From normalising periods to solving irrigation woes of farmers, the top social stories of the week

This week, SocialStory covered some interesting personalities and NGOs.

A Rotary Club member, Srinidhi SU, has been working to break the taboo around periods since 2018. Meanwhile, Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation shed light on its processes and projects with the government and about its Rs 100 crore mission.

Top stories from this week:

This Bengaluru man is working towards normalising talk around menstruation

Srinidhi SU from Rotary Club of Bangalore, Seshadripuram, Karnataka, is one of the six global Rotary People of Action: Champions of Girls’ Empowerment who has been honored for his efforts to address women’s health concerns.

In an effort to break taboo around periods, Srinidhi has been working towards the betterment of women’s health and encourages men to discuss menstruation. Since 2018, he has devoted himself to the health needs of women and girls in his community. 

How World Vision India is solving irrigation woes of farmers in Nagpur

In India, several farmers still struggle to arrange adequate irrigation for their crops. Water resources are often limited, and water for irrigation must also contend with increasing industrial and urban needs.

Supporting farmers in this regard is World Vision India (WVI).

The organisation — which introduced a livelihood development and water management project in Nagpur — provides marginal farmers in villages with the necessary assistance to switch to solar irrigation pumps to meet their irrigational demand through renewable energy applications. 

From Tulasi Gowda to Harekala Hajabba: 6 inspiring stories of Padma Awardees 2020

The official ceremony of Padma Awards for the year 2020, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was held on November 8 at Rashtrapati Bhavan where President Ram Nath Kovind presented the awards to 119 recipients, of which about 30 belonged to the field of social work.

One of the highest civilian honours in India, the awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan, distinguished service of higher order, and Padma Shri, for distinguished service.

SocialStory combined a list of some of the inspiring stories of Padma Awardees in the field of social work.

From working with the government to implement policies at grassroots to supporting problem solvers, this foundation is on a mission

Philanthropic donations in India come from four sources mainly - domestic corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, smaller retail donors, overseas corporations contributions, and family donations.

Taking this a step ahead is Gurugram-based Veddis Foundation. Started as Letz Dream Foundation in 2006, Veddis invests in organisations working at the intersection of technology, policy, and impact. The foundation works directly with the government on effective public service delivery to create social change.

By taking an evidence-based approach to supporting institutions doing radical work, Veddis hopes to bring analytical rigour and a collaborative spirit to philanthropic investments, so as to also achieve measurable outsized impact.