Social regeneration through rural empowerment is the goal of the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian mission. At the core of their activities is the HI Community Center, which is based on an integrated approach to rural empowerment.

 The human race has never been as connected as it is today. In this era of globalization, marked by an ever-increasing degree of integration and mutual cooperation, it is more important than ever that we cultivate sensitivity to the suffering around us. Billions of our brothers and sisters are caught in an endless cycle of grief and misery, struggling for their most basic needs. Their entire existence is pervaded by suffering, and from this are produced clouds of grief and misery. Collectively, the burden of these clouds of grief and misery is too great to bear, and are bound to rain down on each and every one of us alike.

 This is a call for action. And we must take action now. Leaving aside notions of personal virtue and moral obligation, we must do so for the future of our humanity. We can only truly achieve peace and happiness by empowering the suffering to heal their hearts and stand on their own feet. By far the majority of those suffering in poverty live in rural villages around the world. What is needed is empowerment instead of aid – rural empowerment to reach the masses, offering knowledge and means to put that knowledge into action. This will stimulate a regeneration of society at the grassroots, whereby the fabric of society is nurtured and strengthened.

 This is spirituality in action—to share, serve, and make a difference. Our goal is to create a cloud of virtue, dharma megha, and replace the clouds of grief and misery which hover over humanity today. This cloud of virtue will rain down health, peace, and prosperity, healing the hearts of the suffering, and nurturing us all. This is at the heart of the Institute’s humanitarian mission—lighting the flame of compassion and carrying it from heart to heart, community to community, and nation to nation.

 One of the Institute’s most successful rural empowerment projects centers around energy farming. The concept of energy farming promotes sustainable rural economic development through the cultivation of a variety of energy crops, focusing on the Pongamia pinnata tree. Energy farming is flexible in implementation but provides a stable economic output with reliable market linkage and consistently high demand for the end product—energy. The model offers unique implementation strategies for arable farm land as well as underutilized and waste lands, and is tailored to the specific needs of small and marginal farmers.

 Rural farmers are trained in the cultivation of energy crops and provided with the financial, material, and logistical support. The end products are bio-diesel and bio-gas, with a multitude of applications including transportation, electricity production, and cooking fuel.

 The Institute initiated its first energy farming projects in South India in 2003, in collaboration with Roshini Biotech and Rahul Medical Society. Today these projects have spread throughout India and Africa.

 www.himalayaninstitute.org