Community Development

Agricultural Training:

DKSHA has always been an adamant supporter of organic farming. All of the produce provided to the children at our own Cornerstone orphanage must be deemed organic before it can be served.

To show our support for organic farmers, DKSHA has initiated the “Farmer’s Club.” The Farmer’s Club seeks to organize and unite organic farms from nearby villages through sustainable cultivation practices and conservation methods.

With close help from DKSHA and the Department of Forest and Agriculture, the Farmer’s Club has also taken action to restore receding forests by planting copious amounts of new saplings.

Female Empowerment:

DKSHA holds itself committed to the empowerment of women. In order for this to be possible, DKSHA has organized over 150 “Self-Help Groups.”

These Self-Help Groups work together to provide job training opportunities and to act as a support system for unemployed women. These Self-Help Groups also work to educate their members on financial responsibility so that they may develop sustainable economic practices. These Self-Help Groups also work to provide groups of young women with similar job training opportunities.

Those identified by the Self-Help Groups are given the chance to undergo specialized training at the St. Joseph’s tailoring school.

Upon completion of their training, these young women are encouraged to join the workforce. DKSHA has helped to build and/or reform the lives of many women through the well-respected craft of tailoring.

Family micro-business

Dalits women and their families are the main focus of our micro-business program. This program aims to prepare these families with the necessary knowledge and/or skills required to start their own micro-business. For example: one of our projects provided a family with an additional source of income through the practice of goat-rearing. Through the sale of goat products such as milk, meat, cheese, hide, and manure; this family was able to achieve economic self-sufficiency.