AROEHAN

Recognition instills pride and confidence in individuals and communities, motivating them to continue and expand their work. On June 5, World Environment Day, the 3rd Edition of Asha Kiran Awards was held by AROEHAN in Mokhada to honour the local changemakers of rural and tribal communities. Awardees serve as examples for others, spreading awareness about best practices in health, education, agriculture, and community development.
This year, over 90 nominations were received from across Mokhada. After a rigorous interview process by AROEHAN’s team, 36 individuals and groups were shortlisted. The awards were distributed among ASHA workers, male and female farmers, VHSNCs (Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Committees), Anganwadi centers, sub-centers, villages, schools, and self-help groups.
Dr. Bharatkumar Mahale, a recipient of the individual award, expressed his gratitude and shared that the sonography machine installed at the Rural Hospital through AROEHAN’s efforts is now being actively used, with additional support forthcoming to expand rural healthcare.
The ceremony was concluded with heartfelt words by Anjali Kanitkar, Secretary of AROEHAN: “When AROEHAN was started in Mokhada, it was guided only by a dream. The organization’s progress has been reflected in ceremonies like the Asha Kiran Awards being held on Environment Day." It was emphasized that more work still needs to be done, particularly in waste management, which must be adapted to meet the current needs.
The chief guests at the Asha Kiran Awards 2025 were Prakash Nikam (Former Zilla Parishad President, Palghar District) , Mohan Surve (Trustee, AROEHAN Trust), and Anjali Kanitkar (Secretary, AROEHAN Sanstha).

Greetings for World Environment Day!

True progress doesn’t come at the cost of our forests, rivers, and air. It comes when we build with nature, not against it.

In an effort to equip Anganwadi workers with updated knowledge and practical tools, AROEHAN organized a comprehensive three-day training program from April 15th to 17th, 2025. Held at the AROEHAN office, the training brought together 175 enthusiastic frontline health workers, all committed to enhancing the health, nutrition, and overall well-being of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children in their communities.
The training consisted of six sessions, spread across three days, led primarily by AROEHAN activists. The opening session focused on the care of pregnant women and young children, covering each trimester in detail. Postnatal care was also addressed, emphasizing maternal recovery and newborn health.
Mental health, often overlooked in fieldwork, was brought into focus by trainers. An interactive session included a timed 22-question exercise designed to highlight how confusion and poor decision-making can occur under stress. This opened the floor for meaningful discussion on the emotional challenges faced by Anganwadi workers.
To combat malnutrition-related issues, the frontline workers were encouraged to reflect on why areas like Mokhada and Jawhar are still struggling with the issue. The trainers advised encouraging the consumption of whole foods, pulses, and vegetables and practicing healthy food eating patterns for children and mothers as well, who often neglect their health while taking care of others.
The final session addressed the fundamentals of Anganwadi management including ensuring proper infrastructure, cleanliness, and availability of materials, as well as effectively implementing government schemes. The session stressed the importance of community participation, particularly through stronger engagement and communication with stakeholders.

In collaboration with SIEMENS, a four-day immersive training on Solid Edge and 3D Design was successfully conducted for 11 teachers from Government Ashram Schools in Jawhar & Mokhada. Held from April 8th to 11th, the workshop focused on building technical skills in engineering graphics, isometric and orthographic projections, digital tools, and 3D printing.
Under the expertise of trainer Mr. Shivaji Bhosale from SIEMENS, participants explored sheet types, 3D modeling, and assembly design using Solid Edge. They also gained hands-on experience with tools like Microsoft 365, Arduino IDE, VLOOKUP, Mendix, and more. A major highlight was learning to convert STL files to G-code and printing real 3D objects.
The initiative received support and collaboration from the School staff, the ITDP department, and the Principal of Ashram School in Sakur. Despite a government holiday on April 10th, all teachers attended with enthusiasm, showing a strong commitment to learning and innovation.
AROEHAN extends gratitude to Mr. Shivaji Bhosale for his expert guidance, which made this training a key step towards integrating digital literacy and design thinking into rural education.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity — not just ideals, but a call to action. This Ambedkar Jayanti, let's commit to his vision of society to be mobile, responsive, and just.

In collaboration with UGAM Private Ltd., AROEHAN held a public dialogue on employment guarantee and agriculture schemes at Gomghar Gram Panchayat of Mokhada Taluka in Palghar district. AROEHAN Governance activist Bhalchandra Salve introduced the programme and elaborated on the purpose of the public dialogue as a method for people to convey their queries and problems regarding employment schemes and their rights and entitlements for livelihood. A public dialogue goes beyond the standard awareness programmes and allows people to address their queries and struggles in the presence of key stakeholders of public institutions.

Over 118 labourers from various hamlets of Gomghar panchayat were present at the event. Labourers posed serious problems like not receiving wages for over one and a half year despite the remuneration payment being 15 days only. They spoke about pay difference for the same jobs, receiving Rs. 267 instead of Rs. 297 per day, labourers not receiving wages for over 5 musters, wages and scheme related remuneration being delayed for years.
While the MGNREGA Employment schemes guarantee 100 days of work within 15 days of applying for jobs, the labourers had to protest for several days to receive jobs and gained only 24 days of work. While the scheme specifies giving unemployment payment, that money never sees the light of the day, and they are only retorted with the promise of labour work indefinitely. Due to the bureaucratic system, the labourers who largely rely on daily wages are forced to migrate. They move to the closest suburban and urban industrial areas where they are deprived of basic facilities like healthcare, hygiene facilities, rations, and facilities for pregnant women and the education of children.

Many public representatives and government workers including Tehsil officer, Agriculture supervisor and assistant, Employment Officer, Deputy Sarpanch and Foresters were present at the event.
The government workers and stakeholders allayed the queries of the people and gave some preventive measures for delayed wages, including checking the Aadhar card linkage with bank accounts. Recently, the government started online attendance, which can be an issue in remote areas due to lack of network connectivity, no electricity and unavailability of resources. They also elaborated on new schemes focusing of implementation of orchard cultivation, farm ponds, flower cultivation, etc. They acknowledged the limitations of technology and government system due to which wages often get delayed. While difference in payment amount is a concern, they clarified the wages may differ due to the nature of work; for example, wages for excavation of soft soil, rocky soil, and muddy soil can be different. With regard to the delay in wages, they spoke about the funds being diverted towards already delayed payments for other wage workers, causing further delay for them. However, towards the end of the public dialogue, the list of labourers with delayed wages was collated, and the officers assured to resolve the issue would be resolved as a priority.

This International Women's Day, let us resolve to close the gap for these figures

In a workshop organised by AROEHAN, activists from various organisations and NGOs come together to prepare Mahila Aarogya Haq Parishad - a women's health rights conference held annually. Read more in the link below :

https://aroehan.org/activists-come-together-for-preparation-of-mahila-aarogya-haq-parishad/

In association with Siemens Ltd. AROEHAN held a taluka-level students’ science fair at Adivasi Vikas Bhavan in Jawhar. 16 Ashram Schools from Jawhar and 10 Ashram Schools from Mokhada participated in this event. A total of 52 projects on science, technology, and engineering were demonstrated at the exhibition. The Moderators were invited to evaluate the projects and based on the overall impact, the award prizes were distributed to the top three winners. Along with AROEHAN’s activists, managers, and CEO, the event was attended byJawhar Education Extension Officer, the P.S. Sabha Chairperson, and the Education Extension Officer of Ekatmika Adivasi Vikas Prakalak.
The 52 teachers and 104 students present were also briefed about the ‘Marathi Vigyan Parishad Khelni Programme’. Marathi Vigyan Parishad and Shri Udyan Ganesh Seva Samiti Shivaji Park have jointly organized a Science Festival on 5th February 2025. The event, to be held in Dadar, will allow them to get an immersive experience of miniatures based on concepts of sound, air, gravity, and others. The event is open to all, and teachers and students from the tribal areas were encouraged to participate for better exposure to science-based evolutions.

AROEHAN sends you greetings for the 76th Republic Day!

जव्हार-मोखाड्यातील माता-भगिनींचे अजून किती जाणार बळी ?

संपूर्ण लेख वाचण्यासाठी खालील लिंकवर क्लिक करा -

https://aroehan.org/%e0%a4%9c%e0%a4%b5%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b9%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%96%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a1%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%af%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%b2-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a4%e0%a4%be/