Sanjay Dave

A childish mistake, a "dare" at the age of 5, left him bereft of all his limbs. For 10 years after that, Raja was not allowed to step out of his house. Now, he not only goes to work everyday, but earns well, lives on his own and is completely self-reliant. Once a grateful recipient of a scholarship that helped him complete his studies in Finance and MBA, he is now a giver of scholarships and also participates in policy making. Can anything better illustrate the impact made by persons with disability if given half a chance in our society?

It can be seen from the examples below that when residents and stakeholders in a community come together to solve an issue, the results are not only positive, but also long-lasting. Here we learn of ordinary citizens and local NGOs who inspired people in their areas to keep their surroundings clean and free of diseases.

Continuing our water series this week, today we profile a few remarkable people and organizations who have turned around several villages in Gujarat, a largely arid part of the country, into fertile agricultural land. This article demonstrates nicely what can be achieved when government agencies, non-governmental organizations and local governance bodies like water committees can work together and inspire community-level participation and ownership.

There are several people our society does not accept willingly. The leprosy-affected and the mentally handicapped are some of them. Imagine an entire village dedicated to them, where they can live freely and without prejudice, and receive loving care and attention from dedicated staff. This is what Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust in Gujarat attempts to achieve.