The relationship of caring and mutually derived benefits, and the commitment of the Somaiya Group to rural development has led to it playing a vital contributory role in the areas of India's farming and rural communities with which it comes in contact. The activities undertaken benefit the communities in areas of health, education and culture.
The following are some other activities undertaken by Somaiya Grameen Vikas Kendra for the benefit of the rural population:
Nareshwadi Learning Centre (NLC)
Five hundred children from underprivileged families attend Nareshwadi's schools and live on campus. Ninety percent of them come from the local Warli, Kokani, Katkari and Dodhi tribal communities.
Many live in interior villages with no schooling available. The rest are children with single or absent parents, or are from HIV-infected and -affected families. NLC nourishes the physical, intellectual, emotional as well as spiritual development of each child by providing an innovative education, caring home environment and fostering community involvement. NLC is an initiative of the Girivanvasi Education Trust, promoted by the Somaiya Trust.
Jetavan is an outreach project of the K J Somaiya Centre for Buddhist Studies. The project is inspired by the compassion of Ven. Dhammadipa, a Buddhist monk from the Czech Republic and built in partnership Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, the flagship company of the Somaiya group.
Jetavan is a non-sectarian centre that encourages spiritual practice and physical wellness among the local community at Sakarwadi, Maharashtra. In addition, vocational training programmes are also conducted to assist youngsters develop livelihood skills and achieve financial independence. Jetavan reflects our commitment at Somaiya Vidyavihar to underscore citizenship and community service, even as we provide avenues for career building to young students.
The programs are managed by K J Somaiya Centre for Buddhist Studies and implemented together and under the guidance of academic experts from the various institutes of Somaiya Vidyavihar including its institutes teaching Sanskrit, Jainism, Yoga, and Vocational Training.
