Volunteering is a two-way process that benefits both the organization and the individual. It is an instrumental force to promote positivity and sustainable growth within communities, while increasing social connections, improving mental and physical health and improving employability for volunteers.

Siddamma, 32, is a known face in Kotanur village for her very kind and humble nature. Almost everyone knows her in the village where she lives with her three children and her husband who is an auto driver. Her enthusiasm and energy always wanted to do something but did not know what.

As fate would have it, Siddamma happened to meet the community educators of the U3 programme. The programme was promoting volunteers in the 10 villages of Kalaburgi Taluk including her village in Kalaburgi District to engage in improving & bringing forth qualitative changes in the livelihood of the community. U3 is implemented by the Sevasangama Development Society (SSDS) with the support of Misereor and Caritas India in Karnataka.

Before long Siddamma enrolled herself as a volunteer in the U3 programme. As an active participant, she used to attend all the program meetings and trainings organised by Sevasangama Development Society (SSDS).

Siddamma was one among 35 other identified volunteers who attended the capacity-building workshop on volunteerism roles and Government schemes in Kalaburgi Taluk under the U3 program. The volunteers received information and knowledge on different schemes available for marginal farmers and how to apply the schemes. The workshop has provided information on these schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Sandhya Suraksha (Old Age Pension Scheme) Yojana, Widow Pension, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Schemes were explained to the volunteers and encouraged them to support the deserving families to avail it.

Geared up with the knowledge and information from the workshop, Siddamma started reaching out to needy families in her village. She identified 20 marginal farmers in her village who deserved crop loss insurance and helped them to enrol in Bhima Phasal Yojana.

She continued her services to other families of Kotanur village. She helped the farmers to fill out their Know Your Customer (KYC) form which is compulsory to avail PM Kisan Samman Yojana, she successfully updated the KYC of 40 marginal farmers of Kotanur village. The updating of KYC helped the farmers to receive an amount of Rs. 2000/- per quarter without any problem. The farmers who have updated the KYC are very happy and thankful to Siddamma for her kind heart. She has also motivated 30 women in her village to form an SHG and as a result, Lakshmi SHG & Kanaka SHG were promoted with the support of Siddamma. Each SHG is comprised of 15 members.

“Helping people gives me joy and some sort of satisfaction. Human beings should have the habit of supporting others. When we die, we are not taking anything with us,” says Siddamma. She has become a role model for others in the village to give volunteering service.

The U3 partners of Karnataka are promoting volunteerism and identified 336 volunteers from the project location. These volunteers are helping the villagers to fill out the applications related to government schemes such as job card, which was submitted to the GP. Volunteers help in writing such application; update the books (individual savings passbook, minutes book, ledger book) available in SHGs. In the coming days, the volunteers will be capacitated the community on organic farming, water conservation, soil management, mix cropping agriculture cancer care campaign.