A toilet for Sunita's father
Sunita’s father is elderly and was having to get up several times in the night to go to the toilet. This involved two people helping him, with difficulty, to a piece of common ground on the edge of the village. He now has a toilet next to his house and his life has been transformed.

Nathi gets her Water House
Nathi standing next to her Water House, one of 44 built per year. These provide 2 months’ drinking water supply for a family of up to 30 people. They are filled using the tanker shown which collects drinking water from several miles away.

Eye Camps make a big difference
Khandel light have funded three Eye Camps. Two were in 2001 when 310 people were treated with 16 operations being performed in Jaipur and one in March 2004 when 150 people were treated with 4 operations in Jaipur.

Giant Water Ponds!
Khandel light has funded the building of four giant water harvesting village “Ponds” such as the one shown. These are in Jaitpura, Kamwrasa, Sinodia and Kajipura. They are carefully situated so that what little rainwater does fall drains from 3Km around into the pond. The water table is raised with the intention that the 40m deep water pumps will reach clean drinking water. Unfortunately, as a result of the drought of the last few years, this water is now contaminated with salt and not drinkable. The ponds are dug by hand which takes around 6500 man (woman!) days and are the size of a cricket field!

Emergency Aid
Khandel light has reacts to emergencies within the community as they arise. These four families’ houses were burnt down as a result of a spark in the 45 degree heat. This is not an uncommon occurrence. In this case we provided emergency relief packs containing food, clothing and cooking utensils while the families themselves rebuilt their houses.

Health Workers on the ground
The Charity has now funded a Health Worker (‘Saheli’) in each of 11 villages. They are also called ‘Social Animators’, a term which describes their role well. They provide one-to one education to women, work with groups of women to disseminate educational messages to families, liaise regularly with midwives and help co-ordinate the educational Monthly Meetings, held on the 15th of the month.

Monthly Meetings
On the 15th of every month, except August which is Independence Day, a large meeting is held for villagers with up to 400 attending. These are to discuss future plans and to provide education. Issues such as hygiene, sanitation, family size and relationships with family and neighbours are explored. Only those attending at least 9 out of the 11 meetings per year receive benefits.

Adolescent Girls' Fair
Two “Adolescent Girls’ Fairs” have been organised with around 250 teenage girls attending for a fun day of games, lunch and dancing competitions. These encourage and raise the self-esteem of girls who have traditionally had little or no education and have been destined for an exploitative domestic role.

Catching Vital Rainwater
Khandel light has funded a major field bunding programme. This involves the division of fields into one acre sections by long mounds three feet high and two feet at the base. These prevent the ‘run-off’ of water during periods of rainfall. In addition to conserving water and aiding irrigation this bunding has created much needed employment. In the year 2002-2003 Khandel light employed 135 people per day in this way.