Mumbai: Swades Foundation achieved a milestone by completing 200 Dream Villages in Maharashtra including 199 villages in Raigad and 1 village in Nashik, marking the expansion of the initiative. The organisation’s model to progress towards 1,000 Dream Villages aims to lift one million people out of poverty every five years in rural areas.
Swades Foundation Completes Its First Phase
In 2022, Swades Foundation completed its first phase by establishing 75 Dream Villages in Raigad. The organisation is committed to a singular mission of creating a model that can lift one million people out of poverty every five years. As a community-driven non-profit focused on holistic rural development, the foundation is celebrating a new milestone in its Dream Village programme.
A little girl holds up the Swades Dream Village certificate in Nagloli, Raigad |
After completing its first phase in 2022 which saw the establishment of 75 Dream Villages in Raigad, the Foundation has recently completed 200 Dream Villages in rural Maharashtra. Of these, 199 are in Raigad, with one located in a tribal hamlet in Nashik, marking the expansion of the movement into new regions.
What Does A Swades Village Embody?
A Swades Dream Village embodies a comprehensive model of self-reliance, providing every household with clean water, sanitation, stable income via diversified sources of income, and access to quality education and primary healthcare. This transformation is supported by strong locally elected bodies called the Village Development Committees that ensure local leadership and community ownership. Through these efforts, each village fulfils over 40 parameters to achieve the cornerstones of Swachh, Sundar, Swasth, Sakshar, and Samruddh.
In September 2024, Swades Foundation partnered with the Government of Maharashtra to sign a Letter of Intent to establish 1,000 Dream Villages across rural Maharashtra. The agreement was signed by the co-founders of Swades Foundation Zarina Screwvala and Ronnie Screwvala, and Maharashtra Government’s Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, in the presence of Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde.
Statement Of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "The work that Swades Foundation is doing for drinking water, sanitation, education, health, and livelihood development is commendable. Transforming villages into Dream Villages is a significant achievement. Village development should be driven by self-motivation rather than external forces. The community-driven initiatives undertaken by Swades Foundation are crucial as they bring about sustainable changes in rural areas."
“We have taught the community to dream together, to work together towards these Deam Villages. The celebrations are truly a reflection of the community’s aspirations and hard work coming to fruition with our guidance along with the government, donors and partners. We now at a flexion point and look forward to achieving our goal of a 1000 Dream villages in Maharashtra as a model for Rural Transformation across the nation,” said Screwvala.
Statement Of Mangesh Wange, CEO & Director Of Swades Foundation
Mangesh Wange, CEO & Director of Swades Foundation, added that, “Many rural communities struggle with multifaceted challenges, which is why a holistic approach is essential to foster lasting, transformative change. The first phase was an impactful step towards our long-term vision, and we’ve used the insights to set more ambitious goals for the next phase. We are now focused on not only empowering new villages earn this title, but also ensuring that they sustain it and inspire more villages in the vicinity to pursue their dreams.”
