Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre

Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre (also known as, in Hindi, Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Paryavaran Shiksha Sansthan) is a non-governmental organization based in Almora, Uttarakhand, India, that works with the state's village communities located in an ecologically fragile zone comprising the Central Himalayas, in fields such as environmental education, women's empowerment, sustainable development, health and livelihood.[1][2] Their work has been supported by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and Ford Foundation.[3]

Founded1987
FounderLalit Pande
TypeNon-profit, non-governmental organisation
Location
  • Headquarters in Almora, Uttarakhand, with representatives in villages throughout the state
ServicesSustainability in ecologically fragile rural areas around the Central Himalayas in Uttarakhand
FieldsEnvironmental education, Women's empowerment, Rural development
Members
c. 500 villages
Websitewww.sevanidhi.org

History

The centre was founded in 1987 by Lalit Pande, an environmentalist and a social worker, with the aim of providing education in remote village communities in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand.[4] In 2001, Uttarakhand Women's Federation or Uttarakhand Mahila Parishad was established by his wife, Anuradha Pande. It is a network of about 450 women's groups in villages spread across the state and promotes gender equality and women's literacy.[5]

Work

The work of the centre is community-driven and initiatives are taken after consultations with the local families in a village. The families are characterised as participants or implementers and not "beneficiaries".[6] In 2018, to combat water scarcity in Pata village, the centre supported the construction of water tanks, after it was suggested by the villagers. The construction work was done by the villagers themselves.[7] Through its educational programme, the centre supports around 300 balwadis, or pre-primary schools, in villages, and has devised school curriculums that encourage practical learning, are specific to hill ecology and respect local knowledge.[8]

Notes
  1. Arora, Payal (May 13, 2016). "Dot Com Mantra: Social Computing in the Central Himalayas". Routledge – via Google Books.
  2. Khullar, Mala (July 26, 2005). "Writing the Women's Movement: A Reader". Zubaan – via Google Books.
  3. "Learning and Sustainability in the Himalayas: A Conversation".
  4. "Village Learning Centres in Uttarakhand, India | UIL". uil.unesco.org. February 28, 2018.
  5. Sharma, Divya; Sudarshan, Ratna M. (July 26, 2010). "Towards a Politics of Collective Empowerment: Learning from Hill Women in Rural Uttarakhand, India". IDS Bulletin. 41 (5): 43–51. doi:10.1111/j.1759-5436.2010.00165.x – via Wiley Online Library.
  6. Joshi & Shukla 2019, p. 49
  7. National Mission on Himalayan Studies - Pata Village Case Study
  8. "A Deodar Or A Chocolate Bar?". Outlook India.

Bibliography
  • Joshi, Priti; Shukla, Subir (2019). Child Development and Education in the Twenty-First Century. Springer Nature. ISBN 9789811392580.
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