Overview

Peermade Development Society is an organization working for the development of the rural community in the District of Idukki in Kerala, India.  Specifically PDS seeks to empower village communities, particularly tribal, women, and marginalized farmers toward sustainable development by conserving and enhancing local resources, having developed several grassroots initiatives and micro economic programs managed by Village Development Councils established in each village.  Programs include Agriculture and Organic Farming, Scientific Farming Research and Development, Community Health, and Professional Development for Women.  The Science and Technology has trained marginalized farmers in the art of eco conservation and organic farming and established a business model that guarantees business for the farmers.  Natural resources such as pepper, spices, and tea are manufactured locally in their factory and then distributed internationally to suppliers such as Whole Foods.

Women enter vocational training programs that educate them in the highly respected field of Ayurvedic organic medicine and treatment.  Partnering with five star hotels across India, PDS has established a partnership for job placement for graduates from the program, providing certified training and permanent professional placement in a safe and thriving environment.

The Need

The Idukki District is one of the least developed areas of Kerala and contains 95% of the total population.  Because of the rural location and the caste systems, many of these people are highly vulnerable to poverty and trafficking.  Without any opportunity for education, women are left with an enormous responsibility to care for their families, but limited means with which to do so.  

Kerala is a beautiful state with abundant resources, yet so many live in abject poverty.  PDS utilizes the rich resources of the land to train village communities in relevant and sustainable work that utilizes both their skills and the inherent richness of the land itself.

The Project

Wellspring International has committed to providing scholarships in Ayurvedic Medical Training for 20 female students.  Through the Ayurvedic System of Medicines, students are trained in nursing and physical therapy.  Medical training, communication, language proficiency, and hospitality management are essential parts of the program.  This training program works together with the Sahyadri Medicinal Plants Conservation Program to promote awareness on medicinal plant conservation and cultivation among the rural population.  Plant nurseries supply seedlings for cultivation to the marginalized farmers and participate in a buyback program that guarantees income for the farmers and supplies medicines to pharmacies.  In this effort 135 species of plants are protected and developed with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Forest in India.

The Ayurvedic Medical Training Program is one year in length, including six months of classroom theory and six months of clinical study, with guaranteed professional placement at the conclusion of the program.  To provide 20 scholarships per year, Wellspring will give a grant to PDS for $30,000 USD ($1500/student).

This will be a revolving fund, meaning the money will continue to cycle back into the program.  Once employed, each student is required to repay their scholarship amount over a three year term.  The funds are distributed directly back into the scholarship fund, providing education and training for another student.  In this way, Wellspring International, Peermade Development Society, and scholarship recipients will continue to work together for the development of the villages of Kerala, with each student essentially paying it forward.