Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre


Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre is a non-governmental organization based in Almora, Uttarakhand, India, that works with the state's village communities located in an ecologically fragile zone comprising the Central Himalayas, in fields such as environmental education, women's empowerment, sustainable development, health and livelihood. Their work has been supported by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and Ford Foundation.

History

The centre was founded in 1987 by Lalit Pande, an environmentalist and a social worker, with the aim of providing education in remote village communities in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand. In 2001, Uttarakhand Women's Federation or Uttarakhand Mahila Parishad was established by his wife, Anuradha Pande. It is a network of about 450 women's groups in villages spread across the state and promotes gender equality and women's literacy.

Work

The work of the centre is community-driven and initiatives are taken after consultations with the local families in a village. The families are characterised as participants or implementers and not "beneficiaries". In 2018, to combat water scarcity in Pata village, the centre supported the construction of water tanks, after it was suggested by the villagers. The construction work was done by the villagers themselves. Through its educational programme, the centre supports around 300 balwadis, or pre-primary schools, in villages, and has devised school curriculums that encourage practical learning, are specific to hill ecology and respect local knowledge.