Janwaar faces a serious drought. Water is more scarce than ever. In April the water hand pumps will have no more water. Two months earlier than usual.

A (deadly) thread for the villagers and their animals.

Our big chance is this year's monsoon. We have 10 more weeks to set up an infrastructurewhich enables the villagers to have drinking water all year round.

Action is required NOW.

Fotos for Water

Fotos for Water – The Challenge

We re-vitalise the existing natural water resources by using solar power. We add a pipe and tank infrastructure.

When YOU buy a foto WE soon can provide drinking water to the village.

Each foto costs 50,000 INR (EURO 670, USD 750).100% of the profits will be used for our solution. Only the costs for the prints and shipping will be deducted.

Fotos for Water

Fotos for Water – The Perspective

There is a natural spring and one well which need to be dug out. The natural spring is blocked (10-15 feet need to be dug) and the well which is almost dry and muddy needs to be dug 2-5 feet deeper.

Requirements:2 HP solar powered DC waterpump750 watt solar panel (20 years warranty)150 ampere batteries (2), (5 years warranty)1 KW inverter10 water tanksconnecting pipes, wire labour / management

Costs: 8,00,000 INR (EURO 10.500, USD 12.000)

Fotos for Water

Fotos for Janwaar – The Solution

It was a simple dream - to let kids be kids. And what better way could there be, than to give them an opportunity to play, to come out of their shells, to explore.

Ulrike Reinhard perhaps came to India as an explorer, for this country is a goldmine for those who are curious. Along the way, things fell into place and today, a skatepark in one of India’s most remote corners has given about 300 kids the opportunity to express themselves.

In a country where cricket rules the roost, it’s hard to digest these kids zooming about on a skateboard, and even harder to believe that a few years back, they were oblivious to the existence of one. When viewed from a distance, it’s impossible to distinguish these kids from those who come from a more privileged background and have been introduced to the sport early on.

Skateboarding has given these kids the motivation to fall and get up and fall again. And given the fact that there were few opportunities for them until now, they’ve embraced it with both hands.

But set aside these other aspects - these are kids who are happy to play and have taken ownership of the skatepark. It means the world to them.

Of course, it’s a vent for them in their surroundings which provides them little. But with the efforts of the stakeholders and like-minded volunteers, things such as education and electricity are slowly but surely falling into place.

Fotos for WaterText by Shail Desai

However, there’s not much that can be done on individual fronts when it comes to the changing weather patterns. The state of Madhya Pradesh where Janwaar is located sees some of the driest summers, where temperatures hit close to 45 degree Celsius. This is intensity that can only be gauged first hand; yet, life goes on in Janwaar.

Water is a basic necessity and through the Fotos for Water campaign, we hope to get one step closer towards addressing this issue at Janwaar.

Vicky Roy is an ace photographer based out of New Delhi, who knows what struggles are, having run away from home at a young age. But his perseverance drove him towards excellence, and he is one of the top photographers in India today.

Like most who visit Janwaar, Roy fell in love with the enthusiasm of the kids and the pristine surroundings of the surrounding jungles. It goes without saying that he’s dropped in time and again when his busy schedule permits.

Each of Roy’s photos narrate Janwaar’s story, and you can help us dream on by buying one of his prints. 

Of course, we would love you to come visit us and see this magic unfold in front of your eyes.

Come, live this journey with us at Janwaar Castle.

#1 Three Janwaar Tigers – Skateboarding with the tigers

#2 Skateboards@Janwaar_Castle

#3 Skateboard Roof

#4 Wtth a little help

#5 The Big Drop

#6 Team Adivasi

#7 What's up?

#8 Tools for change

#9 The Janwaar Tiger Quartett

#10 In one with Janwaar Castle

#11 Step One

#12 Heads over wheels

#13 The Challenge

#14 I'm ready!

#15 Crash helmets on!

#16 Lost in skateboarding

#17 Elephant with girls

#18 Here I come!

#19 Watching the tigers

#20 I'm rolling!

Each foto comes in a limited edition of nine.The fotos are printed on Archival Museum paper.Available sizes: 17" x 24" and 24" x 36".

Fotos for WaterFotos for WaterFotos by Vicky Roy

About Vicky Roy

Originally from West Bengal, Vicky Roy ran away from his home and started working as a rag picker at the New Delhi Railway Station, before he was rehabilitated by the Salaam Baalak Trust, Delhi. He studied photography at the Triveni Kala Sangam and then apprenticed under Anay Mann. In 2007 he held his first solo exhibition “Street Dream” at the India Habitat Centre; supported by the British High Commisson.

In 2008 he was selected by the US based Maybach Foundation to document the reconstruction of the World Trade Center in New York. As part of the program, he attended a course in documentary photography at the International Center for Photography, New York.

His first monograph ‘Home Street Home’ was published by the Nazar Foundation. Its second edition was released at the Delhi Photo Festival (Sept-Oct, 2013). In 2014 Vicky got a MIT Media Fellowship. He is listed in Forbes' Asia 30 under 30 in 2016.

The Janwaar Castle Community Organisation is a non-profit company under section 7 of Indian Companies Act 2013. The company runs exactly like a private limited for all legal purposes but without any shareholding and dividend for the founders – meaning all profits get reinvested. What started in late 2014 as the private initiative “Janwaar Castle” of Ulrike Reinhard (idea and concept) and Shyamendra Singh (local support) has now its necessary legal frameset.

Ulrike Reinhard is the company’s CEO. She earned her degrees in marketing, HR and economics at one of the leading business universities in Europe, Mannheim University, and she worked as a freelance consultant for organizations all over the world. She is supported and guided by currently three directors:

– Mehmood Khan, ex global head of innovation at Unilever and managing trustee at the Rasuli Kanwar Khan Trust– Mrutyunjay Mishra, co-founder of Juxt Smartmandate and– Shyamendra Singh, owner of Pugdundee Safaris