CERES Global

India Jamnya Sustainable Housing project

November 2018

Climate Change │Minority groups │Forestry │Sustainable Building │Water Management │Empowerment │Earth building

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About this trip:

India Sustainable Housing

We have recently completed the first dwelling of the Jamnya

Sustainable Housing project, working with the local

community to provide quality sustainably built housing

order to attract a higher caliber of female teacher to the

remote tribal boarding school in Jamnya.

With the completion of phase one, and as the friendship and

cross-cultural collaboration continues and deepens

local community, we are ready to kick off the next phase of

the project. At this stage, special recognition needs to be

given to Swinburne Built Environment Tradies, CERES Site

team, and Environ (for providing seed funding).

Working with local partner organisation Satpuda Vikas

Mandal, we will continue to introduce appropriat

building technologies as agreed with local stakeholders and

the Earth Institute in Tamil Nadu. We will also be broadening

our skill base and collaborating with 3 new local and international organisations. Mumbai based Put Your Hands

Together will join us in November 2018/19/&20, as will Australian based Agari Farm. We will also be working

with consultants Giant Grass as the project develops.

As the relationships deepen and our understanding of the region grows, there is an extraordinary oppor

immerse ourselves in the Pal and Jamnya communities, to be welcomed and guided through a very different

culture to our own. Stakeholders have identified

collective focus and research, and are supporting us in conversation and through sharing their networks to

achieve sustainable growth and development in the remote Maharashtran mountains.

CERES Global Internship opportunities

CERES Global are offering a number of

a requirement of the internship, students will undertake pre

• Pre-Departure – Work with CERES Global to identify a relevant research

international engagement, and in response to the needs of the partner organisation. This phase will

require planning, meetings, and activity conducted on site at CERES in East Brunswick, as well as home

based research.

• In Country – Engagements with our partner organisations require thoughtful contribution to discussion,

cultural consideration, data collection, and sharing our CERES story.

• Post trip – Reporting on the international engagement, findings, recommendations, and

issues explored and the various needs of communities to meet challenges.

In designing your specific internship, we encourage you to contact CERES Global and we can

meet to explore your study interests and skill set to ensure you’re gaining the

experience, and that you’re adding real value to the program partners and beneficiaries.

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the first dwelling of the Jamnya

Sustainable Housing project, working with the local

community to provide quality sustainably built housing in

female teacher to the

remote tribal boarding school in Jamnya.

and as the friendship and

cultural collaboration continues and deepens with the

kick off the next phase of

At this stage, special recognition needs to be

given to Swinburne Built Environment Tradies, CERES Site

team, and Environ (for providing seed funding).

Working with local partner organisation Satpuda Vikas

Mandal, we will continue to introduce appropriate sustainable

building technologies as agreed with local stakeholders and

the Earth Institute in Tamil Nadu. We will also be broadening

our skill base and collaborating with 3 new local and international organisations. Mumbai based Put Your Hands

will join us in November 2018/19/&20, as will Australian based Agari Farm. We will also be working

with consultants Giant Grass as the project develops.

As the relationships deepen and our understanding of the region grows, there is an extraordinary oppor

immerse ourselves in the Pal and Jamnya communities, to be welcomed and guided through a very different

Stakeholders have identified environmental, social, health and political

are supporting us in conversation and through sharing their networks to

achieve sustainable growth and development in the remote Maharashtran mountains.

Internship opportunities:

a number of internship places in 2018/19 for post & undergrad university students. As

a requirement of the internship, students will undertake pre-departure, in country, and post

Work with CERES Global to identify a relevant research topic based on the upcoming

international engagement, and in response to the needs of the partner organisation. This phase will

require planning, meetings, and activity conducted on site at CERES in East Brunswick, as well as home

with our partner organisations require thoughtful contribution to discussion,

cultural consideration, data collection, and sharing our CERES story.

Reporting on the international engagement, findings, recommendations, and

issues explored and the various needs of communities to meet challenges.

In designing your specific internship, we encourage you to contact CERES Global and we can

meet to explore your study interests and skill set to ensure you’re gaining the

experience, and that you’re adding real value to the program partners and beneficiaries.

our skill base and collaborating with 3 new local and international organisations. Mumbai based Put Your Hands

will join us in November 2018/19/&20, as will Australian based Agari Farm. We will also be working

As the relationships deepen and our understanding of the region grows, there is an extraordinary opportunity to

immerse ourselves in the Pal and Jamnya communities, to be welcomed and guided through a very different

and political areas for our

are supporting us in conversation and through sharing their networks to

internship places in 2018/19 for post & undergrad university students. As

, and post-trip activities.

topic based on the upcoming

international engagement, and in response to the needs of the partner organisation. This phase will

require planning, meetings, and activity conducted on site at CERES in East Brunswick, as well as home

with our partner organisations require thoughtful contribution to discussion,

Reporting on the international engagement, findings, recommendations, and details on

In designing your specific internship, we encourage you to contact CERES Global and we can

meet to explore your study interests and skill set to ensure you’re gaining the most from the

experience, and that you’re adding real value to the program partners and beneficiaries.

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Themes:

Climate Change: Resilience, adaptation, forestry/deforestation, water table, conservation.

Community: Civil Society, women’s empowerment, spirituality, social enterprise, collaboration.

Sustainable Building: Earth building, bamboo construction, compression soil brick pressing.

Education: Skills training, environment & sustainability, social enterprise development.

Places We Go and Partner Organisations:

Pal and Jamnya Villages, Maharashtra

Pal is a village of around 6,000 people nestled in the Satpuda Ranges which borders the states of Maharashtra

and Madhya Pradesh. There are 3 tribal groups which inhabit the hills surrounding Pal; the Banjaras, Tadavis,

and Powarah tribes. Each group has its own distinct dress, customs, marriage arrangements, ownership and

gender practices. Some are Hindu, some Muslim, possibly blended with their ancient traditional religious

practices.

The Satpuda Ranges were once a dense forest with monkeys, deer, tigers and panthers. Today only scattered

trees remain in most parts, the trees having been cut down for firewood for cooking or heating. This is

exacerbated by the increasing population and the clearing of land to grow additional food. These days one

sometimes sees monkeys in the hills, and very rarely a panther or leopard. Animal life has largely disappeared.

Jamnyais about 2 hrs away from Pal, deeper into the hills and forests along a rough, winding, dirt track

passing through several river beds which become impassable in monsoon months (July –Sept). The people at

Jamnya belong to the Powarah tribal group. Jamnya people are very poor but are lucky enough to have access

to some irrigated land so they are able to grow enough food to eat. As their population continues to grow, they

continue cut down protected forest land to feed their growing numbers. The Forestry Officers have told us the

best way to stop deforestation is to educate children so that they can get jobs in nearby towns and cities and

bring wealth from outside back to Jamnya. This is partly why we developed our sustainable building project to

provide good housing for teachers, so that the kids can receive an improved standard of education. It’s also why

doing what we can to improve IT access and skills is very important, making young people more employable

outside remote villages. The Jamnya housing project also seeks to attract a female teacher to Jamnya with

improved accommodation for gender balance.

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Satpuda Vikas Mandal (SVM) - Pal

Satpuda Vikas Mandal is a community organisation devoted to working with tribal groups in the remote Satpuda

ranges surrounding the village of Pal. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, who called on Indian officials working for

the British to leave their jobs and work for the poorest of the poor. An Indian Police Officer who lived in a village

on the plains below the Satpuda ranges took up Gandhi’s call, left his well paid job and began working with

tribal groups around Pal. He was actually murdered by moneylenders whose corrupt practices he opposed. His

son, who was at university at the time, took up his father’s work and set up the organisation Satpuda Vikas

Mandal in Pal. The focus of Satpuda Vikas Mandal is on agriculture and education – but they also work on broad

community development projects, women’s groups, health issues, and environmental projects.

Satpuda Vikas Mandal manages 6 schools in Pal and surrounding villages. All schools have hostels so that

students from remote villages don’t have to travel each day. Roads are generally very poor and washed out

during monsoon rains.

For more information on the Jamnya Sustainable Housing Project, visit www.thejamnyaproject.com

To watch a short video on Jamnya, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7EjQet5NnA

Giant Grass Munir & Mittul are a consultancy partnership specialising in bamboo construction and global sustainable

construction, particularly low-cost in developing regions.

Agari Farm Dani Wolff-Chambers is the co-founder and driving force behind Agari Farm, having recently spoken and run

workshops at Findhorn in Scotland, the Hyderabad International Permaculture Convergence in India, and at the

Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne. Dani and Agari Farm have committed to drawing on their vast network

of enthusiastic international labourer / students, to join us in November for the next three years of the Jamnya

Project.

Above left is Dani Wolff-Chambers from Agari Farm, and above right is Shahveer from Put Your Hands Together.

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Put Your Hands Together(PYHT) –Mumbai Put Your Hands Together (PYHT) Are Mumbai based Shahveer and Areen, both recognised for their commitment

to sustainable design and construction. Operating on a similar model to Agari Farm, PYHT run training

workshops in sustainable building – and get the job done in the process. PYHT will recruit Mumbai locals to join

us in November on site in Jamnya for the next phase of the project.

Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) – Mumbai

AAWC are a group of incredibly inspired women who work

with children of sex-workers in the red light district of

Mumbai. The kids at AAWC centre live locally and often in

their mother’s place of work, which makes the importance

of education and breaking the circle of sex worker

recruitment so important. We often visit AAWC and run

workshops with the kids, play games, teach English, have

fun, and build great friendships. The AAWC engagement in

November 2018 will be an optional engagement.

Reality Gives – Dharavi, Mumbai Reality Gives run slum tours in Dharavi employing

local guides to share their insights through an

appreciative model of development, highlighting

opportunities, stories of resilience, innovation, and

entrepreneurship in the world’s largest slum. We

support Reality Tours and their Reality Gives

Philanthropic ongoing to broaden our understanding

of high density living in impoverished areas.

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Ways CERES Engages with Pal and Jamnya

Major involvements which occur most years

• Interactions with school classes: providing practice in spoken English, possibly basic computer practice

• Environmental education

• Teacher training

• Climate action: exploring options for reforestation, introducing solar cooking or biogas

• Village Development: investigating and documenting priority needs of villages, practical steps to meet

needs

• Women’s Group: talking with groups about their plans, how to achieve them, providing support where

possible

• Jamnya Housing project (developing a model sustainably designed pilot housing project for teachers in

remote villages

Potential areas of future engagements and research

• Researching local organic farming initiatives – documenting what’s worked, what hasn’t

• Investigating local initiatives for reforestation – working with teachers to involve schools

• Developing a plan for introducing solar cooking into villages – working out logistics with local leaders

• Working on environmental education activities with school teachers

• Investigate water harvesting and storage practices – compare with practices in other parts of India

• Learn about health issues in villages and discuss solutions

The success of a given engagement often depends on the enquiry of our group, and the rapport we’re able to

build in usually a short period of time. It’s important to give some thought to what it is that each of us hope to

gain from the engagement, what we might be able to share, and how we all might benefit from the interaction.

It’s also important to be mindful of vastly different cultural norms, where there will often be layers of

interpretation and cross-cultural (mis)communication. For example, it is common for our CERES Global groups

to ask tribal women questions on female hygiene and menstruation, while the tribal women respond with

questions around how many goats we each own.

For more information contact Sophie or Ben

CERES Global Coordinator

CERES Community Environment Park

Corner of Stewart and Robert Sts

Brunswick East

p.03) 9389 0183

e.sophie@ceres.org.au

benedict@ceres.org.au

www.ceres.org.au/global

We are really happy to be taking this amazing journey with you. Keep in touch during your pre-

departure preparation and ask any questions as they come up.