Where: Sunderban coastal area near Kolkata, India
Solutions: Biodiversity and nature-based solution, Capacity-building and Renewable energy and resources
Since 1986, VSSU has been working restlessly to conserve the environment and ecological balance at Coastal Sunderban area, they planted 800000+ trees on their own along 140 km road side area. In last year after super cyclone Amphan, Sunderban, the mangrove forest was damaged badly, which impacted ecology and livelihood. To rebuild the Sunderban forest and livelihood they planted 50000 + mangrove trees at L plot, Pakhiralaya, Basanti area adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, hundreds of women, youth got involved for plantation, conservation and preservation of forest.
The women / youth who used to go to the forest for fire woods, honey collection, fish, crab catching are getting involved in constructive forest expansion programme and getting daily wages for their livelihood, collecting floating seeds from river, planting them in their home nursery, growing them and later planting them at the forest area is making their lives easier and women are regularly preserving the environment. In addition VSSU is involved in distribution and selling of Solar home lighting systems at subsidized rate among the tribal communities and improved low smoke cook stove distribution programme. They distributed thousands of cook stove at free of costs, which produce very less carbon comparing the conventional chula oven at the coastal sunder ban area. So they have been planting trees over the last three decades to achieve carbon sequestration and placing emphasis on low smoke chulas and natural resources for the power and light instead of using kerosene, petrol of electricity.
Since 1986, VSSU served more than 2 million beneficiaries at the coastal Sundarbans area through their self-sustainable financial inclusion and poverty eradication programme, women empowerment and education, their skill and environmental developmental programmes. Most of their beneficiaries are women from SHG groups aged 18-40 and youth, they are providing them free education, environmental solutions, solar lighting products, improved chulas, plant to grow at backyard, and financial support to start new businesses.
VSSU is trying their best to reconstruct and rejuvenate natural Sunder ban and its livelihoods, making them responsible and constructive for social and ecological causes. VSSU serving this tribal and underprivileged groups of youth and women through its 15 branches located at the heart of Sunder ban, trying to shift their focus from destructive to constructive missions, previously these countrymen used to go to the forests to break/ collect the firewood for cooking, selling illegally, used to damaged plants/ trees in the name of honey collection. VSSU works daily to fight against the climate changing issues while providing the women financial security, education to their children and work to their husband through their start up loans and plantation programme.
They face a few obstacles, mainly financial obstacles and political interference. However, being a social developmental organization, many people and organizations extended their support to overcome the hindrance. It was also difficult to aware the masses about the climate changing adverse effects and their roles though gradually when VSSU started the programmes involving individuals for their own community benefit people started believing in them and extended whole hearted cooperation.
Photos provided by VSSU
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