To begin with some sad news: Surajita has left.

This is a significant loss. Up until now, Surajita has been essential to the success of JRP’s malaria programs. Her dedication, strong people skills, and willingness to work in difficult conditions made the malaria program a great success. It takes a long time to build up sufficient trust in the field to become an effective operative, and Surajita was not only well-known throughout the Daspalla and Chandaka tribal areas but also seen as a friend by many. While JRP has become a trusted entity thanks in large part to her work, it will nonetheless take time to build new working relationships. She will be missed, but I’m confident she will excel in her new position as a fellow with Sewa International.

Surajita will be missed at JRP!

JRP is currently in transition, hiring new staff to fill the gap. Admittedly, we’re running below capacity right now; the office has been somewhat hectic with candidates coming and going, and field work has largely been on pause. This has had a slight impact on my fellowship; I would have loved to have more time with the communities JRP serves, but one must roll with the punches. Unfortunately, I cannot conduct fieldwork alone; the language barrier and lack of transportation options make it unfeasible. That said, knowing JRP’s commitment to thorough fieldwork, I’m confident that whoever they ultimately hire will be excellent. Despite the tumultuous nature of the last couple of weeks, the future remains bright.

While I would prefer to be in the field, this step back has allowed us to make significant progress on tasks that have long been on the back burner. Biraj and I have used this time to focus on building out all the necessary online infrastructure and program documents. These efforts will enhance JRP’s brand and reputation going forward, setting the organization up to secure essential grants and funding.

First and foremost, JRP has a new website – jrpindia.org. Published this week, it still has a few kinks to work out, but I’m confident its intuitive design and clarity will be a significant asset. Not only does JRP have a new website, but the nonprofit can now receive online donations for the first time in years! I helped set up an account with an online payment portal and embedded it into the website, allowing them to receive donations directly from site visitors.

The malaria project page on JRP’s new website

The payment portal on JRP’s website

I have also registered JRP with sam.gov, grants.gov, USAID, and the UN Partner Portal. Each platform required mountains of information and multiple codes from different agencies like NATO, with each taking weeks to get approved. To be honest, I’m a bit shocked that it all worked out! These platforms will be incredibly useful for connecting JRP with larger organizations looking for subcontractors with local and regional knowledge on major projects.

We have also used our time in the office to make progress on the malaria project. Biraj and I recently finalized a proposal and budget for JRP’s malaria program that combines their successful malaria prevention program around the Chandaka Forest with the Neemola startup. This integration merges the plethora of prevention services in their larger program with the economic development and entrepreneurial spirit of the neem oil project. Having this proposal in hand has allowed us to start tackling grant applications. We hope to have a finished application for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation soon—an organization that specifically funds work with tribal communities in Odisha and a few other Indian states.

Biraj hard at work in the office

Meanwhile, as we gear up for one final visit to Daspalla before my departure, we wanted to ensure all the branding is in place for the Neemola product. We now have a label for Neemola, and we intend to produce our first few bottles in the first week of August.

The label for Neemola oil in Odia

This is only a portion of what we have worked on this month. While it may not look terribly exciting from the outside, in reality, this is often the most crucial work. Fieldwork is appealing, but it amounts to nothing without a strong infrastructure to support it.

Although we have primarily been in the office, we did manage to make one field visit last week. JRP, with its partners Jeevika Trust and the Evan Cornish Foundation, held a one-day event in Daspalla called “Training of Farmer Producer Groups on Organic High-Value Crop Cultivation & Market Integration.” While I couldn’t understand most of the dialogue in Odia, the event included a panel talk presented by experts in organic farming for women farmers in the Daspalla tribal areas, a Q&A session, and the distribution of seeds with explanations of their uses and cultivation techniques.

Seed Distribution in Daspalla

A farmer outside the event hall in Daspalla

You can’t leave Daspalla without some fresh produce

Now, I’m on the home stretch of my fellowship. I know it’s a cliché, but it truly is hard to believe that I’m already at the end. While I haven’t had as much time in the field as I would have wished, I will have a few more days there. Overall, however, I would characterize this summer as highly successful. I believe that what we have built together—a stronger Neem project, new online systems and infrastructure, and social media strategies—will make JRP an even stronger and more successful NGO going forward.