AVI annual review 2016 email test

2016
action village india
annual
report

co-chairs message
The last year has been a full one, both for
AVI in London and for our partners and
projects in India. We were extremely sad to
lose John Sayers, who died in November 2015.
He had served AVI as Company Secretary
since 2007 (and temporary Treasurer in 2015),
honourably, reliably and meticulously, and
is very difficult to replace.
Increasing globalisation means that the reality of life for the poor in a ‘rich’ country like India
is forgotten. As this report shows, AVI continues to do a fantastic job of keeping the needs and
rights of marginalised people in India in focus for us in the UK, and providing practical support
to, in 2015, some 50,881 people, through Indian partner NGOs.
We are grateful to all our supporters, volunteers, especially those in Madras Café, our hardworking
trustees, our auditor, Mike Jellicoe and ever helpful payroll volunteer, Jane Swain who together
make the work possible.
Last year’s strategic review provided a sound basis for the three-year Business Plan, setting the
course for AVI’s work in the medium term. It included a staff restructure in the London office,
which has almost been completed.
Longstanding staff members Jaheda Begum and Mônica Britto Vidal left AVI in the spring. We
thank them both for their hard work and commitment and wish them well. AVI’s new Director,
Anna Griffiths, started in post in April, and was joined in July by Kate Osborne, who is coordinating
communications, administration and finance. We are pleased to welcome them both, and appreciate
their work in getting to grips with the organisation. Recruitment for a new Projects Manager is
underway. This post-holder will take over Ivan Nutbrown’s work with AVI’s partners in India
during the coming year. Ivan will continue to work as the monitoring officer for the Disability
Rights Project in Jharkhand to the end of the project in 2018. Ivan has remained with AVI
throughout this transition and we are especially grateful for his crucial role in sustaining
AVI’s work and in the handover. With our renewed focus and new staff team we are
excited about the next phase of AVI’s life in continuing to assist the poorest
and most marginalised sections of communities in rural India.
Thank you for all your support during 2015 & 2016
Caroline Beatty & Paul Bragman, Co-chairs
strategic review
In November 2014, the Management
Committee agreed a Strategic Review was
needed to determine future strategy, given
staffing changes and current political and
financial constraints. The objectives were to
reaffirm the organisation’s vision, mission and goals and provide a roadmap for the future.
Interviews were held by four trustees, during the Partners Forum in March 2015,
with 11 key staff partners and later, in the UK, with 35 supporters.
Our main findings were:
The personal nature of relationships between AVI and its partners has
contributed largely to AVI’s survival and success.
There is a high level of trust between supporters and Indian partners.
We should look to engage more young people and members of the Indian diaspora.
The newsletter and other means of communication need to be improved.
There is a strong voice within AVI for developing rights-based work in India and UK.
There should be more contact with, and visits to, partners and projects in India.
AVI should broaden its network with partners in the UK.
Numbers of social fundraising activities and events should be increased.
Whilst grant aid is important, AVI should revive fundraising from individuals.
The Strategic Review and resulting Business Plan formed a major exercise and we thank all
those who took part in India and the UK. The views expressed were given in a free and frank
manner and have contributed to strengthening our work.
Alan Leather ~ vice-chair
director ’ s message
I am delighted to have joined Action Village India and to be able to contribute my energy into
helping steer the organisation through both an exciting and challenging period. We are working
hard as a newly formed team to implement the Business Plan and forge new avenues of support for
our partners. In July this year I had the privilege to meet them in India. The trip was a vivid reminder
as to why we do what we do. India has experienced unprecedented economic development over
the last two decades and living standards have greatly improved with a sizable emerging middle
class. Yet millions, especially those in the rural, hard-to-reach areas where we work, are left behind.
A third of India’s population still live in poverty and 40% of the world’s malnourished children
are found in India. These are shocking statistics. This is why we continue our work despite a
challenging fundraising environment.
In my short time at AVI, I have been struck by two key things; the depth and integrity of the
organisation’s relationships with its partners; and the strength, bond and commitment of
the many individuals who form AVI’s supporter community.
Thank you for being part of this. I look forward to working with you.
Anna Griffiths, Executive Director

projects overview
2015-16
ASSEFA (Association for Sarva Seva Farms), Tamil Nadu
Maternal Health project working to reduce infant and
maternal mortality and the number of low birth weight
babies in 35 coastal villages.
NBJK (Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra), Bihar & Jharkhand
Disability Rights project, working with 32,500 people with disabilities,
supporting them to apply for disability certificates and to claim their benefits.
Community Action project supporting grassroots groups to deliver vital
local services such as a small rural health clinic, a small tree nursery
and the development of a new Dalit settlement.
Girls’ Education project enables 200 rural girls to complete their secondary
education by contributing towards uniforms, fees and books.
CRUSADE (Centre for Rural Systems and Development), Tamil Nadu
‘Mobilising Local Resources for Development’ project supports women’s development in
160 villages, including health programmes with 2,000 women and their children and enabling
people with disabilities to access government schemes. CRUSADE’s women’s groups are
working with panchayat leaders to develop plans for the development of 70 villages.
Ekta Parishad (Unity Forum), Odisha
Fishing Communities’ Livelihood project supports 28 village fishing
communities to campaign for their rights.
Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (KGSN), Kerala
Organic Farming Project enables 3,200 families in six villages to grow
fruit and vegetables on their small household plots, flat roofs and patios.
Lakshmi Ashram, Uttarakhand
A women’s ashram at Kausani, in the foothills of the
Himalayas, hosts volunteers who wish to learn about
the Gandhian tradition in India.
Ivan Nutbrown ~ Projects Coordinator
In June 2016, AVI’s Tamil partner, CRUSADE
organised a two-day 25th anniversary
celebration at its Pudupakkam training
centre. Anna Griffiths and I participated
in the programme.
Led by its dedicated founder and Secretary, Mr S R
Jothi Ramalingam, CRUSADE has, over 25 years, made
a significant impact on the lives of thousands of
women and their families in Jothi’s native area;
Minjur and Sholavaram Blocks of Thiruvallur District.
CRUSADE’s work has always been guided by the
needs of the poorest and most marginalised
people in its project area.
crusade ’ s 25th
anniversary
CRUSADE started by forming women’s self help (micro-credit) groups (SHGs). This was a new
concept at the time and Jothi found it difficult to persuade women to start groups; but slowly they
did. Over the years, CRUSADE has shown that it can empower women economically, socially and
politically and the self-help groups have provided a solid platform for women in four areas:
Skill training, especially tailoring
Health issues through training volunteers,
village level staff and group members, health
camps, a homeopathy clinic, transport to
hospitals and use of local medicinal plants
Improving housing and sanitation
Participation in local democracy including
working with women’s groups and panchayat
presidents to develop a local plan which
meets people’s real needs
An important step in ensuring the sustainability of CRUSADE’s initiative was SHGs setting
up their own independent trust, the PPI, which now monitors and supports all the SHGs and
enabled CRUSADE to turn its attention to the most marginalised women who are too poor to
join the SHGs, people with disabilities and elderly women.
CRUSADE’s success is largely due to the fact that Jothi is a local person and the key workers and
cluster coordinators are all local women who are known and trusted in their communities. These
strong roots enable CRUSADE to successfully take up issues that are important to women locally.
AVI has supported CRUSADE since 1995 and over that time has been able to see first-hand the
changes our partner has brought to 10,000 people’s lives.

financial
overview 2015-16
Where our income came from (£241,105)
How it was spent (£233,252)
SUPPORT COSTS
£33,883
DONATIONS
£55,982
GOVERNANCE
£8,775
PROJECT EXPENDITURE
£190,594
MADRAS CAFE
£21,500
OTHER
£4,444
GRANTS
£159,179
Direct Support for Rural Communities in India (£169,060)
FLOOD RELIEF (ASSEFA / CRUSADE) 2%
ORGANIC FARMING (KGSN) 5%
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING WHO SUPPORTED AVI DURING 2015-2016:
Big Lottery Fund, CLSA Chairman’s Trust, The Bryan Guinness Charitable Trust, Eleanor Rathbone
Charitable Trust, Miss KM Harbinson’s Charitable Trust, Oakdale Trust, Returned Volunteer Action,
R H Southern Trust, Sevenhills Wholefoods Fund, Souter Charitable Trust, Zephyr Charitable Trust
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the many individuals who have supported AVI, our partners and
our projects during 2015-2016. Your support and membership of this very special community
is invaluable.
Special thanks to David Knock for running a Christmas appeal for
Girls’ Education, David Mitchell and his sons for running the
British 10K London Run and Sarah Jane Straw for running the
London Marathon to raise valuable funds for AVI.
And of course a very big THANK YOU to Sensetrade (Madras
Café) Directors: Bryan Osbon, Halford Hewitt, Liz Crosthwait,
Rupesh Harding and all the Madras Café Advisory Group and their many volunteers.
MATERNAL HEALTH (ASSEFA) 4%
FISHING COMMUNITIES (EKTA PARISHAD) 2%
COMMUNITY ACTION (NBJK) 2%
WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT (CRUSADE) 22%
GIRLS’ EDUCATION (NBJK) 4%
DISABILITY RIGHTS (NBJK) 58%
PANCHAYAT DEMOCRACY (CRUSADE) 1%

disability
rights
Ivan Nutbrown ~ Projects Coordinator
case study
Thanks to funding from the Big Lottery Fund, AVI’s partner Nav Bharat Jagriti
Kendra (NBJK) started a new three year project to continue its work with people
with disabilities in Bihar and Jharkhand.
As the most marginalised people in rural India, people with disabilities are seen as a burden on the
family. There is a huge stigma associated with disability and much discrimination against people with
disabilities. However, through the previous DFID-funded project NBJK found that as people begin to
access their rights, contribute financially and learn to run their own organisations, the views of their
family members, doctors, government officers, media and the wider community change dramatically.
This project will cover 1,200 villages with an estimated 32,500 men, women and children with
disabilities. NBJK will support them as they apply for the disability certificate that opens the door
to a range of government schemes and entitlements, such as free rail travel and a small monthly
benefit, under The Persons with Disabilities Act 1995.
India’s Right to Education Act 2011
is widely ignored in rural areas
not only by schools, which raise
barriers to access, but also by
parents whose negative attitude
towards their disabled children
undermines their potential. So,
one of the project’s main aims
is to enable more children with
disabilities to go to school and
increase their life opportunities
by working with families
and in 500 schools.
It is essential that people come
together to demand their rights
and to overcome ingrained views
on disability. So, groups will be
formed to enable people to share
experiences and to take action in
hospitals and government offices
when claiming their rights.
Vocational training and support
to start small businesses will be
offered to 1,000 people.
Savitri Kumari, age 23
NBJK Disability Project, Bihar & Jharkhand
Savitri Kumari was one of eight children,
the fifth of six girls. She lives in her home
village of Kolgarma, 17 kms away from the
district town. Nearly all the villagers work
on and off the land, as farm labourers or
tending to their own animals but they can’t
earn a living from this all year round. Many
people have to leave for other states to
earn money to send back to their families
for some of the year. Savitri’s father works as a building labourer at other times
of the year – he earns about 4000-5000 rupees (about £50) a month. The family
have a below the poverty line (BPL) card with which they can access some
benefits from the government.
Savitri is physically disabled, and is unable to use one of her legs properly. She went to
secondary school but wasn’t able to finish her studies. Since school she wanted to learn
a trade but was unable to find any opportunity in her village and she wasn’t able to travel
to receive training. She did manage to find people who could train her and asked three
of them to do so but they all refused because she had a disability. She felt hopeless and
couldn’t earn any money to support herself.
Since being part of the NBJK / AVI disability project, a project staff member learnt about
her specific situation and has liaised on her behalf with tailors. Savitri has now found an
experienced tailor to train her and already she is able to earn 2000 rupees a month. She
manages to give some of the money to other members of her family. Savitri has also become
an active member of the local self-help group – the Krishna Disabled Development Group.
She wants to teach her tailoring skills to other members of the group. The project has also
supported Savitri to use her disability certificate to apply for disability benefit from the
government which is now being processed.
Savitri says, “I am very thankful to NBJK.
Disability is not a major problem. People
with disabilities can do any job they want
to. But they do need support from NGOs
and Government to achieve this.”

Mary Holmes
walk for women
fundraiser
Virginia Water is a lovely place - there’s the lake
stretching out into the distance and as you walk
the view is always changing with a cascade, ruins,
temples, a totem pole, a huge variety of trees and
a beautiful stone bridge. Lots to see, but I when
I remind friends about the Walk for Women they
usually ask me, ‘Will lunch be as good as last year?
2015 saw a very successful event with 100 walking,
socialising and relaxing afterwards over a delicious
Indian meal. And what’s more we raised over £2000
for girls’ education and women’s self-helf groups.
How was this done? The answer is Pallavi. She organises
the whole event. By the spring, emails are going out
to AVI supporters and her many contacts.
Why not check the date and come
and join us in 2017?
my
experience
Having been introduced
to AVI as a result of Madras Café it was a great
pleasure to be able to join the team this year,
2016, and engage with supporters old and
new. The energy and enthusiasm that goes into
creating the tens of thousands of delicious homemade
meals each year is monumental. Of course,
Madras Café’s reputation proceeds itself: despite
a new location, hundreds of age-old regulars
sought us out. The team behind the AVI stall also
helped raise £1,357 through the sale of scarves,
bags and the Madras Café cookbook. To top it
all off, this year included a visit from the Hairy
Bikers to award the Madras Café the WOMAD
‘People’s Choice Award’ for a second time.
Kate Osborne ~ Coordinator
madras café
Bryan Osbon
Madras Cafe at WOMAD 2015 proved
yet again to be very successful.
Takings over the 4 days were the best
ever, over £38,000. Approximately
110 people worked in shifts over the
four days, 85 of them volunteers. The
25 other regular workers, The Madras
Advisory Group (MAG), commit not only
to WOMAD & other small events, but
also to putting in significant time over
the 6-7 months preceding the festival,
ensuring Madras Cafe @ WOMAD
is the repeated success it is.
Madras Cafe has shown that numerous
disparate souls can be amiably and
effectively brought together through
delighting both the palates & purses of
several thousand customers. We remain
fully aware, that ‘good value for money’
as well as amazingly tasty food is an
essential part of a reputation we
must live up to each year.
Following a series of meetings in late
2015, Madras Cafe embarked
on WOMAD 2016 with a new
management structure developed
to ensure continuity. The MAG was
divided into teams with responsibility
for particular areas of work. Older
members mentored as they stepped
back from being so acutely involved.
Despite a few hiccups the usual bonhomie
was maintained by all. How often, I ask,
can a catering establishment, where
at any one time there are 6-8 cooks,
5-6 choppers, 6-8 counter staff and
numerous pot-washers, all working
within five metres of each other,
boast so many smiles and hugs
and have queues stretching
far out the door?
chole
( chick
peas )
ingredients
½lb chick peas, soaked overnight
2 tins of chickpeas in water
2 onions, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp coriander powder
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp sodium bicarbonate
½ tsp black pepper powder
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
100ml coconut milk (optional
to mellow the flavours)
Chopped coriander, sliced
tomato & a few sliced green
chillies for decoration
preparation time ~ overnight
chopping time ~ 15 mins
cooking time ~ 20–40 mins
The Madras Café Cookbook
To celebrate the reprinting of the Madras Café
cookbook we are pleased to share a delicious
chickpea recipe with you. What better way to
ward off the oncoming darker nights and colder
days than with a superbly healthy warming chole?
The book is packed full of yummy recipes and
helpful information. To buy a copy please contact
us or purchase directly through our website.
All of the funds raised from the book go to
supporting our work in India. Please do get
in touch with us if you would like to help us
spread the word about the book!
method
1 If using washed chickpeas soak overnight.
2 After soaking, add fresh water, sodium
bicarbonate, ½ tsp salt and boil until tender
(approximately 15-20 minutes). If using tinned
chickpeas, you can skip this step. Ensure you
add water later.
3 Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until
pale brown.
4 Add the ginger, coriander and chilli powder
and fry for one minute.
5 Add cooked chickpeas, water and coconut
milk (optional) and bring to boil.
6 Add garam masala, lemon juice, black
pepper, potatoes and tomatoes and cook
until the required consistency.
7 Decorate with fresh coriander, chillies and
slices of tomato. Serves best with natural yoghurt.

about avi
Action Village India has, since 1988, provided long-term support to
its partner organisations who work to empower rural and marginalised
communities across India. United by Gandhian principles of non-violence
and social justice, AVI continues today to support six key partners,
enabling them to reach thousands of those left behind
by India’s recent economic development.
Staff
Executive Director: Anna Griffiths
Projects and Partnerships: Ivan Nutbrown
Co-ordinator: Kate Osborne
Trustees
Caroline Beatty (Co-chair) / Paul Bragman (Co-chair)
Mary Holmes / Alan Leather (Vice-chair)
Pallavi Modha / Jay Rajani
Andrew Rutherford / Kathleen Siddle
Outgoing trustees 2015: Katherine Crisp / John Sayers
5 Balls Pond Road, London, N1 4AX / t: 0044 (0)207 241 5125
e: info@actionvillageindia.org.uk / w: www.actionvillageindia.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 1118845 / Registered Company No: 6110505
Design: James Larman / jameslarman@hotmail.com