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WHAT WE DO (Programmes)
Ongoing Programmes and Projects
We for Yamuna
“The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.”
-Ross Perot
This is our oldest programme that started as a campaign in August 2000 for creating and spreading awareness about the pitiable state of Yamuna in Delhi. It uses innovative methods to attract the attention of the government, media and other civil society organizations working for the cause of Yamuna.
Context
Yamuna has a coveted place in all the major religions of the world. From time immemorial, it has been an intrinsic part of India’s socio-economic and cultural fabric. However, it dies a slow death as it passes through the cities that inhabit the ‘modern educated and enlightened citizenry’ of India. By the time Yamuna reaches Delhi, it transforms from a Goddess into sewage! The impact of unplanned development on the ecology is disturbingly visible. The river is completely dead in the city.
Objectives
• To highlight the level of pollution in Yamuna and its deplorable state in New Delhi.
• To underline the lassitude and failure of the State to clean-up Yamuna or take measures and design policies for the conservation of Delhi’s primary water source.
• To involve the media in furthering the cause of Yamuna and to establish a mutually beneficial partnership with it for creating a cleaner, greener and better society.
• To make environment conservation a part of life and not just a fashionable term used during ostentatious international conferences.
Activities
• Yamuna Walk
Yamuna Walk aims at making people realize and gauge for themselves the severity of the pollution problem that plagues the river. A typical walk starts from the Yamuna riverbed in Sonia Vihar (where most of the river coming from Haryana is stopped by the Wazirabad Barrage for Delhi's pipelines and hence is relatively cleaner and plentiful) to the Najafgarh drain and finally to Kudsia Ghat near Kashmiri Gate in Old Delhi.
• Shramdaan
This is a symbolic cleaning of the river where school students and volunteers remove plastics, slush and other garbage from the water and surrounding areas from the many banks of Yamuna.
• Liassoning with the Media and Other Civil Society Organizations
It has been a constant endeavor of Swechha to creatively utilize media to keep the issue of pollution of Yamuna, alive and burning in public memory and to pressurize the government to take constructive action to save the river. Swechha has also joined hands with other civil society organizations in this effort.
• Talks, Presentations, Street Plays
We make presentations on Yamuna, the level of pollution in it, problems of health and sanitation and general environment related issues. We also involve volunteers to perform street plays from time to time at public places in Delhi or put up wall magazines at important centers of the city.
Outreach
Through WFY, we reach out to more than 5-7 thousand people in a year through its various activities. In a year, there are at least 25 Yamuna Walks conducted
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| Monsoon Wooding |
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| he campaign aims at achieving the following broad objectives:
• Sensitizing the youth and the rest of the civil society of Delhi about the seriousness of the issue of Delhi’s depleting green cover.
• Mobilizing huge number of young people to participate in conserving and rejuvenating Delhi’s green cover and hence building their capacity to bring about positive change.
• Building a huge network of young volunteers who are ready to come forward and participate in similar environmental campaigns as and when the need arises.
• Attracting the State’s attention towards the efforts of young people and pressurizing it to take necessary steps to create a greener Delhi. |
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| Bridge The Gap |
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| One of our most interesting programmes is Bridge the Gap (BTG) - a unique curriculum designed by us that aims at narrowing the increasing gap between the biosphere and humankind. The curriculum aims enabling young people to strike a connection with and between the natural world and the man-made world. |
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| Gram Anubhav |
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| Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The soul of India lives in its villages”. Why is the soul so neglected today?
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60 per cent of the country’s population lives in villages and after almost 60 years of independence, rural India remains neglected and yet to become self sufficient.
GRAM ANUBHAV exposes young minds to the realities of rural India and to bring them out of their atomized existence to realize and experience village life. It helps foster an understanding about both India and ‘BHARAT’ and how each is incomplete without the other. The intervention focuses on self realization and discovery vis-à-vis social responsibility and awareness.
For each village exposure trip, we collaborate with a local organization that has grass root level presence the region. So far, we have collaborated with Society for Integrated Development of the Himalayas (SIDH) in Mussoorie, Bodh Shiksha Samiti in Alwar and Foundation for Ecological Security in Udaipur. |
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| Youth Yatra |
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| The “Youth Yatra for Reflection and Action for Change” brought together 24 participants from four different countries to share knowledge and experience on issues pertaining to youth, culture and environment. The purpose was to create changemakers and future leaders who would strive to make others as well their own lives worthwhile. Funded by the European Union, the Youth Yatra was supported by the British Council in collaboration with partner organizations of the four participating countries namely, Unltd (United Kingdom), Alliansii (Finland), Sarvodaya Shramadan Movement (Sri Lanka) and Swechha. The 24 participants epitomized diversity in all its hues and manifestations. Besides representing different nationalities, they brought along different ideas, perspectives and professional expertise and at times even stereotypes and assumptions. While some were community level workers, there were others who were activists and researchers. The essence of Youth Yatra was activism. Engagement of young people in this program had a greater social purpose of providing them with a springboard for action in the future. |
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| Operation Raincoat |
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| It is an endeavor to spread environmental consciousness amongst the tourists who visit Yamunotri and make the place ecologically vulnerable due to dumping of cheap quality raincoats. The project proposes renting of good quality raincoats for a nominal price instead of selling plastic raincoats that are neither durable nor environment friendly. |
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| Green the Gap |
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| It is an attempt to bring 'Environmental Living' to every household and individual. It makes available all types of eco goods and processes (like water harvesting etc.) under one roof. |
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| NEON |
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| The immediacy of environmental damage and the need for urgent positive action had never been more palpably felt than now. With ecological balances being disturbed rampantly, it becomes imperative that the country sees simultaneous and spontaneous initiatives, organizations, groups and struggles on the environment breaking out all across.
There is tremendous virtue in bringing all such initiatives together under one larger umbrella, consolidating the ideas and strengths of initiatives large and small on the environment. |
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| Pagdandi School |
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| Pagdandi was earlier run by Hindu College Volunteers at the Jwala Ghat slum community along the Yamuna.
Presently, our volunteers are working with a small community called 'Mahigeer' across the Kudsia Ghat. The work so far has been commendable and we have established a special relationship with the children and elders in the community. |
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| Jigri Concerts |
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| Our love for music grew stronger over the years. We wanted more avenues to express ourselves through music and so to make our voices heard we created a unique musical band called JIGRI. JIGRI which means close friendship aims at bringing people closer -to each other and to their environment. |
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| Yamuna Yatra |
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| Ross Perot said "The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river"
Yamuna Yatra is our oldest program that started as a campaign in August 2000 for creating and spreading awareness about the pitiable state of Yamuna in Delhi. It uses innovative methods to attract the attention of the government, media and other civil society organizations working for the cause of Yamuna. |
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| Influence |
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| Influence is Swechha’s Youth Environmental Program, dedicated to educate and encourage into action young people on issues around the environment and sustainability. |
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| Climate Change Champion |
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| The Climate Change Champions Programme is the first of its kind initiative to encourage the Youth in Pakistan and India to take up and execute projects on and around Climate Change. |
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