CSR News: Under 200 Dream Villages milestone LoI signed with the Maharashtra Government to transform 1,000 villages

Swades Foundation is committed to a singular mission: of creating a model that can lift one million people out of poverty every five years. As a community-driven non-profit focused on holistic rural development, the foundation is celebrating a new milestone in its Dream Village programme. After completing its first phase in 2022 which saw the establishment of 75 Dream Villages in Raigad, the Foundation has recently completed 200 Dream Villages in rural Maharashtra. Of these, 199 are in Raigad, with one located in a tribal hamlet in Nashik, marking the expansion of the movement into new regions.

A Swades Dream Village embodies a comprehensive model of self-reliance, providing every household with clean water, sanitation, stable income via diversified sources of income, and access to quality education and primary healthcare. This transformation is supported by strong Village Development Committees (locally elected bodies) that ensure local leadership and community ownership. Through these efforts, each village fulfils over 40 parameters to achieve the cornerstones of Swachh, Sundar, Swasth, Sakshar, and Samruddh.

In September 2024, Swades Foundation partnered with the Government of Maharashtra to sign a Letter of Intent to establish 1,000 Dream Villages across rural Maharashtra. The agreement was signed by Zarina Screwvala, Co-Founder of Swades Foundation, and Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, in the presence of Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Shri Eknath Shinde along with Swades Foundation’s co-founder, Ronnie Screwvala, and CEO, Mangesh Wange.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The work that Swades Foundation is doing for drinking water, sanitation, education, health, and livelihood development is commendable. Transforming villages into “Dream Villages” is a significant achievement. Village development should be driven by self-motivation rather than external forces. The community-driven initiatives undertaken by Swades Foundation are crucial as they bring about sustainable changes in rural areas.”

Commenting on the announcement, Co-Founders Zarina and Ronnie Screwvala said, “We have taught the community to Dream Together, to work together towards these Deam Villages. The celebrations are truly a reflection of the community’s aspirations and hard work coming to fruition with our guidance along with the government, donors and partners. We now at a flexion point and look forward to achieving our goal of a 1000 Dream villages in Maharashtra as a model for Rural Transformation across the nation.”

Mangesh Wange, CEO & Director, Swades Foundation, added, “Many rural communities struggle with multifaceted challenges, which is why a holistic approach is essential to foster lasting, transformative change. The first phase was an impactful step towards our long-term vision, and we’ve used the insights to set more ambitious goals for the next phase. We are now focused on not only empowering new villages earn this title, but also ensuring that they sustain it and inspire more villages in the vicinity to pursue their dreams.”

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