The CSR Team along with the Local Partner Organisation, GVNML, conducted a technical training for women from SHGs in Sanganer, Rajasthan on the 9th & 10th February, 2020, under the project titled – “Women’s Leadership and Water Conservation: Capacity-Building and Infrastructure Development in Five Villages of Sanganer, Rajasthan”. The training, which was a two-day event, was residentially conducted in Laporiya village in the Dudu district of Rajasthan. It visited topics such as water conservation and management over the course of two days. The training was conducted in the local dialect for the participants’ better understanding on technical subjects.
On the first day of the Technical Training, theoretical and technical knowledge was disbursed about methods of water conservation, along with the topographic features of the 5 focal villages in Rajasthan. Women were engaged in group discussions about their personal experiences with the scarcity of water, before delving into conversations about how they can improve management of water. Through these group discussions, women asked to make a list of things they can do at their homes as well as at their farms to conserve water and utilize it in better ways. Along with this, the training expert also introduced infrastructure which could be constructed for the purpose of water conservation. The day ended with a site visit to a nearby Kund, an infrastructure proposed to be built as part of the ongoing project.
Group Discussion about water conservation at home
The second day of the Technical Training was reserved fully for site visits. The purpose of choosing Laporiya as the site for conducting the training was that it is an ideal village, self-sufficient in terms of water conservation. The technical training expert, along with other members of the local partner organisation showed women around Laporiya, in hopes to inspire them to make ideal villages out of their respective villages. Since the residents of Laporiya strongly believe in the idea of not harming any creature, the women were introduced to a cordoned off area where rats were let out in case of an infestation – a measure taken so that rats were not killed. Along with this, the women were very impressed by the greenery that surrounded the village, along with the abundant availability of water in the village.
Site Visit at Laporiya Village
The aim of the Technical Training was to capacitate women with the technical aspects of water conservation and management. These trainings were especially successful amongst women because it combined theoretical as well as practical takeaways, and kept the women engaged in a dialogue. Since women were introduced to the various governmental schemes through the course of the two days, they left with the confidence to approach local governance bodies for aid for village development.