For eight months each year, the families of Jogad Village brave the harsh conditions of the Kutch desert to labor as salt farmers. There, villagers confront the desert's dangers including poisonous animals and the effects of the scorching sun. However, the most pressing issue facing Jogad's migrant workers is their struggle for sufficient water.

In the desert, Jogad’s villagers do not have consistent access to a safe drinking water. Families depend on the water supplied to the region by government tankards; unfortunately, these tankards cannot reach the commune of tents where Jogad’s villagers live. Instead, the community must pay for private vehicles to deliver their water. This expense represents a serious sacrifice for all of Jogad’s families, 95% of whom live below the poverty line.

Even their limited water supply presents issues for Jogad’s families as they lack a means of safely storing the little they receive. Women and children are forced to journey every day between 10-15 km to gather water for their survival. When there is none available, villagers resort to drinking anything they have, contributing to health problems and a loss of productivity.

This project will ensure that 50 of Jogad’s families are supplied with a 200-liter water tank with which they can safely store and distribute water. The funded tanks will be durable, light weight, and rust proof. They will not require serious maintenance and villagers will be able to easily transport them back and forth from the desert. Become the Citizen Philanthropist for this project and partner with Jogad’s salt farmers to ensure 50 families are able to safely store the water they need to meet their basic needs.

The impoverished village of Jogad is situated along the Kutch desert in Gujarat’s Surendranagar District. Life for Jogad’s 1,350 residents is centered on earning a limited income as salt farmers. Every year, 95% of the village’s residents migrate to the nearby desert where they remain for eight months to labor in the saltpans.

During these eight months, families are protected from the desert’s harsh conditions by little else than makeshift, burlap tents; they do not have access to the resources to meet their most basic needs, including electricity and a stable, safe water source. To gather fuel and water, villagers must walk between 10-15 km every day. Long-term exposure to this bleak environment results in serious health issues for many of Jogad’s villagers, forcing many to lose precious hours of labor while recovering from illnesses.

In return for these sacrifices, Jogad’s families receive limited pay. Even during the four months a year when they are not living in the desert, villagers face constant financial struggles as a result of the limited opportunities available for unskilled labor. Few can afford two meals a day and 95% of Jogad's families are left living below the poverty line.

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Direct Impact of Your Project

• Ensures 50 families have access to safe, clean drinking water every day
• Improves the health of Jogad’s villagers by decreasing the incidence of water-borne diseases
• Enables salt farming families to dedicate their time to earning an income rather than gathering water or recovering from preventable illnesses
• Allows 300 people to more easily endure the harsh conditions of the Kutch desert

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

• Improves the income-earning potential of the Jogad community
• Encourages communal harmony by providing the means of families sharing rather than competing for resources
• Demonstrates the importance of cleanliness in maintaining the health and productivity of the community