From planting trees in memory of loved ones to a techie teaching organic farming - here are the top social stories of this week

This week, we have diverse stories from the social sector, right from how a social enterprise is turning plastic waste into beautiful works of art, to how the Indian social sector has evolved over the years, bringing changing and making a difference.

Here are some of the stories that caught the attention of our readers this week.

Techie-turned farmer uplifts lives of villagers through organic farming

It's not easy for anyone to leave a high-paying corporate job and decide to do something noble and for the welfare of society. Venkat Iyer, a Project Manager at International Business Management (IBM) left his job in Mumbai in 2003 to do just that.

Venkat went to Peth, a village in Palghar district of Maharashtra to learn to farm before setting out to help other farmers. For this, he started reading books about organic farming and learning farming techniques from the Internet.

After carrying out organic farming for five years, he gained the confidence to train other farmers in the nearby district of Vikramgad. He started training four adivasi farmers, and now the number stands at 70.

Turning plastic waste into art

Did you know? Over 60 percent of India’s plastic waste goes for recycling, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Across the country, high-value plastic waste such as shampoo bottles and PET water bottles are collected by rag pickers and sold to recycling companies for a tidy sum.

The problem remains in the form of smaller plastics - thin carry bags and wrappers - often left to accumulate on roadsides, in landfills and garbage dumps, as they are perceived as not worth the effort.

Having said this, Pune-based Arohana Ecosocial is turning plastic waste management into an art form. How they do it? The organisation upcycles non-biodegradable plastic into the fabric and has provided a steady income to over 30 tribal women and youth since 2013.

Planting trees in memory of her loved one

Planting a tree in memory of your loved one can be one of the most thoughtful ways to express your love for the person. Expressing her love is Janet Yegneswaran, who has planted 73,000 trees till date in the memory of her late husband since 2006.

A former landscape designer at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, 68-year-old Janet uses her experience to choose saplings carefully. She also considers the type of land suitable for the saplings.

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Helping children find their voice through art

Art is known to be one of the most creative forms of communication and expression. It allows people to tell stories and sparks conversations, be it on canvas or just a piece of paper. However, over the years, our education system has steadily discouraged young students and creative minds from taking up arts. Increasing emphasis on academics has sidelined arts and craft as a subject.

This probably explains why India ranks a measly 99 among 139 countries in the Global Creativity Index, 2015.

In order to change things, an organisation called Slam out Loud started operations in Delhi in 2014. Functioning as an NGO, it has reached out to 50,000 children across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. This, in turn, has led to the creation of 15,000 original art pieces and performances delivered to an audience of 35,000 cumulatively.

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The evolution of the Indian social sector

According to a report, 90 percent of the 460-million strong workforce of the country work in the informal unorganised sector without job security or personal safety. This means more than 400 million individuals have improper training or poor skills, have little or no formal education, and earn low wages.

Multiple incubators like N/Core, Edmentum, Teach for India’s InnovatED, StartupED, Villgro, and Singapore International Foundation are mentoring non-profits and social startups, enabling them to scale and connect with state governments and the central government schemes across India.

In addition, in the past decade, there has been significant growth in social entrepreneurship in India, along with a rapidly growing microfinance industry.

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