Swa Se Bane Des: How Swades Foundation transformed lives of people in rural Maharashtra

Swades Foundation, started by Ronnie and Zarina Screwvala has significantly transformed the lives of Maharashtra’s rural communities since 2013. The duo started their journey in philanthropy with SHARE (Society to Heal Aid, Restore, and Educate) and renamed it as Swades Foundation in 2013. The non-profit has reached out to 2,700 hamlets across Raigad and Nashik districts in Maharashtra.

In this episode of "Swa Se Bane Des," produced in association with Republic TV, panellists discussed how Swades focuses on holistic development of Maharashtra's rural population and covers all aspects of individual and community development using the unique "4 E" strategy of ‘engage, empower, execute, and exit’

The episode is hosted by Republic TV's Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy and panellists include Swades co-founders Ronnie and Zarina Screwvala and Mangesh Wange, the CEO. The panellists discuss the establishment of and the journey of transforming lives of Maharashtra's rural communities.

Speaking on the ideology of the Foundation, Ronnie said, “With Swades, we want to make an impact across everything that affects people's lives (in rural India) - with the holy grail being livelihood."

The idea of ‘Samrudh Kutumb’ governs the empowerment process, said Mangesh Wange. “It means ‘prosperous family’, which is wholly designed to cover all the aspects of the development. The transformation starts with understanding the challenges of the rural people based on their resources and their situation."

Speaking of an idea very close to her heart, Zarina elaborated on the concept of the Dream Village - Swades’ gift to India on the occasion of the country’s 75th year of Independence. "It is a village of their dreams and our dreams. A village where the people are empowered to take charge of their own lives.” In order to drive change from within the community, Swades helps create the Village Development Committee - a group of self-motivated individuals and representatives from the village who take on the mandate of bringing about transformation. “To ensure inclusivity and fair representation, we have an equal number of men and women in these committees.”

The foundation’s intervention has helped villages gain access to water, individual toilets, assisted with everyone getting an Aadhar card or a bank account, helped communities with access to better health care and in some cases free cataract surgeries, child cardiac surgeries etc.

Maharashtra's deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, also joined the show to congratulate Swades Foundation for its developmental initiative. Fadnavis said the foundation has taken important steps towards PM Modi's "Atmanirbhar Bharat" and "Swachh Bharat" dream. "To make India independent, it is important that our rural areas be fully developed, and Swades Foundation has taken steps towards creating an "Atmanirbhar Bharat." Swades has in fact, signed an MOU with the Maharashtra government to build a 1000 Dream Villages.

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan also joined the panel to praise the work that the Swades Foundation is doing. "I really admire Ronnie and Zarina for the absolute passion with which they started and are committed to Swades." She said, "Swades initiative is a 360- degree holistic model that addresses health care, education, water, sanitation, and livelihood, and the core of it is sustainability." She noted that how the foundation through water and sanitation impacted over 2 lakh lives. Notably, the foundation has also transformed the lives of over 1.3 lakh children across schools, colleges, and anganwadis by ensuring that their learning is holistic, fun, and empowering.

When asked whether Swades Foundation will expand its initiative to other places, Mangesh said the journey in Raigad is almost complete and Nashik is a work-in-progress. “Simultaneously we are evaluating a few more districts in Maharashtra and adjoining states including Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat as well.”

IMAGE: Republic World