Chili Night for Kapurashi Village
by Dan Morrison
Thursday October 9, 2008 at 10:18am, EST
Kate & John are retired teachers from Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, IL. They have dedicated their lives to teaching English, directing community theater, coaching wrestling, and mentoring students well after graduation. They have remained dedicated to service after their teaching years and were looking for an opportunity to both give in a meaningful way and bring together their old friends and colleagues around a common cause. Through 1Well, they decided to partner with Kapurashi Village and raise $8,500 for water, sanitation, and land development projects through a Chili Fest.
Kapurashi is a farming village on the border of the Thar Desert. It is a dry and semi-arid region the relies on rain for water, leaving it very vulnerable to drought and equally susceptible to monsoon floods. The village has very little infrastructure, therefore suffers from lack of water, poor water quality, and poor sanitation. Farmers struggle with their yields because they do not have the infrastructure to maintain proper moisture levels in the soil.
Kapurashi Village, with the help of the Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA), put together a village development plan that identified and prioritized the high need projects that would have the broadest and highest community impact. The plan included repairing a well, installing roof rainwater harvesting tanks, building sanitation facilities, building agricultural ponds, and training farmers on sustainable techniques. Together, these projects will provide a more reliable source of water for the villagers and the farmers, improve sanitation and reduce the outbreak of disease. While Kapurashi had a the labor, land and desire to implement the plan, they lacked the $9,000 to do the work. Enter Kate & John.
Kate & John knew of 1Well and saw it as an opportunity to make a connection with a community in need of a partner. They did not want to just give a donation to an organization, they wanted to take control of their giving experience and establish a strong connection with the community to whom they gave. They also wanted to use this giving opportunity to connect with old friends and get them involved. They probably had the $8,500 Kapurashi needed, but they felt it was more worthwhile to involve their friends, and felt that a few of their friends would not only give to Kapurashi, but may partner with Kapurashi on another project - further deepening the impact and relationship they had established.
On October 5, 2008, Kate & John brought together 100 friends for a Chili Fest at beautiful Lake Katherine in Palos Heights, IL. Each person donated $50 to Kapurashi and sampled chili from the four contestants. After some debate over election fixing and voter fraud, John (the host) won by a landslide. A silent auction included wines from all over the world, art from local artists, weekend stays at the Long Dell Inn (Kate’s B&B in Cape Cod) and vacation homes, and other items donated by the community.
By the end of the night, Kate, John and all their friends had reached their goal. 1Well has sent the funds to SEWA in Gujarat, India and the work has already begun. The villagers of Kapurashi are hard at work and implementing the plan they developed to improve their quality of life and build a foundation from which they can improve their farms, start businesses, educate their children, and achieve self-reliance.
1Well and SEWA will be working with Kapurashi to track their progress and measure the impact of this project. Kate & John will be able to update their friends for years to come on the impact they had by coming together one beautiful night in Palos Park, IL. And hopefully, 1Well will facilitate the lasting friendship between Kate, John and their friends with the people of Kapurashi Village.
