Support Girls’ Education "Save a Girl"!

It is a common belief in villages that girls don’t need an education. However, this belief is destructive and misleading not only for the community, but also for the society on the whole. Yuvaraj D Patil from VSM Institute of Technology decided to solve this problem and support gender equality in the community of his village of Nitawade by giving awareness about girls’ education. Yuvaraj admits that in his village people don’t pay enough attention to education for girls, so the LEader decided to address this issue to the residents of his village. For this project Yuvaraj met the principal of the school and with the help of the students organized a protest called “Save Girl”. This protest addressed common problems faced by girls in small villages, including equal educational opportunities. By addressing the issue, Yuvaraj expressed his worries and concern about human rights. Yuvaraj is sure that now people should understand the importance of education for both girls and boys.

Rally for a Clean Lake

Water is our scarce resource and we should do everything to keep it clean. Because of the lack of filtration facilities, it is necessary for residents of Shishunal to keep their lake clean at all times. Roopa Kattimani is an 11^th batch fellow from Susandhi Krishi Chetana (SKC) program by Deshpande Educational Trust who decided to inform the residents of Shishunal and arrange a rally on lack of awareness. It is a sad fact, that many people use lake in Shishunal for their own purposes, such as washing dishes, clothes, vehicles, and buffalos. The water in the lake gets polluted and becomes a source of various health problems, such as allergies, skin irritation and various infections. This kind of water is no longer good for drinking or swimming and it is very bad for the environment. This is why Roopa along with her teammates Amit, Arun, Veena, Subanali decided to take an action and organize a rally. For her project, Roopa along with her team went to the nearby school and asked principal and 25 student to help her. This is how the LEader created awareness among residents in Shishunal and tried to save the environment.

Paper instead of Plastic

One of the most important qualities of the leader is being able to help others and make a change. Thus, Yuvaraj D Patil, a student at VSM Institute of Technology in Nipani developed an environmental friendly approach and came up with the idea to re-use paper. After students complete their studies there are papers and books, which are not going to be used. Usually, students sell paper and get 2 rupees per kilogram. However, Yuvaraj came up with the idea to re-use paper and make envelopes for sale instead of using plastic envelopes. Selling envelopes, students can make up to 10 to 15 rupees per kilogram and safe the environment from excessive use of plastic. For this project, Yuvaraj gathered together all the students from his village of Nitawade. The Leader taught them how to be creative and make envelopes. Although making envelopes was challenging, together students were able to make almost 300 envelopes for sale. After the project was completed, Yuvaraj has realized how many things he was able to accomplish. The plastic use is reduced, environment is preserved, students were able to earn money and gain creative skills.