Our Programs / Publications
Since 2007, Jeevidha Foundation has been working towards environmental and wildlife conservation through education and awareness initiatives. The organization has been consistently conducting various programs in Pune and surrounding villages.
As part of this ongoing work, environmental awareness activities are being conducted for the children of construction workers in Pune in collaboration with TARA Mobile Creche. Through such efforts, Jeevidha received another significant opportunity.
Jeevidha Foundation was entrusted with the responsibility of training various groups working at different levels for nature and forest conservation in Dantewada, Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. The training included the following groups:
- 1. School teachers – to impart environmental education to children
- 2. High school students
- 3. Forest Protection Committees – working village-to-village for forest conservation
- 4. Local youth guides – for wildlife identification, tourism, and conservation
The training program was organized from 6th to 11th December 2025 at the district center in Manjhipadar village, Dantewada, with the support of Banphool Parivar. Volunteers from Banphool Parivar also actively participated.
Dr. Ramchandra Godbole and Sunita Godbole have been living in Bastar for 37 years, providing free medical services to eradicate malnutrition among tribal communities. At the age of 28, Dr. Ram Godbole was sent to Barsur village in Dantewada district, where a health center had remained closed for a long time. That place became his permanent workplace. Before moving there, he married social activist Sunita Puranik, who was actively involved in women’s empowerment and literacy movements, and together they began their lifelong service mission.
This year, the Government honored their selfless service with the prestigious Padma Shri award.
To expand their work into education for tribal children, they founded Banphool Parivar — “Banphool” meaning a flower of the forest, symbolically dedicated to tribal children living in forest regions. They invited Jeevidha Foundation to conduct environmental education training for various groups in the Dantewada region.
Dantewada is a hilly, forest-rich region primarily inhabited by the Gond and Halba tribal communities. Their culture shares a deep and intrinsic bond with nature. Keeping local environmental issues and needs in mind, the training modules were specially designed.
The sessions went beyond lectures. Environmental concepts were explained through games, drawing activities, videos, and photographs. The level of training was tailored to the comprehension abilities of each group. Participants were introduced to local biodiversity, including identification of plants, animals, and birds. Notably, the names of these species in Gondi and Halbi languages were documented with the help of trainees.
The program also included discussions and interactive sessions on waste management, plastic pollution, water issues and their solutions, waste segregation, sustainable use of natural resources, and responsible tourism. A field visit to a sacred grove (Devrai) was conducted as part of the environmental study.
The training in Dantewada was conducted by Rajiv Pandit, Shivangi Joshi, and Sangeeta Joshi.
Educational materials and training modules were prepared by Vidya Ghugari, Preeta Nagnath, Sangeeta Rathi, Vrinda Pandit, and Neelam Page.
The training successfully instilled awareness among all participants about the need for thoughtful measures to maintain environmental balance.
This initiative is an effort to preserve forests, wildlife, and the rich heritage of local tribal communities.
However, travel, educational materials, training modules, and local coordination required significant financial resources. Responding to Jeevidha Foundation’s appeal, many generous donors extended financial support. With their cooperation, this educational project was successfully completed. Jeevidha Foundation expresses heartfelt gratitude to all donors.
This is just the beginning.
If environmental conservation efforts are to be effectively strengthened in the Bastar region, such training programs must continue regularly. Jeevidha Foundation is ready to take on this responsibility. With sustained financial support from society and greater volunteer participation, this work can certainly continue in the long term.
This is a two month course to introduce the biodiversity of India. Wild mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, plants, origin, evolution, conservation, climate of India, topography etc. are covered in this course. Classroom lectures are supplemented with field trips.
We counselled children about Nature, Environment and Lifestyle.
This activity had taken place at high schools at Kanhephata for 3 years, in Chakan for 2 years and in Talegaon 3 high schools for 2 years.
Outcome of such activities
- 1. Children became aware about the connection between their lifestyle, nature and environment around.
- 2. Students constructed small dams using local raw material, and absorbed the water in the soil.
- 3. Students even developed Backyard gardens over the water wasted from kitchen, they grew vegetables, medicinal plants and fruit bearing plants.
- 4. Children eat various types of Ranmeva during the summer season, they saved the seeds, grew its saplings in backyard and later planted nearly 500 plants in the hilly area.
A village level biodiversity compendium is prepared in view of conservation, amplifyand informed use of local resources thereby they can have better choice staying in their own village. Gramkosh activity designed for children of 10 to 14 years ( 5 to 7 std).The children are guided on collecting holistic information of their own village which includes biodiversity related information, Social – Economic Status, Wild Flora & Fauna, Water availability, agriculture, cleanliness & Health, Pet animals etc.Children do collected information In the process they are sensitized on caring and nurturing for these resources.
Through this progrmme children not only learnt about their village but also enrich their learning skills by interviewing old people, collecting information independently, extrapolating and presenting it in their own words.
Gramkoshprogramme implemented in some villages where the students realized the avenue of amplifying natural resources by planting the tree on hills around and restoration of streams. In one of the villages children understood the part where the water is available only in rainy season there they decided to plan trees and for that made nursery on their own by collecting local funds.
school gardens can established in consultation and participation with school children. While doing plantation, indigenous plants which are medicinal, fruit and flowering can be selected. Only human needs will not be catered through these plants but will take care of birds, small insects like butterflies, moths etc. Bio degradable waste disposal pits can be developed with earthworms in it. Along with this children can engaged in discussions related to concerns and issues related to their immediate environment. Based on that many of them can volunteered to develop kitchen gardens, do plantation, and in water conservation.
School garden programme develop in 10 villages. Selection of school is important if the students from various villages are coming पंचक्रोशीतील अनेक मुले येत असतील तर त्या सर्व गावांपर्यंत हा विषय पोहोचतो
Awareness, sensitization sessions towards the ecological resources and environment followed with environmental friendly doable actions can be conducted at select schools and organizations.
- 1. A lecture series organized in many schools like Gyanprabodhini, new English school, Aksharnanadan, rotary and lions club etc took benefit of this programme.
- 2. Bi monthly lectures series organized to sensitize the citizens of Pune on various topics such as ecosystem, geography, geology and bio diversity etc
- 3. HirvaiMahostav (Native plantation awareness) this programme is organized with aim of encourage interest of public in plantation of native plants. This includes exhibition, lecture series and free distribution of native plants
- 4. Exhibitions on hornbill, grass land, earth science is offered by the organization to sensitize the masses. This exhibition includes series of posters, models, films and lecture series. In Pune city around 10000 visitors visits these exhibitions along with the schools. Geological society UK noted Jiidha’s earth science exhibition as an important event of international earth science week.
Under this activity some half day study tours in Pune area and some one- or two-day study tours outside the village are organized. The purpose of these trips is to provide information about plants, birds, animals, insects and landforms. These study tours are organized with the aim of studying nature while surrounded by nature and also to see environmental conservation projects set up by people or organizations. The main objective of this activity is to get motivation to carry out environment friendly activities at individual level. Participating in forestation projects, collecting indigenous plant seeds are also done through this group.
Activities in Rural Area :
With the help of students we planted Medicinal Plants and other fruit bearing plants for kids and Birds to eat.
To provide employment to out-of-school youths in the area by taking them to forts, caves and ancient temples. To train youth as guides, and also to create capacity to start tourist accommodation business.
The concept that rural children in the age group of 10 to 14 should collect and compile comprehensive information about their village and locality and make a booklet by writing in their own language
Activities in Urban Area
Public Awareness
We organized lectures of experts in the field of Environment on 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of every month, it was a free activity for everyone in order to create awareness in the public.
During the Pandemic such lectures were organized in online form, so people could attend it from their home and so, many people even people from outside of Pune could attend these lectures.
The initiative started with the aim of encouraging common people to cultivate local indigenous plants. The event is being organized free of charge for all for at the beginning of monsoon for the last 11 years.
An exhibition of the Information on local plants, their seeds, constellation trees is organized. On the last day of the program, indigenous plant seedlings are distributed free of charge.
Posters with information and illustrations (photos) are put up. By reading that information, the subject can reach people directly. Public awareness is done effectively through this medium. Various competitions like project competition, poster competition, photography competition is organized for students as well as for open group. Participants are encouraged by announcing prizes and displaying them in exhibitions.
It is customary to hunt hornbill birds in the beginning of youth and later in traditional rituals among the 'Nishi' tribes living in the area of Pake Tiger Reserve in Arunachal State. The project to make them aware about Hornbill and encourage them to work as protectors of this bird is undertaken by the organization 'Nature Conservation Program' in Bangalore. An exhibition named 'Hornbill Festival' was organized to help this organization. Along with this, there were lectures about Hornbill which gave scientific information. Through this initiative, 'Jividha' raised a large fund for the work of hornbill conservation.
In-depth information about grass varieties, evolution, its use to man and nature, biodiversity on grasslands, threats to grasslands and biodiversity and ongoing works for their protection will be presented by 'Jividha' in this exhibition. This year, an exhibition will be held on the theme 'Biological Honors of India'.
This course of three months duration provides comprehensive information about Earth. The course includes many topics related to geology such as the beginning of other animals and man, the movement of the earth, the creation of day and night, seasons, chronology, tides, the work of rivers, glaciers, seas, winds and the various landforms created by them. Such many subjects related to geology are covered in this course. Several experts in geology provide guidance about Geological analysis of natural and man-made disasters and disaster relief solutions during this certificate course. Classroom lectures are supplemented by study tours.
Two organizations 'Nature Walk' and 'Jividha' jointly organize On-field Forest and Wildlife Management Course in the forest with the help of the Forest Department. During the Corona period, five online courses namely Forest and Wildlife Management, Wild Maharashtra, Avain World, Natural Lakes and Ocean were organized with Nature Walk organization.
Forest Guide and Guard Training
We are official trainers for Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department.
While we were training the forest guides, we noticed that they are fully informed about the Bio-Diversity of the Jungle. Our topics can be divided into 2 parts, First is about their personality development We educate them about the communication Skills, Grooming, Hygiene, etiquettes. Second part involves, knowledge about the forest which includes Classification of life forms, identification and scientific information of all bio diversity factors and ecology.
This training was provided to Guides, Guards and members of Special Tiger Protection force of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
We compiled this Field book Mantarlelya Ranvata, as a permanent source of Knowledge for the Guides of Maharashtra.
This training was provided to Guides, Guards and members of Special Tiger Protection force of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
We compiled this Field book Mantarlelya Ranvata, as a permanent source of Knowledge for the Guides of Maharashtra.
Life around us, Birds around us, are the courses which we designed to create awareness about Bio Diversity
Dilip Kulkarni conducted this course to create awareness about Environment in day-to-day life.
Deorai Foundation, Nisargasevak Sanstha and Jividha fought a continuous battle in NGT for two years. Due to that, six unauthorized constructions in the Tamhini ghat were Successfully demolished.
Every year in the month of January or February, A 7-day lecture series on environment is being organized since the year 2008. So far lecture series have been organized on various topics like Water, Sahyadri, Himalayas, Wildlife Conservation, Our Pune, Oceans, Natural Heritage Sites.
Since 1998, the second week of October is a Earth Science week. Earth Science Week is organized around the world. Since the year 2012, 'Jividha' has been the leader in implementing this activity in Pune. Geological Society, UK and Geological Society, USA announce the theme every year. Accordingly nearly 50 million people from different countries are connected to this initiative. Jividha organizes Lectures and exhibitions are on this occasion.