impact, and sustainability, is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private nonprofit that was R C E E R N A A T V V G T C with an overarching focus on the empowerment of established in 1998.