Building community in India through development meetings

Through the Community Empowerment project launched by the United Way of Hyderabad—a nonprofit, volunteer-led organization in India—communities surrounding Microsoft datacenters are establishing Village Development Committees (VDCs) to address local issues collaboratively with Microsoft’s support.

VDCs consist of local village volunteers who are interested in contributing to the implementation of development projects within their community. Members are diverse and range broadly among gender, age, and financial backgrounds. Microsoft aims to promote training, education, and empowerment through these VDCs to encourage villages to become increasingly self-reliant.

“VDCs align with Gandhian principles of self-reliance and decentralized governance, empowering villages to address contemporary challenges while building social equity,” said Bharath Merugu, senior manager at the United Way of Hyderabad. Merugu also oversees the operations of the VDCs. “By promoting leadership, facilitating exposure visits, and providing practical and transferable skill development opportunities, [VDCs] inspire communities to envision and achieve sustainable development goals, ensuring inclusive growth and build resilient communities.”

Monthly meetings begin with a discussion of current issues affecting the community. After discussion, members then vote on which issues are the most urgent and need immediate attention. One issue is then chosen to be addressed immediately, while the other issues are scaled based on priority. Outstanding tasks from the previous month’s issues are also reviewed and delegated.

“VDCs are transforming villages by encouraging community-led decision-making and implementing targeted interventions largely focusing on education, environment, health, and women empowerment through skilling and livelihoods,” said Merugu. “This co-creation approach builds inclusive structures ensuring equal representation across demographics addressing local needs through structured sub-committees formation for each thematic area. VDCs empower communities to take ownership of their progress.”

Each committee elects officers from local volunteers and appoints sub-committees which focus on the topics Merugu mentioned. Involving the community helps to identify and address needs and create a community-led, collaborative approach to creating sustainable growth in a village.

In Chandanvelly, a small village on the north-east side of Hyderabad, a VDC helped to complete the renovations of Mahila Bhavan, a common space for women in the village. The space is used exclusively by women to organize their own meetings and events to help support and empower all local women. The buildings serve as a hub for training programs, self-help groups, hosting common workspaces, organizing exhibitions, and encouraging livelihood activities. The VDC improved the infrastructure of the Mahila Bhavan so that the building could facilitate a better environment for all of these activities.

Rajeshwari, a woman from the Chandanvelly village, said that the Mahila Bhavan was in bad condition before the renovation. “We sat on floors [to conduct] meetings but now we sit on chairs,” she said. New windows, doors, furniture, and washrooms were added to the building.

The VDCs have also developed a sports focus to promote physical and mental wellness in villages. This focus includes supporting facilities like walking tracks, open gyms, and children’s play areas. To encourage sustainability and biodiversity, high-density plant life was established in these spaces, and solar lights were installed to illuminate the area.

Through the efforts of Microsoft and the United Way of Hyderabad, VDCs in the villages of Chandanvelly and Mekaguda are now recognized by the Government of Telangana and have received registered certificates. These certificates bring recognition to the work that both VDCs are accomplishing and help them to apply and qualify for loans and grants.

The VDCs and Microsoft are playing a key role in improving the quality of life for villages surrounding datacenters by supporting various social, economic, environmental, health, and education development efforts collectively and sustainably.