Offering a glimpse into and of the people who have been helped through the Nourishing India program.

India. The country.

India is a country with the world's fourth largest economy and the world's largest concentration of consumers. It is also a country where almost one-third of the population faces nutritional challenges.

CARE project in Kutch, India.

In 2001, CARE entered the Kutch region of India to work on earthquake relief. 

The project evolved into strategies for empowering people to help lift themselves out of poverty.

CARE project in Kutch, India.

Cargill is helping CARE take the project to the next level with a US $2.5 million donation intended for improving the economy, schools, healthcare and services.

Supporting economic development.

For two days, the entire village of Lakhaniya gathered to develop a micro-plan for economic development. They then painted the plan on the wall in the village square.

Supporting economic development.

Traditional embroidery of the Kutch region goes back many centuries. Through CARE, master trainers help women improve the quality of their stitching so their embroidery can qualify for export sales.

Supporting economic development.

A core project of CARE is self-help groups for women. Village women, traditionally confined to their homes, formed groups that pool savings and make micro-loans - an activity seeded by Cargill funds.

Supporting economic development.

Cluster meetings, which involve 19 self-help groups from Kutch villages, are held. Together, the self-help groups can pool their financial resources to provide loans for goats, two-wheelers and other requests considered too large for any single group to fund.

Supporting economic development.

The women know the applicants personally. There is heavy social pressure in the village to repay the loans along with a 2 percent monthly "service fee".

Supporting economic development.

With the self-help women's groups now involved in micro-finance loans, they no longer sit quietly at the back of the room during village meetings.

Supporting economic development.

Three female village leaders gather. The three self-help women's groups now have $4,700 in savings - up from zero just three years ago.

Supporting agricultural development.

Farming in Kutch is on a small scale by Western standards. Farmers milk by hand and one 40-liter milk can may contain milk from 10 families.

Supporting agricultural development.

When the CARE project began, dairy farmers had lost their market because the National Dairy Development Board and other dairies felt it wasn't worthwhile to collect such small amounts of milk.

Supporting agricultural development.

CARE encouraged the National Dairy Development Board to return to the region with the promise of improved dairy production.

Supporting agricultural development.

Hundreds of farmers have seen their income more than double from the resources at the Agricultural Service Center, where they can rent equipment such as plows, lift-irrigation pumps and more.

Supporting education.

Just as important as the economic development, the Cluster groups bring women together to talk and share concerns. As a result, society is changing with girls being sent to school.

Supporting education.

Education for girls is a cornerstone of the Kutch program. When CARE began its work, there were only 17 girls at one of the region’s schools. Now there are 85.

Supporting education.

CARE is working with more than 130 schools and special learning centers to provide a model of what education can be.

CARE project in Kutch, India.

Through the Cargill-supported project in the Kutch region of India, CARE is methodically breaking the cycle of extreme poverty with economic and agricultural development and a focus on education.

Cargill looks forward to efforts in corporate responsibility through Nourishing India as well as its corporate responsibility efforts throughout the world.