The Lives of Manual Scavengers

Although there is sometimes legislation to prevent it, caste systems are still in place in the 21st century. In some regions of India, such concepts have become ingrained in cultures. The most discriminatory practices victimize manual scavengers, who experience lifestyles that are hard to fathom to citizens of a first-world nation. Scavengers represent the lowest rung of the untouchables in India, a group of lower-class citizens that are legally considered equal citizens but are culturally

Read more ...

Profugo’s Water Quality Program

Monsoon season in Wayanad is quickly approaching but even though the torrential rains will bring large volumes of much needed moisture, Wayanad and the entire state of Kerala continue to endure severe drought outside of the rainy months. The lush greenery of the Wayanad hillsides turns to a parched yellow in the months of the dry season. A large percentage of the monsoon rains are lost as run off into the Arabian Sea due to

Read more ...

Why Ethical Consumerism Matters

Ours is a consumer-driven market. What does that mean? It means that the only people who truly decide the products we see in stores, the options we are offered, are we, the consumers. Take it from a budding economist that our money and spending habits truly matter! If that sounds a little vague, think of it this way: every morning, you go to your favorite coffee shop and buy a latte. The options are pretty

Read more ...

From Villanova’s Engineering Service Learning Team

After travelling dozens of hours and thousands of miles we arrived in Bangalore to the hustle and bustle of early morning rush hour; we witnessed families starting their days as Sabhir, our driver, weaved in and out of traffic on our way to Wayanad. The next day, the four of us stepped foot in Prashanthagiri, and the beautiful rural community seemed like a world away from the busy city. We were eager to learn about

Read more ...

Going Beyond the Numbers: Progress in Prashanthagiri!

In the development world, there are tons of metrics by which to assess growth – ways to quantify a program’s progress in promoting health and wellness in a community. And who doesn’t love to see these numbers? Numbers that can easily be translated into pie charts, or info graphics about our work, are neat and easy to understand at a glance. But for those of us working with a young and growing non-profit like Profugo,

Read more ...