2007

1. Land Literacy workshop consisting of the activists working in Sonbhadra, Mirjapur, Chandauli, Koshambi, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Allahabad, Azamgarh, Ghazipur would be organized in Varanasi tentatively in July/August 2007.

2. Land Literacy workshops for Eastern Uttar-Pradesh was organised in the month of March in Chaurichaura. Participants came from Deoria, Gorakhpur, Ghazipur, Mau, Balia, Maharajganj, Kushingar distrcits of Uttar-Pradesh. There were inter state representations also. Activists from Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Delhi also participated in the meeting. The two days workshops also had officials from forest and revenue department.

3. Second workshop in this series is being organized in Lakhimpur Khiri district of the tarai regions of Uttar-Pradesh which will have activists from Uttarakhand state, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Khiri, Pilibhit districts of Uttar-Pradesh. Since a large part of this comes under the forest, communities like Tongias, Tharus, Boxas etc are expected to participate in the meeting. The workshops is expected  on 19th and 20th of May 2007 in Palia.

 The fourth workshop in the series would be somewhere in Bundelkhand. The time and scheduel has not been decided yet. It will cover districts of Jhansi, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakoot, Kanpur etc. The communities in focus would be landless Dalit communities and Kol tribal community which has not got tribal status in Uttar-Pradesh.  

A State level convention of the land rights activists is planned for November. SDF and UPLA plan to bring out a status report on the land rights front in Uttar-Pradesh. SDF's activists are collecting information and data all over the state and the final report would be out in November. During the same period, SDF and UPLA plan to bring out a Land Literacy Manual for activists in Hindi. Attempt are being made to get it published in English also for the readers outside state.

 SDF and Uttar-Pradesh Land Alliance with other local organizations are initiating a 16 days long Padyatra in the Eastern Uttar-Pradesh during the scorching heat of June. The Patyatra or foot march would be covering several districts of Poorvanchal, eastern Uttar-Pradesh including Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushingar and Maharajganj. The Padyatra aims at a unique combination of SDF's struggle for the rights of the poor and marginalized and build up awareness among the poorest and marginalized communities not only for their land and other natural resources but also to struggle against superstition and which craft. Poorvanchal has seen hunger and starvation deaths and it is this region where people are dying of different deseases. Poorvanchal's has a rich cultural history with places like Kushingar where Buddha sermoned for 20 years and ultimately had his Mahaparinirwana. The Padyatra would be led by Vidya Bhushan Rawat who would be not only speaking at various village but taking workshops in different villages. The aim of the Padyatra is to generate information related to people's issues including basic needs and the cultural dynamics of exploitation. The Padyatra would spread humanist values of Buddah, Kabir, Nanka, Phule,Baba Saheb Ambedkar and other icons of the movements for the oppressed and marginalised world over. Padyatra might also involve in social audit of the Panchayats in different places and bring out a report on the status of these programmers in the covered districts.

Foot March or Padyatra would be  named as Land, Dignity and Freedom and it startrs from June 1st 2007 till June 16th, 2007. For more details contact at sdfindia@gmail.com

Social Development Foundation is equally working hard on developing humanist leadership among the Dalit youth. The aim of this is to develop a rationalist, humanist outlook and shun superstition and irrational attitude which is the reason of exploitation of the marginalised. That the brahmanical system work on superstition and irrational behaviour is a well known fact and it is the need of the hour to develop an independence outlook in the new young. The programme is being supported by International Humanist and Ethical Union, London under which various workshops are being organised in differnt parts of the country to develop humanist alternative. SDF's focus for Dalit emancipation and liberation is through non religious activities. We sincerely feel that only a scientific, rational and modern outlook can liberate any community. Dalits and tribals have rich traditional heritage of Tukaram, Namdev, Kabir, Carvak, Nanaka, Ambedkar, Phule, Periyar, Narayanguru and number of others whose name do not figure regularly in our discourse. We wish to bring that legacy back to the movement.

First workshop under this series has already take place in Kushingar. The other workshops are planned in Ghazipur ( UP), Chandigarh ( Punjab), Ratnagiri ( Maharastra), Suryapet ( Andhra Pradesh). For more to know about this please contact us at sdfindia@gmail.com

2004
In January 2004 SDF organized a two days seminar in the India International Center on‘Freethought, rationalists and humanists traditions in Indian culture”. This seminar was attended by a number of intellectuals of India including Dr Ram Puniyani ( IIT Mumbai), Prof Purushottam Agrawal, ( JNU New Delhi), Prof D.Prempati ( formerly with Delhi University), Babu Gogineni ( Executive Director, International Humanist and Ethical Union, London), Prof Sangh Sen Singh ( formerly, department of Buddhist Studies, Delhi University), Prof Anil Pandey, Dr Bhagwan Das ( Dalit intellectual and activist), Mr Prakash Narain ( former Principle Secretary to the Government of India), Air Marshal ( Ret) Vir Narain. This seminar explored the great legacies of Charvak, Lokayata, Buddha, Jain, Kabir, Nanaka, Ambedkar, Phule, Periyar, Gandhi, Nehru and Bhagat Singh and the likes on rationalist and freethinking.
The second part of this seminar was organized in March 2004 in Kanyakumari and a number of intellectuals and activists participated in it. Mostly, they were from Karnatka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamilnadu.
In February, SDF got a three months assignment from DFID-Development Alternative’s Poor Areas Civil Society programme. Under this programme SDF was asked to make an assessment of anti poverty programme such as Public Distribution System ( PDS), Mid Day Meal, Employment Guarantee Scheme and Food for Work Programme in Six Indian states of Uttar-Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra, Chhatishgarh and Jharkhand. The enormous work was done in three months period and now the final report is ready. The Executive Summary and recommendations would be put on the web after some time.

2003
In 2003 SDF started a Community Empowerment Facility ( CEF) programme in Madhuban Tehsil of Mau district of Madhya Pradesh. Under this programme SDF with the help of local fisherfolks developed an old lake by deepening and cleaning it. Secondly, more than 750 acre of farming land became vacant and went back to their owners after the water clogged area was cleaned. It was a hugely successful initiative. This two years programme has helped us develop fisher women movement in the region along the farmer’s movement and that of the fishermen movement. SDF is now training the rural women for learning sewing and stitching.

2002
In 2002, SDF organized Women’s Resource Access Programme in Chitrakoot both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar-Pradesh, Saharanpur, Deoria and Baharaich district of Uttar-Pradesh. This programme was supported by International Land Coalition and was meant for an interactive with the rural women who have land in her name. It was meant to know what exactly means land for her.

2001
SDF organized a Land Literacy campaign in Chitrakoot, Mau and Bahariach district of Uttar-Pradesh in 2001.
In September 2001, SDF organized a South Asia Seminar on Agrarian Reform in South Asia in Lucknow in which participants from Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka participated and discussed various problems related to small and marginal farmers in their respective countries and impact of the economic liberlisation on them.

1999
SDF organised a four days ‘training of trainers’ workshop on Economic Social Rights, in collaboration with FIAN International in which human rights activists from South Asian Countries participated. Social Development Foundation was represented by its Co-ordinator and two other colleagues. The workshop took place in Kathmandu ( Nepal) in April 1999.
In April 1999 itself, a participatory workshop was organised by Social Development Foundation in Madhuban, Mau for the training of grass-root activist on their human rights and constitutional rights. The participants belonged to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe, women and other weaker sections of the society. The Foundation made it a point that the representation of old is and youth is a must for any workshop and program.
In May 1999, the foundation organised a dialogue on Governance and Participation
Between the old and the young as part of Global Meeting of Generation. The Foundation is the only national node for India so far. The concept is that in every decision making and activity we must have the experience and wisdom of old and youth. It is about sensitising the general public about the problems of old age.
In June 1999, the Co-ordinator of the foundation representative participated in an International meeting on Economic Social Rights called by FIAN International in Bonn.

In October 1999, the Co-ordinator of the Foundation was invited to present a paper in an international meet organised by International Fund for Agricultural Development in Manila, on the issue of land reform. The foundation is currently involved in a project on landreform and is a national representative Uttar-Pradesh with Popular Coalition Rome.
In December 1999, the Chairman of the foundation was invited to Colombo to as an International Observer to monitor the Sri-Lankan Presidential election.