GENESIS OF GRISERV
In 1985, GRISERV (Gujarat Rural Institute for Socio-economic Reconstruction Vadodara), a sister concern of the Pune-based BAIF Development Research Foundation was established in Vadodara (Gujarat). Registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 and the Societies Registration Act, 1860, GRISERV actively strives to uplift the rural poor. Today, with its wide networking services in over 135 Centers and over a decade of experience in successfully implementing developmental programmes in the area of environment protection, watershed development and livestock development, GRISERV wide networking has covered 10% villages in the state. GRISERV's efforts continuously strive to motivate the rural community, overcome their barriers, irrelevant traditions and superstitions to bring about an attitudinal change, build their confidence levels to self-sustain rural societies. Outstanding examples of these are Virnagar, Kharasia… and more and more to join the bandwidth of the Micro-watershed Development Programme.

BAIF: The Mandate
BAIF's effort strives to generate self-employment opportunities for the rural poor especially to the disadvantage sections of the society, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment facilities and improved quality of life. The activities that non-political and secular in nature focus on developmental research, effective use of local resources, use of appropriate technologies and peoples' partnership, an alternative to up grade their skills and capabilities for community development.

GRISERV: Brigading to Combat Calamities
As the Republic day celebrations got underway over the country, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Ritcher Scale rambled the 905 villages in Kachchh district, the neighboring cities of Ahmedabad that fell on the fault line of Seismic Zone 3 and few towns and villages in Surendranagar district. Bhuj the worst affected place after Rapar, Bhachau-Anjar the Epic Centre, today, the wall precincts resemble a ghost town, the battlement having crumbled along with prominent buildings. Rehabilitation works on will soon see the district out of the gloom.
GRISERV's efforts to brigade its spearhead teams that had immediately left to rehabilitate homes, provide medical facilities and health care, distribution of essentials in the hinterlands of Rajkot and Kachchh districts covering 20 villages site that the agency breathes its objective of rural reconstruction every second.
Funds mobilized through the German Agro Action Aid for a period of six months provided temporary shelter, built schools, provided school kits and dug bore wells to meet the potable water requirements. The challenging task to train Self Help Groups have provided some of the best results and based on the success of the performance of rural reconstruction, the KFW Bank shows interest in reconstruction of Earthquake affected families. The project once completed will place life back on the roadsGRISERV efforts to facilitate women to form and manage Thrift and Credit Societies through the 700 and odd Self Help Group in 12 districts of the state and their active participation have determined the success of the developmental programmes. The Vasundhara experience in Valsad has empowered women to help themselves to achieve self-reliance.
I feel honored to present these successes and the agency's people-centered and people-oriented efforts in creating a holistic integrated development a meaningful exercise.
I would like to thank the members of the Board of Trustees for their guidance and support provided during the year. I also wish to thank the extension workers, implementing agencies, voluntary organizations, and associated bodies, all our partners, donors and supporters who have made our efforts possible. I truly appreciate the enthusiasm, zeal and the dedication and co-operation of the GRISERV staff without whose untiring efforts we would not have achieved this success. And I look forward to their continued support.
N. G. Hegde
Chairman

GRISERV Interventions - The 'Big Push' to Self-Help Group
India has rich democratic and entrepreneurial traditions and has, in face of emerging rural crisis, thrown up numerous outstanding examples of communities struggling to improve their environment, some of which have shown through the dint of their hard work and persistent that dealing with 'ecological poverty' is in fact, the starting point in dealing with 'economic poverty'. There is therefore no dearth of opportunities that can and should be seized to get rid of poverty and illiteracy, improve living standards, and maintain a balance between want and waste.
GRISERV's intervention with the self-help groups has provided the much-required push towards theses actions. The Vasundhara experience in the Valsad district deserves the place on the developmental map as after the agency's interventions the women Thrift and Credit societies have almost changes to rural enterprises.
Another example of GRISERV's interventions lies in providing 600 Family size Biogas Plants clean cooking fuel to the member houses proving demonstrating example of pertinent "Big Push".
The 1,300 Self-help Groups spread in the 13 districts of the state actively strive to revolve funds and sustain their livelihoods. GRISERV is trying to set its footprints to bridge the gap between the urban rural divide.
Our efforts at the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Post Rehabilitation have achieved noteworthy success as well.
With this revolutionary vision GRISERV, has been working in the rural areas of the state extending it reach to the remotest of the village of the state.
B.R.Patil
EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN