Vidhyadiraja Farmers Welfare Foundation

Our foundation, Vidhyadiraja Farmers Welfare Foundation, operates out of 13/177 Anaswara in Trikkunnapuzha South, which is in the Kunnathur area of Kollam. We’re in the 690522 zip code. Since we’re a welfare foundation, our day is mostly spent looking at how the local farmers are doing and seeing where help might be needed. It’s not always about money; sometimes it’s just about giving some advice or helping someone fill out a form they don’t understand. We aren't a big, polished organization with a bunch of directors. It’s just us here in the office, which is part of a regular house. We know the people in Kunnathur because we live here too. The struggles they have with the weather or the market prices are things we see every day. We don't have a big budget for ads, so we just talk to people face-to-face. It’s a slower way of doing things, but it feels more real. Sometimes the phone doesn't stop ringing and other times it’s quiet for hours. We just take it as it comes. We aren't trying to change the whole world, just trying to make things a little bit easier for the people in our part of Kerala. If you come by Anaswara, you’ll likely see us drinking some tea and talking through the latest issues affecting the local farms. It’s simple work, but someone has to do it.