Do you know what seed-balls are all about? Let our students show you.

 

The hottest part of the Summer holidays in Maharashtra, India is in May. Some days the temperature reaches 46C/115F! While the academic year for our students has ended, Gabriel Project Mumbai runs a four-week summer camp that we call ‘Summer Club’.

Hundreds of children of all ages from the Kalwa slums and the rural villages of Mokhada get together in the relative cool of the mornings and late afternoons for fun activities, a nutritious meal and creative learning from Gabriel Project Mumbai teachers. One of the most interesting activities is learning how to make seed-balls (also known as seed-bombs). GPM teachers explain the importance of trees in life and how urbanization and the depletion of forests adversely effect all our lives. So, how can we look after our environment? Well, one way is by making seed-balls! The seed-ball technique was created by Japanese farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka as a way to increase vegetable and tree production.

At Summer Club, children gather over a large metal dish and mix soil, clay, cow-dung and tree seeds and a little water, rolling out balls that are then dried for a few days in the sun. Later the children release the seed balls in areas where reforestation is required and when the rains come down in mid-July, the seeds germinate from their comfy and nutritious seed-ball! "This is very innovative for the children because usually small children are disempowered in planting trees as seedlings are costly and it is too hard for them to dig deep holes in the hard earth," says Sanket Kadu, GPM agriculture officer. "The seed-ball technique is effective in tree propagation and easy for children to feel part of looking after their homes and their planet." Such a fun activity and what a wonderful lesson that teaches us all that no matter how old we are and no matter where we live, we can all be activists for our environment. To donate to GPM:https://www.gabrielprojectmumbai.org/donate

This Mother’s Day, celebrating the mothers fighting for their children’s futures

Some of the mothers we meet through our work at Gabriel Project Mumbai fill us with awe and inspiration for their courage and dedication – and their willingness to do whatever it takes to give their children a better life.

This Mother’s Day, we would like to share two stories from this past year about mothers who stop at nothing to provide for their children.

Jayshree: The mother willing to sacrifice everything for her child to eat

Jayshree, a 20-year-old new mother from the village of Sartuli in the tribal region of Maharashtra, was having trouble feeding her baby. She barely had enough food in the house for herself, but what she did have, she gave to her infant, often foregoing eating herself. At six months old, her baby was already suffering from malnourishment, as was she.

Jayshree approached GPM three months ago, and we immediately began treating her child through our Bal Balwaan/Healthy Child Infant Malnourishment Program, providing the baby with supplements and nutrients – while also making sure that Jayshree herself had nutritious food to eat.

But we realized that we needed to do more. Mothers must also eat, and Jayshree wanted to be strong enough to be able to provide food for herself and her family. Jayshree enrolled in one of our livelihood programs so that she can now earn enough money to make sure that both she and her baby will have what to eat.

At nearly one year old, Jayshree’s baby is now flourishing – as is Jayshree. And Jayshree is not alone.

In the last 12 months over 300 children have been treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition, 75% moving out of the danger zone of severely malnourished…

I am so humbled by Jayshree’s courage and strength, and I am proud that GPM has been a part of this mother’s journey of devotion to her family. 

The mothers who want a computer education – like their children

Six months ago, a group of mothers from Kalwa whose children learn in our school, the Joshua Greenberger Learning Center, approached us with a special request. They said that the computer classes that we were delivering to their children was having a wonderful effect, that the kids were really enjoying it – and that they wanted to learn computers, too! Even though none of the women own computers, they understand the power of computer literacy and its role in gaining employment and breaking the cycle of poverty. They were determined to do whatever it takes to make changes in their lives, for themselves and for their families.

As a result of their initiative and gumption, GPM started computer literacy classes for women. Two batches of six women each meet weekly at the GPM Ida Zatz Leberman Computer Lab. Its early days to see what the effects of the computer classes will have on the lives of these mothers it is a phenomenal story about mothers coming together to support their children.  

Gabriel Project Mumbai honored by the government in Mokhada

Gabriel Project Mumbai was honored to receive a certificate of appreciation from the Deputy Executive Magistrate (Nayab Tahsil), Mr Kakasaheb Thakare, of the sub-district of Mokhada on behalf of the 

Gabriel Project Mumbai and IsraAID team in their work providing social protections for Adivasi (tribal) communities in rural India.

For the past year the conscientious team of 16 social workers have gone out to the villages, homes and fields explaining the citizen rights, gathering documentation and applying for government services for the tribal communities of Mokhada.

Recently, the GPM-IsraAID team referred to in Marathi as ‘Adivasi Lokseva Kendra’ or ‘Tribal Rights Service Center’ secured the pensions of 200 individuals, registered birth and tribal status certificates for 5,000 people and applied for agriculture grants for hundreds of farmers. Referrals to psycho-social services were made to residents from government entities in various public health fields.

“The impact on the lives of thousands of (historically marginalized) tribal and landless people is great” said Mr Thakare. “Thank you for all your hard work!”

The teams going out to the 56 villages and hamlets do so in all kinds of weather. Last week the temperatures reached 44C/112F!). Soon the teams will endure heavy monsoon rains in their work providing essential services to the tribal communities.

Kudos to this dedicated team at GPM!

Free oral cancer screening program for thousands of people by GPM and the Indian Dental Association

A free oral cancer screening program for thousands of people living in underserved villages in Maharashtra took place in March. As part of the state-wide Maharashtra Oral Cancer Campaign (MOCC), Gabriel Project Mumbai and the Indian Dental Association (IDA), provided life-saving oral health awareness and treatment in 40 remote underserved hamlets in the Mokhada sub-district. 

As part of the MOCC, specialist dentists and doctors provided services free of cost and additional referrals for specific complex treatments. Of the 2000 people participating in the program, 84 patients with signs of oral cancer were given cancer biopsies. These biopsies were sent to laboratories for analysis. Additional dental care activities based at the GPM ‘Mokhada Community Health Center’ included home visits, blood samples, scaling, extractions, and GIC restoration (filling of cavities and fixing tooth deformities).

“The ongoing oral health care program spearheaded by GPM and the IDA is saving many lives from oral cancer by treating the cancers at an early stage and, most importantly, through education and community awareness, said GPM India Director Kenneth Dsouza. “Preventive health care is the key to long-term health of our community service participants.”

The first phase in this program, which took place in July 2022, was the “Oral Health Screening Camp”

in which over 2000 patients from 40 hamlets Mokhada were screened for oral cancer and provided with individualized follow-up treatment plans.

The second phase that took place in March 2023 focused on the people in need of treatment or those showing symptoms of oral cancer. Patients from the North and the South will be brought to the health center for counselling, blood tests, biopsy, and basic treatment. 

Phase three will focus on the treatment of those based in south Mokhada along with counselling of patients.

GPM medical staff and Indian Dental Association dental staff go over logistics of the oral healthcare screenings 

GPM save lives by training First Responders in rural India

Over 2,200 people died last year in India due to natural disasters and extreme weather events. Heavy monsoon rains, flooding, and extreme tropical cyclones are devastating, but people living in underserved

urban and rural communities are most negatively affected. Those without stable homes, infrastructure, and resources to construct protections from the elements are the most vulnerable and at risk of devastating tragedy.

The GPM Rural Emergency Response Program that began during Covid has launched a  ‘First Responders’ training course to support the 57 villages of Mokhada in times of natural disasters. The training course, which takes place at the GPM medical clinic, the Mokhada Community Healthcare Center, is being taught by expert government trainers to fifty participants, including five GPM staff, in life-saving methods and
techniques to use in climate emergencies.  

“We hope that this cohort of first responders will receive the knowledge and skills that they need to save lives of people living in Mokhada,” said GPM India director Kenneth Dsouza. “I’m proud that we at GPM are able to serve the community in such a vital and meaningful way.”

GPM once again receives Candid's Gold Seal of Transparency (2023)

We are so happy to have achieved, once again, Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency status for 2023

(previously recognized as GuidStar’s Gold Seal of Transparency)! 

Gabriel Project Mumbai’s top priority is to utilize every donation it receives for the benefit of the communities we serve and to make the biggest impact on the health, education, livelihood and health of these underserved communities. Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency highlights the high standards of responsible fiscal management and accountability we have running our programs in India!

GPM and IsraAID promoting mental health in vulnerable communities in India

IsraAID mental health professional Anva Ratzon is delivering Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) trainings to Gabriel Project Mumbai teams in order to equip them for working in the tribal communities in India. The two-week training will provide GPM staff with skills and techniques for supporting the community in regulating stress and promoting self-care.  

Ms Ratzon delivering trainings on MHPSS at GPM Center

The critical issue of mental health is often overlooked in marginalized communities that are experiencing the emotional and psychological stresses of living in extreme poverty. 

“How can we talk about mental health in a community with no food or livelihood security?” posed Ms. Ratzon, a social worker specializing in community MHPSS, to the participants. “These communities are the ones that most need resources to manage their own mental health,” she emphasized.

“There is a general fear amongst community members that working on mental health is akin to having a

GPM Social Protection Team in a break during trainings

mental illness, and that has its own taboos,” explains GPM Programs Director, Thaiza Dias. “Thanks to these IsraAID trainings, our staff will be able to bring awareness of the importance of mental health, dispel myths and taboos, and encourage mental self-care.” 

Ms. Ratzon has visited several primary health centers in the sub-district of Mokhada that GPM is working with, and has sat with government health workers, village leaders to evaluate a general needs assessment of the villages in Mokhada. 

The MHPSS trainings will be taking place over the next few weeks, with follow-up throughout the year. GPM staff, who have been engaged in community social protection awareness campaigns through an ongoing partnership with IsraAID – will now be able to offer mental health and psychosocial support to 56 tribal communities.  

Anva Ratzon visiting Washala Primary Health Center, Mokhada

Innovative STEM tablets educate children in rural India

For the first time in the tribal villages of Mokhada, Israeli created ‘Einstein Tablets’ with innovative measurement censors have been used by Gabriel Project Mumbai team of educators to teach science, chemistry and physics in rural government boarding schools in India.

Over 2500 children aged 12-16 are part of GPM’s ‘SCI-MA’ program, spending the academic year with GPM’s creative science curriculum, performing advanced science experiments using the Einstein Tablets and 16 different internal and external measurement censors from Fourier Education. 

Big thanks to the Israel Consulate in Mumbai, Deputy Consul Dahlia Neumann and trainer Eyal at Fourier Education for donating the “built-in science lab” tablets and censors and for the trainings that took place at the Israel Consulate, Mumbai and via zoom in the rural villages of Mokhada. GPM is also grateful to the local educational authorities for adopting the GPM science and math programs in their schools.

“It is wonderful to see the intersection of corporations, local and foreign government bodies and GPM coming together to provide vital STEM education for children from marginalized tribal communities”, said Rohit Jadhav, SCI-MA Supervisor. “Science education is so very important for the future careers of the children and important for the sustainable growth of the communities.”

We hope to use more Einstein Tabs to advance science learning in underserved communities in India.

Deputy Consul, Israel Consulate, Mumbai Dahlia Neumann with GPM educators during a training on the Einstein Tablets

GPM launches groundbreaking environment action program in Indian schools

Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM) has been selected to launch an exciting new Environmental Educational Program in order to redress the issues of environmental injustice that profoundly impact the tribal communities of Maharashtra.

 The Environmental Education Program, which is being launched this month in the district of Palghar in the state of Maharashtra, aims to embed environment awareness, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and climate action within the existing primary school curriculum (grades 1 through 8) across 10 districts in Maharashtra state. This project, which is being initiated by the Centre for Environment Education and UNICEF Maharashtra India, is a collaboration with the Indian Government education department. Gabriel Project and its local entity, the Grameen First Development Foundation, were selected as the lead coordinator for the Palghar district of four million people.

“This initiative promotes joyful and experiential learning around crucial environmental issues,” explains GPM Director Kenneth D’Souza. “In embedding environmental education in rural development, we are addressing several key intersecting issues, as well as several SDGs at once. Often, the most vulnerable communities, who struggle with poverty, health neglect, and lack of infrastructure, are also the most negatively affected by climate change. We see that, for example, with issues of

drought and extreme weather and their devastating impact on rural communities. We are looking to address root causes of environmental justice where it is most needed, first by investing in education for awareness.”

The Environmental Education training, which takes place over four months, has already trained 11 Master Trainers who in turn are training 1100 teachers in their sub-districts (talukas). The next stage will be to select “Lighthouse Schools” who will be leaders of this project in each district.

Other schools and teachers may consult and seek guidance from the ‘Lighthouse school’ to implement this project in their own schools. The program will eventually reach thousands of master educators in Palghar and create a comprehensive systemic change.

“This educational initiative will not only bring awareness of the climate problem to tribal children but will also see a generation of new thinkers and changemakers from within the tribal communities who will be environment-advocates and climate-action-warriors for their homeland and their communities,” Mr. D’Souza adds.

The program also anticipates rewriting parts of the government’s syllabus to include environmental
awareness, sustainability, and climate change.

“The Environmental Education Program will have a long-term impact on climate, sustainability, and communal development,” says GPM Founding Director Jacob Sztokman. “It will influence the health and well-being of marginalized communities for generations to come.”

This program also forms a powerful model for collaboration between GPM the Indian government, Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and local grass-roots partners, which is a core GPM value. It also uses a climate action mindset while respecting local culture, customs and tribal heritage, which also form core GPM values.

The 1100 schools in Palghar district participating in the current pilot are almost half of the government schools in Palghar. When the pilot is finished, plans are to expand to the entire district. The program is scalable and ultimately has the potential to be implemented in school districts throughout India.