Bala Vikasa Executive Staff Bala Vikasa Governing Body CONTENTS Organization’s Profile 1 Editorial 2 Milestones 3 Bala Vikasa - The Genesis 4 Reach 5 - 6 Vision, Misson and Values 7 10 Development rules 8 Awards 9 Messages 10 - 24 Jubilee Report 25 - 32 Bala Vikasa Programs 33 - 74 Our Future 75 In Gratitude 76 This publication is partly financed by ORGANISAtion’S PROFILE Founded in : 1991 Registration No : 569/1991 Income Tax 12 A provision : HQRS-11512A & 80G/41/92-93 Income Tax 80 G provision : DIT(E)/HYD/80G/81(09)/10-12 FCRA Number : 010360036 PAN Card Number : AAATB 7316G Address : 1-1-867, Siddarthanagar, Kazipet, Warangal, Telangana 506 004 Tel: + 870-2459-287 Cell: +98491-65890 E-mail: [email protected] | www.balavikasa.org Objectives : 1. Promote sustainable community development by adopting effective methodologies and grass-root development strategies. 2. Organize capacity building training programs for staff, partner organizations, NGOs, GOs, CBOs, CBGs and beneficiaries. 3. Promote Business Social responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship through capacity building programs, consultation and incubation. Administrative structure : General Body, Governing Body, Executive Staff Principal Sectors : Drinking Water and Sanitation Empowerment of Rural Poor Women, Widows and Youth Education for Orphans, Semi Orphans and Rural Poor Environment, Watershed Management and Organic Farming Building Model Communities Capacity Building Training Programs to NGOs, GOs, CBOs, CBGs and beneficiaries Promoting Micro and Medium Social Entrepreneurship and Business Responsibility Foreign Donors : Sopar Bala Vikasa - Canada and USA Government of Canada - Canada CLO - Canada ICCO - Netherlands Manos Unidas - Spain KZE - Germany Kadoori Charitable Foundation (KCF) - Hong Kong Frank Water Projects - England Novara Center Onlus and School for Children - Italy One Prosper - Canada Corporate Donors : Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited Franklin Templeton Investments Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. Symed Labs Limited MSN Laboratories Pvt. Ltd Virchow Laboratories Limited Local communities and Individuals Founders : Mrs. Bala Theresa Singareddy Gingras and Mr. André Gingras President of the Board : Mr. Basani Marreddy Executive Director : Mr. S. Shoury Reddy Personnel : Executive Staff: 60 Field Staff: 250 Partners in development : 50 local NGOs 1 EDITORIAL This souvenir is a small effort to capture the 25 Over the years, the steadfast efforts of Bala Vikasa historical years of Bala Vikasa. It’s a story in a have helped in creating scores of model villages nutshell, on how the people and communities over in Telugu states. This was amply evident from the the years, have been able to believe in themselves recognition of Gangadevipally village as the model and continue to sustain their development efforts. village at the national level. It’s a matter of pride to see many of the Bala Vikasa’s development Impacting lives of millions in southern parts of programs like women empowerement, tank de- India, Bala Vikasa has been ‘a shining silver line’ siltation, community drinking water projects, among the marginalized, in the underdeveloped building model communities have been adopted by cloudy horizons of rural sector, predominantly in the state governments. the Telugu states of south India. In the last two and half decades, Bala Vikasa has succeeded in Scripting its basic development lessons learned empowering the rural communities of women, from its vigorous involvement with the grass children, youth and farmers; to effectively address root communities, Bala Vikasa has attracted the development issues in the economic, social, the attention of global community in the political and environmental spheres. development sector. Today Bala Vikasa is able to draw development professionals from across 57 Abiding by the key development rule; ‘Development countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and American is People’ envisioned by the founders and continents to learn community development adhering to its fundamental strategy of ‘Helping strategies. In the true spirit of a visionary, Bala Communities Help Themselves’, Bala Vikasa Vikasa is adding to its existing programs, a new has empowered the rural communities with the initiative by promoting Social Entrepreneurship and required skills and mindset to steer their own Business Responsibility through its Bala Vikasa destiny. The well designed and executed activities International Center (BVIC). of Bala Vikasa and its participatory approaches over the years have helped people to progress and The following pages of the Souvenir have captured sustain their pace of development. the views of a wide range of stakeholders from beneficiaries to political leaders. The pages speak This souvenir is another genuine expression of about the development vision and strategies of how Bala Vikasa, with the visionary founders and a Bala Vikasa that have withstood the test of time. group of committed staff could make tremendous Bala Vikasa’s notable achievements, the challenges impact in over 6000 villages of Telangana and it faces and the vision ahead, find expression in this Andhra Pradesh states, impacting millions of silver booklet. lives. It’s a story of how the professional efforts of Bala Vikasa have touched every sphere of This Souvenir is dedicated to the people, especially rural life ranging from agriculture to environment, the millions who continue to strive towards their leadership to good governance, health to water development. We express our gratitude to our & sanitation and from livelihoods to economic donors and partners, who have supported our work development. It’s also a story how the relentless and helped us to succeed in building sustainable work of Bala Vikasa has touched all sections of communities. people including women, farmers and youth in transforming their lives and sustaining the change. - Editorial Team Bala Vikasa thanks the editorial team (Suresh Singareddy, Kamini Menon, Sunitha Reddy and Sivaram Mylavarapu) as well as the Executive Director and all the Program officers for their valuable effort in writing, compilation, editing and designing work. 2 MILEStoNES Mrs. Bala Theresa Singareddy Gingras, along with her husband, André Gingras and friends, starts 1977 “SOPAR” (Society de Partage) in Gatineau, P.Q, Canada, with an aim of helping the poor in India. SOPAR registers itself as a Secular, Non profit NGO and launches development programs- Education, 1979 Water, Shelter to help the poor in India through a few patner societies. 1990 SOPAR opens its office in India with the name “Bala Vikasa”. Bala Vikasa registers itself as a Secular, Non-Profit NGO, “Bala Vikasa Social Service Society” and 1991 begins implementation of SOPAR development programs in India. 1992 Bala Vikasa opens an Administrative Office and obtains FCRA number. Bala Vikasa initiates Women Development Program. Besides being the donor, begins to implement 1994 development programs. 1997 Bala Vikasa creates “Raithu Vikasa Sangam” , a society to serve the farming communities in earstwhile Andhra Pradesh. 2000 Bala Vikasa initiates Watershed (Tank De-siltation) program. Bala Vikasa inaugurates its “Peoples Development Training Center” (PDTC), and launches training 2002 programs in ‘Capacity Building’ to Agents of Change in India. Bala Vikasa initiates Water Purification Program. Launches Diploma and degree courses in 2004 Community Based Development (CBD) through Kakatiya University. Bala Vikasa creates “Bala Vikasa Trust” to give special attention to its Education program for 2005 Orphans and Semi Orphans. PDTC begins its training programs to National and International NGOs. Bala Vikasa initiates Youth Program and Vidya Vikasa Program. Supports qualified personnel to 2006 pursue MSW through distance education mode. Initiates empowerement of widows under the program titled “Social Justice to Widows”. 2008 Bala Vikasa initiates “Education for Social Development Program”. 2009 The number of partner institutions of Bala Vikasa reaches forty-five. Bala Vikasa reaches to 6,000 villages in earstwhile Andhra Pradesh through 50 partner institutions. 2010 Bala Vikasa launches its Organic Farming program. Bala Vikasa PDTC conducts first overseas training program in Bangladesh. Initiates the first Water 2011 Purification Plant in Maharashtra. 2012 SOPAR Bala Vikasa - USA is registered as a public charity organisation under 501(C) (3) in USA. Bala Vikasa lays Foundation stone in a 20 acre campus near Gatkesar ORR, Hyderabad for setting up 2014 Bala Vikasa International Center (BVIC). Opens BVIC office and launches its services in Hyderabad. Initiates Social Entrepreneurship incubation activities. Corporate Companies begin to partner with 2015 Bala Vikasa for implementing Community Development programs. Reaches out to urban poor and installs Community Water Purification Plants in the slums of Hyderabad. Bala Vikasa initiates the Tank Desiltation program in Karnataka and Water Purification Project in 2016 Chhattisgarh. Launches “Sujal- ATW” project to provide purified water to the commuters in cities. 3 Bala VIKASA – ThE GENESIS Almost 40 years ago, the combined dreams of a visionary couple led to the formation of SOPAR, a non-profit society in Canada envisioned to alleviate poverty in India, mainly in Telugu states. Mrs. Bala Theresa Singareddy Gingras, after completing her studies in India, USA and Philippines, got married to a French Canadian Mr.Andre Gingras; an expert in International Development and a Diplomat who worked nearly 30