Maharashtra: Swades Foundation enters into 3-yrs partnership with HHSIF to empower rural communities

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell India, and Swades Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been uplifting communities in rural Maharashtra, have entered into a three-year partnership. The motive behind the collaboration is to enable holistic rural development programs in order to empower rural communities in Raigad and Nasik districts of Maharashtra.

In the three year long partnership, the first year will be dedicated to the programs focusing on drinking water, irrigation, education, sanitation, energy, environment and livelihood generation for underprivileged families in Raigad and Nasik districts, covering more than 10,000 people across 20 villages.

“Honeywell’s partnership with Swades Foundation is a part of our larger commitment to make a sustainable and measurable impact on communities that we serve. In the next three years, we aim to address the fundamental challenges of affordability and access to basic health, education and safe drinking water, and empower communities with sustainable livelihoods,” Ashish Gaikwad, President, Honeywell India and Director, HHSIF, noted.

“This partnership with Honeywell further strengthens our commitment to uplift rural families out of poverty. We support community members in aspiring for an “Adarsh Gaon” and build a can-do attitude to make their village a dream village. This partnership is a key to unlock the potential of many rural community members and help them live a self-sufficient life,” said Mangesh Wange, CEO, Swades Foundation.

Overall, the holistic development program looks forward to improving the standard of living for villagers with the help of access to piped drinking water connection, in-house toilets, and solar lighting in homes and streets. This program aims to help rural women and adolescent girls overcome predicaments due to open defecation besides reducing the drudgery of rural women fetching drinking water from community sources. Solar-powered lamps will offer an environment-friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional oil-based lamps.

The program has plans to skill the youth as well. It will also encourage entrepreneurship, and open up avenues for gainful employment opportunities. This will further enable the rural youth to make a living in their own village and stem migration to urban areas. Some of the avenues include dairy farming, poultry-rearing, pisciculture, and setting up of mini flour mills.

The program also encapsulates opportunities for students such as full scholarships that will allow students pursue higher studies or vocational courses once they finish their high schools.