The Trophées de l'étranger, a breathtaking journey!
The 12th edition of the Trophées de l'étranger, organized by petitjournal.com on March 19, 2024 at the Quai d'Orsay, highlights the tremendous talent and dynamism of French communities abroad by rewarding six winners with remarkable career paths (from over 500 entries).

Benjamine Oberoi was rewarded for the social impact of all the actions carried out with OFI in collaboration with local NGO partners, particularly the empowerment of women through self-help groups and micro-credit.

 

Given the progress of digital technology and its increasing importance in everyday life, within our different NGO partners in Tamil Nadu, such as SEVAI, GRAMIUM, and HUT, we have established computer centers to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban populations. These centers play a crucial role for young people by assisting them in their job searches. For women, they provide the opportunity to expand their skills, particularly in managing their businesses, as part of our SHG/JLG programs. OFI will continue to implement these programs in 2024 to reach a maximum number of students and women throughout Tamil Nadu.

The end of the year 2023 has been marked by the accomplishment of many of our projects focused on education and childhood. For instance, SEVAI Shanti School has been able to purchase two new school buses, enabling the transportation of 160 students from remote villages. This project, called "The Paths of Knowledge," aims to re-establish student transportation, thereby reducing school dropout rates. With schools having been closed for 2 and a half years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the older buses were damaged and couldn't be repaired, leading to the inability of students living farthest from the school to return.

This month, thanks once again to your donations, a new project was born: the “Smile mission” within the Shanti School of our partner SEVAI. Funds were raised to purchase oral hygiene kits: kits consisting of a toothbrush and toothpaste contained in small bags for transport. These bags were notably sewn from old masks used during the COVID period. The “Smile Mission” will benefit 131 kindergarten children. Agathe, a volunteer in civic service in this school, will be responsible for teaching the appropriate gestures, both simple and sometimes complicated, to these children who do not necessarily have parental figures allowing them to reproduce these gestures. Thank you again for making this project possible!

At our partner NGO – ICOD in West Bengal, we have successfully completed the first phase of the roof construction project. The objective of this project is to create a safe and adequate environment for the residents and also to obtain the necessary permits for the continuity of ICOD's actions.

The new concrete roof construction will also meet the Indian building standards. The roofs will replace thatched roofs that are more vulnerable to climate change.

The project is starting with 2 houses - Tagore Bhavan: A home for the Old and unwell Woman  at Mother Teresa Bhavan:

A home for the intellectually and physically disabled Women.

As part of our efforts to reduce the CO2 impact, we are creating Miyawaki forest at our project sites in Tamil Nadu, India. Over the months, around 6000 trees have been planted as part of this afforestation Program. Miyawaki method of afforestation is a method of growing dense forests on small patches of land. These forests grow much more quickly compared to a conventional forest that may take over 100 years. And as part of this, our partners plant a diverse mixture of trees close together to maximise density and create balance. Through this method, it restores native habitats using native trees.

7 volontaires de OFI et de ses partenaires (SEVAI, ABC) se sont rendus à l’Alliance Française de New Delhi pour célébrer la journée du volontariat Français le 07 octobre 2022, organisée par l’organisation France Volontaires. 18 volontaires français.e.s sont venus des quatre coins de l’Inde et une centaine de personnes ont participé à cette journée.
Les volontaires français et des étudiant.e.s indien.ne.s ont partagé leurs expériences lors de tables rondes. Des sujets comme l’interculturalité, les apprentissages et le volontariat de réciprocité ont été abordés. En cette occasion, les volontaires ont célébré le volontariat comme un moyen de réaliser les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD), au coeur de l’agenda 2030 de l’Organisation des Nations Unies (ONU) pour vivre dans un monde de paix.

La construction de 3 nouvelles salles de classe ainsi que de toilettes et d'un bloc cuisine à l'école de Bichandarkoil de notre partenaire SEVAI (avec l'aide de la Fondation Raja) a commencé.

L'école est située à Trichy dans le Tamil Nadu. Les enfants de cette école (100 enfants âgés de 3 à 10 ans) sont des Dalits, des Tziganes et autres communautés.

Le projet comprend la démolition de l'ancien bâtiment et la construction de nouvelles salles de classe, offrant ainsi des conditions d'apprentissage plus sûres et meilleures aux enfants pauvres. Des dispositions seront également prises pour la construction de salles de classe supplémentaires dans le futur.

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Busy Bees est un programme d'apiculture de l'ONG Issai destiné à 40 femmes de villages tribaux dans la région de Dindigual. La production de miel est adaptée à ces populations qui n'ont pas de terre. D'autres projets avec la création de groupes d'entraide sont prévus.

En avril 2022, l'équipe OFI a rendu visite à ses partenaires du Tamil Nadu. Ce fut l'occasion de constater les impacts positifs des réservoirs sur la population locale. Nous avons pu également nous entretenir avec les bénéficiaires de nos actions et comprendre plus en détail le fonctionnement des groupes d'entraide (SHGs). L'équipe a eu la joie de constater que les réservoirs étaient pleins malgré les fortes chaleurs. Le niveau élevé de la nappe phréatique est très encourageant et est un témoignage que les projets que nous soutenons ont un véritable impact dans la durée. 
 

Au cours des deux derniers jours, l'équipe OFI a également visité des projets sur la côte du Tamil Nadu.

Many of our schools and secondary education institutions have been affected by floods and cyclones in West Bengal. We are therefore, in particular for one of our projects in Marakona, doing the renovation work on the classrooms affected by the floods

Over a year ago we launched the Busy Bees project, and after a year of activity we can say that it has been a great success. Since the project began, 104 beehives have been donated to 52 women. This beekeeping project enables these women to supplement their families’ income by spending just 30 to 60 minutes a day. Moreover,  the investment and costs of beekeeping are lower.

One beehive produces 8 liters of honey per year, with 1 liter worth 500 INR (€5,45). This means that families can earn an additional income of around INR 4,000 (€43) a year. With 2 beehives each, the families receive an additional income of INR 8,000 (€87) per year. The women use the money they earned to reinvest in beehives.

The monsoon rains filled our reservoirs/tanks in Tamil Nadu. These are tanks maintained by our NGO partner Gramium.

Dream India Network  (A long time partners of OFI) are happy to announce the opening of St. Ignatius School under the Back to School program. St. Ignatius School is located in Begur in the outskirts of Bangalore and welcomes children from migrant communities. This project is the result of a close collaboration between OFI, DIN and Vonisha Foundation. St. Ignatius School runs in a rented premises which was renovated to accommodate all the children from  Bridge School and the students who can go back to a regular curriculum. Currently, more than 200 children between the ages of 5 and 14 are availing free education under this program.

Schools (grades 9-12) and colleges in Tamil Nadu will reopen from September 1, 2021.

Sevai Shanthi School is preparing to welcome students after a long break. COVID protocols will be strictly followed within the campus. All staff have been vaccinated

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and access to sanitary napkins is a basic necessity for women. To tackle the lack of access to appropriate menstrual facilities and awareness of menstrual hygiene and health in rural areas, OFI launched a #MHM project at SEVAI Shathi school.

In the first phase of the program, free reusable sanitary napkins are distributed to girls in rural areas. Training sessions are conducted by volunteers and teachers to educate adolescent girls about the importance of using sanitary napkins and hygiene.

Objectif France Inde has always been at the forefront of promoting organic farming through our SHGs in Tamil Nadu. Recently, SEVAI facilitated a workshop on agriculture with “Panchagavya”. It is a biological product and has the potential to play the role of promoting growth and providing immunity to the plant system. When properly mixed and used, they have miraculous effects.

Thousands of people became homeless after the very violent cyclonic storm Yaas hit the west coast of Bengal in late May 2021. It happens at a time when India is already struggling to cope with its Covid-19 pandemic. Rural homes and farmland have been hit hard. Our partner, Asha Bhavan Center (ABC), was at the forefront of the relief activities. ABC distributed dry rations and baby food to those in need.

These are recent photos from the villages of Molapudiyanoor and Kosur in Tamil Nadu where 2 of our watershed projects are being implemented as part of OFI's #LetsCultivateDevelopment initiative. Once a dry and arid land, these areas are now teeming with activities. A healthy watershed provides drinking water, provides food, conserves water, and enables healthy soil for crops and livestock.

The second wave of the COVID pandemic has hit India very hard. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are not exempt. Like last year, OFI and its NGO partners Gramium, SEVAI, HUT are actively involved in relief activities.

Our new project in association with Gramium and SEVAI, aims to promote rural development through economic activities based on agriculture. It includes the rehabilitation of hydraulic infrastructure, water and soil conservation, reforestation, drinking water infrastructure, animal husbandry and training for women.

The project - Water for life II, is funded by Alstom Foundation and extends the initial “2020 Water for life” program.

A bigger and more spacious living space for the children of Christic Foster Home. It is managed by Sr. Daisy and supported by OFI as part of the “Small Home, Big Dreams” program in partnership with Dream India Network. The house can accommodate 8 boys aged 5 to 10 years old. The project takes care of their education, food, and accommodation.

Our #educationforall projects supports disadvantaged children with free education, food, and shelter. Here, the children of Christic Home are having a great time n the playground. This Project is implemented by Dream India Network, in Bangalore and is supported by Objective France India – OFI

The SHGs had a bumper harvest this year after good rains. All the village reservoirs are filled with a good monsoon and the water tables are replenished.

With SEVAI and Gramium, Objectif France Inde - OFI supported several watershed projects in 2020 which produced excellent harvests.

The newly opened training and production center managed by Gramium Trust started operations recently. When fully operational, the center will train 100 women each year and provide employment for 60.