Suvidha International successfully organized a Run for Water event in Fremont, California

Suvidha International Foundation, a California registered Non-Profit, successfully organized a Run for Water event with 5K and 10K walk/run on Saturday, July 16th, 2022 in Fremont, California State to promote River Rejuvenation water projects in India. Suvidha International Foundation partnered with Art of Living Foundation (AOLF), Overseas Volunteers for a Better India (OVBI) and Silicon Valley Global Impact Rotary Club for organizing this event. Over 200 participants with different ethnicities from the Silicon Valley have participated in the event and had great fun walking or running 5K and 10K.

Suvidha’s representative, Bhaskar Vempati started the run at 7:30 AM with over 200 participants. Mr. Vempati spoke at the Run for Water event proceeds benefit River Rejuvenation Water Projects in India. Mr. Vempati said Suvidha International has been working with AOLF, and OVBI in driving the River Rejuvenation Water Projects in Andhra Pradesh. AOLF and OVBI have been working on water projects since 2013. The details of AOLF and OVBI’s river rejuvenation water projects are available at https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/projects/river-rejuvenation and https://eliminatingwaterpoverty.org/.

The Silicon Valley Global Impact Rotary Club President, Mrs. Dolly Parikh said that both the world and India are facing the worst water crisis for four decades and 54% of the Indian sub-continent has turned into a water-stressed dust bowl with many rivers rapidly drying up. According to the experts, India will be facing an acute water crisis by 2025 if no preventive measures are taken today. To mitigate the water crisis, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has inspired the Art of Living community to revive lost rivers in various parts of India and other water bodies such as ponds, wells, canals and temple tanks. The River Rejuvenation Project, which started in 2013 with the aim to provide a long-term and lasting solution, has revived 33 dying rivers in four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala), benefitting over 3,000 villages to date.

Mr. Vempati said that Suvidha International, OVBI and AOLF plan to raise a cumulative million dollars (~ 3% of project funds) over a three year period: 2022-2025 to help five million farmer families with comprehensive river rejuvenation water, organic farming and tree plantation projects in the six districts of the Andhra Pradesh including Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittooru, Kurnool, Prakasam and Srikakulam. These districts have 500 plus villages. Any individual and group of volunteers can adopt a village for $2,500 to implement a water project. Suvidha International welcomes all to contribute to a water project by visiting their site: http://tiny.cc/suvidha-water.

The proposed River Rejuvenation water projects in Andhra Pradesh utilize a comprehensive and scientific watershed management approach to implement managed aquifer recharge in order to improve groundwater levels and rejuvenate the rain-fed rivers that will bring back the glory of the riverine ecosystem. The project also involves eco-restoration, which includes educating farmers, tree plantation on the river banks, greening the hillocks, and involving the communities to understand the importance of preserving, conserving, and keeping the water free of chemical dumps. The project engages and involves the communities in six districts through trained youth and women volunteer leaders throughout the three-year project duration. The project is going to build 33,000 plus micro structures over four years including boulder checks, recharge wells, recharge borewells, water pools and subsurface dykes.

Many participants and supporters of the 5K Walk and 10K Run appreciated the event and requested Suvidha International to organize several similar events in the Silicon Valley in the future to support the cause. The event organizers including Chetty Garuda, Uday Jarajapu, Dolly Parikh, Bhakta Balla and other distinguished guests have presented trophies to the winners of the run/walk.

Mr. Uday Jarajapu, from the event organizing committee, adopted a village to support the cause. Mr Jarajapu thanked the event sponsors, Shankar Pathi – Realtor & Loan Office and TechNet – an IT Consultancy Company and Mr. Bhakta Balla. Mr. Jarajapu also thanked the participants and all the volunteers, who helped in organizing the event successfully. Mr. Jarajapu especially thanked the local scout masters, Sreevathsa and Archana Japajapu and their scout team, BSA Troop 110 including Sunil Nair, Ranjana B, Archana B, Marissa S, Danita T, Sujata R for their volunteering efforts to support the event and the young scout team that helped the event with participant registrations, distribution of t-shirts and bibs, distribution of water and snacks at aid stations.

Mr. Vempati thanked Karthik Raja and Gregory J Brown for capturing the event pictures. The event organization and volunteering team includes Ramakrishna Talluri, Mini Damodaran, Karthik Raja, Poornima Jarajapu, Pallavi Pershey, Bharani Kuchibotla, Ashok Bolepally, Prudhvi Medapati, Ramya Ramani, Deepak Gowda, Shreya Salagare, Mounika Mudhireddy, Swetha Kusumba, Ram Paleti, Manasa Valipa, Harishitha Ramani, Praveena Ajita Tambe, Shruti Bangad, Supriya Shankar, Sid Roy, and Romesh Trivedi, Neelam Goel, Praveena Talluri, Srikiran Tadikonda, Sunita Dash, Dipak Sridhar, Vish Yelgankar, Srinvas Anumula, Pooja Gupta, Satej Chaudhary, Pravir, and Hari Tirumanadha.

Suvidha International empowers the villages in both the Telugu States by educating children, providing leadership and vocational training for youth and women, instilling holistic health through yoga, meditation, and other healthy practices, creating awareness on health and hygiene, providing organic farming training to farmers, and implementing water conservation projects. Suvidha coordinates with local government officers and elected leaders, and volunteer organizations in implementing the above-mentioned developmental activities.

With the help of state and central governments in India, Suvidha also takes up their village developmental initiatives and executes them. A list of works that have already been completed by Suvidha and other works that are in progress can be looked at http://suvidhainternational.org/progress. Several pictures of completed beneficiaries and service projects are included in the above weblink. For more event pictures, visit Run for Water event link.