At Guphu village in Khunti district in Jharkhand province, with Mohan and his family. They are Mundas who live along India’s Central Tribal Belt. His parents and those before them, with no technology, no financial resources and dated farming techniques, farmed this land for only six months a year, migrating and finding work elsewhere in provinces far away, at times to the Andaman Islands and often employed in hazardous work in the informal economy. In 2011, the
@wearepradan organisation began work in their village, understanding their needs, labour migrations and challenges. In 2013, backed by the strategic grants and support by the
@ikea_foundation , Pradan and its group of young experts mobilised local government and other partners to equip villages like Guphu with modern farming techniques, access to the free market and technology to build sustainable irrigation systems that would adapt to the region’s extreme weather patterns.
Today, Mohan’s dad, Maheshwar, and mum Pushpa are relieved that they don’t have to leave their homes to find work elsewhere. Pushpa and the other ladies have formed a women’s coalition, a self-help group that organises around the needs of the community and sorts our deals with wholesale buyers. They grow amrapali mangoes 🥭 among the many fruits and veggies in their now evergreen land.
Mosha and his sisters are now part of the new generation with access to school and education, already fluent in English. In 10 years, a mostly barren land is now transforming, with hope and pride.
