Responding to need
Khandel light has always responded to the needs of the community in Khandel. Nirman Sanstha, our NGO, holds monthly meetings where needs and priorities are established. Chairman Peter Gough joins the meetings in India by telephone, and the trustees agree expenditure at monthly meetings in the UK.
From survival to development
Over the years the priorities have changed, and although Khandel light still funds basic needs for health care and clean water, we are also moving from survival to development. Initially the charity responded to the most basic of needs; obtaining clean drinking water, storing water for a family to access, funding the building of water tanks. From this starting point we started to address the dangers of migration to the big cities, by providing employment in water harvesting initiatives, setting up health camps, funding the building of houses and toilets.
Our next steps were community led again, setting up monthly meetings, antenatal care, funding health workers who also worked on literacy programmes, adolescent girls’ fairs, temple visits for community cohesion in times of drought.
At this point we were able to set up bursaries to enable and empower young people to stay at school and continue their education. 2015 saw our first Khandel light sponsored student graduate from university.
Most recently, as always in response to the community's requests, we are funding a girl child project, where the mothers of girl children receive extra food for the first 3 months of the child’s life. We are also funding a tailoring programme for young women, supplying them with the tools and the skills to make their own living, as well as funding training in computer literacy for young people.
Our mission
We work to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged families in Khandel and its surrounding villages situated in the desert State of Rajasthan, India.
Fact file
Take a look at some of the facts and headline issues that we as a charity are addressing.
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