To our development partners and stakeholders ………… Bani Mandir is a lead partner in the implementation of various programs.  Practically from 1973 onward, it has bit by bit diversified its activities in different fields of welfare and development.

 

BaniMandir gives priority to the destitute children, youth and women but at the same time it accords greater importance to the well-being of the hapless elderly persons. It also sensitizes the elderly persons not to think as obsolete in the society. Bani Mandir always stands beside them.

 

Bani Mandir facilitates the elderly persons to form the Elderly Self-Help Groups to mobilize their meagre savings through the group fund so as to meet their emergency/future needs. It embeds in them a sense of self-confidence that they still can do something and not burden of their families

 

The child-centric programmes ensure child survival, protection and development, with greater gender equality.

 

Bani Mandir has made a positive stride to mobilize rural women from low income-group families into self help groups. It boosts a sense of self-confidence in them and develops capacity to control over their assets and incomes to lead a respectful life.

 

In the following pages, the programmes and performances of Bani Mandir for the financial year 2016-2017 are incorporated

 

Before concluding I extend my thanks and profound gratitude to all our donors and well-wishers whose co-operation and assistance have made it possible to keep our drive on-going.

 

I remain indebted to the members of our Governing Body who have provided valuable suggestions and advices all throughout the year. I extend my heart-felt thanks to all of them as well as all our members, staff and volunteers to work with team spirit.

 

At the outset I recall the words of Swami Vivekananda, “Him I call a Mahatman (great soul) whose heart bleeds for the poor, who feels for them ………………. Let these people be your God – think for them, work for them and pray for them incessantly – the Lord will show you the way”. 

 

I think the words of Swamiji may form the guiding principle of Bani Mandir in its work to the poor and disadvantaged people living in the vortex of poverty, misery and utter destitution.

 

I feel pride to express that Bani Mandir is working as a committed friend to the hapless people who form the most vulnerable groups – children, women, elderly persons, landless and marginal farmers. It is trying its level best to bring not merely quantitative but also qualitative change in their lives and living. Our services are primarily for their well-being.

 

We often say about participatory development. Our target group people feel it’s significant, come forward and join our venture for fostering development interventions in their respective villages.

 

I do hope that all our members, staff and volunteers with their dedication, commitment and zeal will carry on the programme activities in full-swing. Any problem may come on their way. But they must develop capacity to overcome the problem.

 

I take the privilege to extend my sincere thanks to all our donors and development partners for their confidence and trust on us and our work to serve the ‘Living God’.

 

Finally, I convey my hearty thanks to all our members, staff, volunteers and all members of Board of Director’s.

 

In a remote village, Bani Mandir has engaged itself in ‘Karmayoga’ to serve the people-in-need, irrespective of caste, community, gender and religion. Its programme coverage includes children, youth, women and elderly persons.  

 

In its multifarious activities, the children from poor and very needy families occupy a prominent position. The organization emphasizes on raising educational and physical levels of children in a meaningful and lasting way. The beneficiary children who are exposed to formal education do perform better academically.

 

Sitting in remote rural milieu, many children and youth have developed skills in computer application and internet services which they could not imagine before.

 

Both beneficiary children and youth are much conscious of their health and hygiene, the result being les recurrence of diseases in them.

 

Our beneficiary children are more aware of protection from child abuses (mental, physical, sexual, etc.).

 

Both beneficiary children and youth do take up leadership in many group/social situations.

 

Around 5000 women from low income-group families have been brought under the canopy of Self-Help Groups in 31 villages. This drive has developed small savings habit among them. The amount so saved in a collective way through the group is being utilized mainly for their income generation avenues, taken loans from the group fund. Under livelihood support programme, the organization assists very needy families (not in cash, but in kind) to start micro enterprises.

 

Old is not obsolete. The organization has so far promoted 78 Elderly Self-Help Groups. Most of the groups have established cash-credit linkage with local branches of some nationalized banks. From the group, many elderly members take loans mainly for productive purposes.

 

Our team of staff and volunteers are making tireless efforts to organize all these programmes smoothly. They are motivated to give their best to the services of suffering people in our quarter.

 

We are in need of expansion of on-going & new programmes and beneficiary coverage to reach all the 60 villages in our operational area. But we are handicapped with resource crunch. We do hope that more benevolent individuals and funding agencies will come forward to extend their co-operation, moral and resource support for strengthening our mission to serve the suffering people.