SVM Monthly Newsletter- May 2022 - Smart Village Movement

In This Issue

Dear Friends,

In April the Smart Village Movement team visited several Indian states on our first SVM Roadshow and finally arrived in Meghalaya – a place that feels like home to us. Our US and India teams together visited the SVM village project sites and interacted with the villagers to learn first-hand about their aspirations and the positive impact SVM pilot programs have brought into their lives. We are thankful to our dynamic team in Meghalaya and every participating company in the SVM ecosystem for their warm welcome and for making these visits possible with such a tight schedule.

We are proud of what we have been able to achieve together and excited to continue to take this sustainable economic model to other states and global markets.Here’s presenting to you the impact we have brought to underserved villagers in Meghalaya with our pilot projects with this short video on Smart Village Movement.

On June 18, 2022, we host our first SVM Benefit Luncheon in Southern California to bring awareness to the cause of rural socio-economic development. Click here to register and see what we have lined up for the event and sponsorship opportunities.

Read on to learn more about the various projects and other updates from us in this May newsletter.

Thank you for your good wishes and support.

Best Wishes,

Smart Village Movement Team India / US

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Team visit to Project Sites

After two years of pandemic travel restrictions and zoom calls across time zones, the SVM USA team meets our dynamic India team and very supportive and visionary Government officials and Nodal Officers Mr. Sampath Kumar, IAS, and Mr. Ram Kumar, IAS.Over the years, we have tried to bring about meaningful change in people’s lives by bringing basic healthcare, education, infrastructural facilities, and livelihoods closer to underserved villages.After in-depth field research to understand rural challenges we brought in Open-Innovation and sustainable business models to facilitate Agri-solutions, Telemedicine centers, Salesforce Education Labs, Farmer Development Centers(FDC), Drone Delivery Systems, Water & Sanitation Solutions, and many livelihood opportunities to the underserved villages of Meghalaya in collaboration with Government and Corporate partners.

To see this entire model from theory to reality is surreal! From a rural challenge being articulated, then powered by Berkeley-Haas’ academic research, a tentative solution is born. Then the innovative corporations are brought in and a sustainable business model is tweaked & perfected for the rural context. It takes a village to build a Smart Village. Check out some of our projects in collaboration with Salesforce Trailblazer Labs for Education, Gramin Healthcare Centres & Apollo Telehealth Centers for Healthcare, and EFresh Farmer Development Centres (FDC) that we visited and engaged with those who benefit from these interventions.

Thanks to the progressive government here that we test & perfect these pilot models & now scale them throughout Meghalaya & other states in India.

Gramin Healthcare Center in Sohrarim

Our first field visit to Sohrarim was to one of our most successful pilot projects- Gramin Healthcare Centre in Sohrarim now scaling to operate 20 more throughout Meghalaya which will bring access to healthcare close to villagers. There are currently 7 Gramin pharmacies operating throughout the Laitkroh block. The strategic placement of the pharmacies ensures easy access and convenience for the villagers. The pharmacy follows a franchise-based model and enjoys digital stock procurement and doorstep delivery – thereby ensuring the consistent availability of medicines for the common public which is also used during health camps organized by the Gramin Healthcare Team.

Salesforce Trailblazer Lab in Sohrarim

The Salesforce Trailblazer Lab in Sohrarim village, East Khasi Hills facilitated by Smart Village Movement in collaboration with Sauramandala Foundation, Salesforce, Curiosity Gym, the Open Door Project, and Project DEFY, began operations in August 2021 with the community showing a keen interest in the activities organized at the lab. Hygge Energy partnered with SVM to provide clean energy powered by 12 KW solar panels.

It was a wonderful experience for our teams to meet and interact with the children, and learn about their projects. Many thanks to the trainers, learning facilitators, and project partners that have made a meaningful difference in the villagers’ life.

The lab has been engaging children of the community by providing open learning and a maker space, 3D printing education, and technology training. With computers and a library filled with a wide array of books in English and Khasi with a special focus on North Eastern literature, along with educational toys, the lab has been engaging children in creative ways. The community also played a part in setting the lab up by actively participating in painting the lab with beautiful murals.

The success of the two SVM Education Pilot Projects in Sohrarim and Nongwah has won government approval to scale to 20 more CM Youth Centers throughout the state.

Apollo Telehealth Center Visit

Several villagers and the entire staff of the Apollo Telehealth Center were present to meet with the SVM US and India teams and engage with Dr. Anil Shah, our Executive Chairman, and an Interventional Cardiologist, who made this healthcare intervention possible. It was a heartwarming experience to learn first-hand how villagers benefit by having the convenience of access to quality healthcare close to them, saving time and money that was earlier spent traveling to faraway urban areas to see a doctor.

Apollo Hospitals, South Asia’s leading private healthcare provider has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, whose services have touched millions of lives around the world. With the Smart Village Movement and the Government of Meghalaya, the Apollo Telehealth Center, a unit of the Apollo Hospitals Group, has started five Digital Dispensaries for the state, leveraging a brick mortar experience with cutting-edge technological solutions for last-mile access.

Positive Public Health Management in Ri Bhoi

One of Smart Village Movement’s Prime Projects pioneered for the first time in rural India is Positive Public Healthcare Management (PPHM). This pilot intervention in partnership with the Government of Meghalaya seeks to raise the health standard and change the mindset of people from disease management to disease prevention. SVM introduced rural healthcare workers and participants in the project to Digital Health Systems with Maya MD and teleconsultation under the project created 43 healthcare parameters relevant to the pilot area were selected with the objective to improve related health indicators. On our visit to the Ri Bhoi District, we met with nurses, doctors, and villagers at the community center and witnessed the entire participant intake process and mobilization program first-hand.

Farmer Development Center in Laskien

One of the greatest challenges faced by small-scale farmers in Meghalaya is the absence of automation, storage, and processing of produce. They suffer low bargaining power due to limited volumes, absence of market linkages to sell their products to a wider national and global consumer base, and effective branding and marketing of one of their most renowned, special resource- Lakadong Turmeric. (Known to be the world’s most potent turmeric at Curcumin levels between 7-9%)

Smart Village Movement seeks to assist and empower farmers with this Farmer Development Center- a one-stop shop for the agriculture ecosystem. “This initiative by Smart Village Movement in partnership with efreshglobal.com -empowering Agriculture, Food Processing, and Food Safety is like a window of opportunities for the farmers in the community”; says, Matilda Shaddap, an entrepreneur of Madankynsaw FDC in Meghalaya. Watch her speak in her own words about the FDC in this video on our Youtube Channel.

Training for Tata Swach Water Purifier

Tata Swach with Smart Village Movement brings low-cost, low maintenance, and user-friendly water purifier to ensure safe and clean drinking water for the masses. It uses unique, advanced TSRF technology along with silver nanotechnology to purify water.

Data Science Course in collaboration with IBM

We’re so excited to share that SVM and IBM collaborated to bring world-class Data Science Online Courses to the students in Meghalaya. The first batch for this course began with their sessions last month. Students completing this course will receive in-depth knowledge of Data Science. With timely assignment submission and passing marks in MCQ Exam, students will be eligible for a Course Completion Certificate, and outperforming students will receive internship offers from the partner organization. Excellent interns will also have a chance to secure a job with the partner organization and have an access to Open Power Systems from the University of Oregon. We wish all the best to all the participating students and hope that they will make the most out of this opportunity.

Internship Experiences at SVM

SVM has had the pleasure of working with amazing interns over the past years. As an organization looking for new ideas and innovations we only believe in creating a space to grow together by learning from each other. Here are our dynamic interns sharing their internship experiences in their own words. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for an internship position, please contact us at careers@smartvillagemovement.org

“Working with the highly driven, but humble crowd at SVM has been an enriching experience. Having suggestions from an ‘intern’ heard, and seeing appropriate ones blossom to fruition is a huge boost to my professional credibility and skill. The most beautiful aspect (if I’m compelled to choose just one), would have to be the organization’s core reliance on out-of-the-box approaches! SVM’s model is the epitome of ‘open-innovation’!”

Jovie is completing his MSW in Human Resources from Christ University, Bangalore. Jovie was engaged in administrative and documentation work in SVM.

“Interning at SVM was much more than focusing on my own growth as it gave me an opportunity to utilize my skill set for the social development of the rural community. I feel privileged to have worked in a positive environment with innovative, collaborative, and liberal people who included me in the decision-making process.”

Persha has completed her BSc. Anaesthesia Technology from Aarupadai Veedu Medical College, Pondicherry. She is now actively engaged in the Positive Public Healthcare Management project with SVM Meghalaya Team.

“It is exciting to intern in the education vertical at SVM where I get to build on my skills and learn about different aspects of the development sector. While promoting the Python Course by Meraki among the school students, I realized the importance of such courses which would build the capacity of students in seeking jobs for a brighter future.”

Emandalyne has completed her MSW from IGNOU, Shillong. She was engaged in several project activities under Education Vertical with SVM Meghalaya Team

“In this tech-savvy generation, digital knowledge is very helpful for the students in learning and upgrading their skills. After having interned at Smart Village Movement, I am looking forward to learning to build partnerships and working with various education stakeholders.”

Ribansuk Khongsit has completed her MCA from Don Bosco University, Azara. She is actively engaged with several activities under Education Vertical with SVM Meghalaya Team

Student Testimonial – Business Innovation &

Analytics Program

“I was happy and fortunate to come across the Business Innovation and Analytics Program at UC Berkeley. Initially, I was scared because it’s a prestigious school and I doubted if I’ll be able to follow up with the skill demanded by it, but the course picks up from the very basics and allows you to grow alongside. Meghalaya is a great use case in terms of challenges and potential. One of the key learnings was to build a business model having the potential to be deployed on the ground. For me, understanding Meghalaya’s geographical challenges was crucial as I was working on the supply chain under healthcare vertical. It required a deep dive into information sources like international developments, news articles, and research papers available. I also had the opportunity to interact with Gramin Healthcare and pitch my findings to them, their feedback and insights paved the way for my advancement with the project. The amount of time our mentors spent with us is commendable. It feels amazing to be mentored by industry pioneers and learn from their insights. It’s truly a lifetime opportunity and I’m happy to be associated with this project. “

Arsalan Sartaj is a 3rd-year electrical engineering undergraduate student from Aligarh Muslim University. Arsalan was one of the students who completed the Business Innovation and Analytics Program 2021, where his project was titled – Healthcare Supply Chain in Meghalaya. His interests are business development, operations management, data analytics, and marketing.

SVM BENEFIT LUNCHEON

On June 18, 2022, we host our first SVM Benefit Luncheon in Southern California to bring awareness to the cause of rural socio-economic development. Join us to learn how we are redefining rural development in India and other emerging markets.

Who Is This For? 1. Corporates and start-ups who are interested in exploring emerging markets and partnering with state governments, SVM facilitates viable and sustainable business models 2. Philanthropists who would like to explore a unique type of charity-giving that brings sustainable socio-economic development 3. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Executives will learn how CSR grants to SVM result in high-impact pilot projects and scaling of successful programs that create employment, rural market access, and sustainable growth. 4. Volunteers who would like to partner with SVM and join our growing team in bringing meaningful change to underprivileged communities in India. 5. Personal growth and self-empowerment enthusiasts.

Our featured speakers:

1. Dr. Anil Shah, a Social Innovator & Philanthropist, Medical Entrepreneur, Interventional Cardiologist and Executive Chairman, Smart Village Movement on our model of Sustainable Rural Development to benefit the underprivileged.

2. Dr. Jitendra Adhia a Master Mind Guru on Power of Your Subconscious Mind. Dr. Adhia is an internationally recognized mind and memory trainer as well as a motivational speaker. Since 1995, he has risen to fame with his ‘Spring of Inspiration’ lectures, seminars, and workshops, which he has been delivering at numerous places all over the world.

Click here to register and see what we have lined up for the event and sponsorship opportunities.

To learn more about all our projects, please visit our Website and join our SVM Platform

Support SVM Rural Development Projects

SVM needs your support- skills, knowledge, and financial donation to help us undertake our various projects on the ground in the rural areas of India.

Every small or big contribution will help us bring crucial development to the rural world that alleviates poverty and connects them to the global economy.

Learn more about our projects and please consider donating. We are so glad you are part of our community and engaged in helping build a better tomorrow!

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SVM is a not-for-profit society with 80(G) certification and is also registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The tax-deductible contributions go directly to fund rural development and empowerment of village livelihoods in pilot areas.

Since 2018 Smart Village Movement has transformed several rural communities of Meghalaya, Andra Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh in our mission to create Smart Villages.

Please access our resources to know more about our activities and impact.

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What is the SVM Platform?

The Smart Village Movement platform provides a digital platform for Governments, Educational Institutions, Business Organizations, and Village Entrepreneurs to come together in a collaborative effort to find innovative solutions in rural communities and build ‘Smart Villages’.

Please sign up and access our platform engage with our movement and help us with creative & innovative solutions. Together we are all ‘smarter’.

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Visit our new website and connect with us on our Social Media to learn more about us

www.smartvillagemovement.org

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