8 RDT moments of 2022 that made us proud

Years leave us by, bringing us new challenges and realisations every passing day. 2022 was a breath of fresh air after two years of the pandemic. It was an opportunity for us to start reworking the projects with renewed energy and commitment.

Various endeavours were carried out last year, of which the below mentioned are only a few.

Here are 8 moments in 2022 that made us proud and gave us the energy to move forward.

1. AUM – 2022

After six successful editions, the seventh edition of the Anantapur Ultramarathon (AUM) took place on 22nd January 2022 in RDT’s Anantapur Sports Village. 54 local runners from the Anantapur district, 10 persons with disabilities, joined this solidarity event held in 7 different countries and involved 1,000 runners worldwide.

The AUM was an initiative by Juan Manuel, an ultra-runner from Spain and volunteer of RDT who decided to run one kilometre for every new child enrolled under RDT’s education and health programmes in Anantapur. With every passing edition, the AUM continues to gather runners from different countries and has continuously exceeded its participation and fundraising goals.

2. Multifunctional Educational Center Dornala:

The new Multifunctional Educational Center for Children with Intellectual Disabilities at Dornala, SriSailam region, accommodates over 80 children with intellectual disabilities residing in Dornala and its surrounding areas, responding to the growing need in the region. This is the first residential centre of this scale that RDT has built outside the Anantapur or SathyaSai district.

3. Nellore Housing Colony

Families from Tamil Nadu had left looking for a better life. They lived for 40 years in the cemetery of Bodigadi Thota on the outskirts of Nellore (Andhra Pradesh). The situation was alerted to the RDT management by the Collector, Ms M Janaki, who sought Ms Anne Ferrer’s support for RDT’s help in 2016.

Today, thanks to the collaboration between the local government and RDT, 251 families have access to dignified housing. The house, designed owing to the heavy rainfall in the area, was constructed with the active participation of women in the construction process.

4. Anantapur Floods

In October 2022, parts of Anantapur were flooded with heavy rains overnight. After an initial assessment, RDT addressed people’s needs with the help of the municipality and government authorities. 11,000 food packets and drinking water were distributed to 8700 people from 10 colonies in the urban areas of Anantapur. Our teams worked tirelessly to reach all the worst-hit areas and provided medical support to 100 persons affected by the flood. A big thank you to all those who have come forward to help! This wouldn’t have been possible without you.

Feathers in our Cap

5. Lead India Foundation

Our Women Empowerment Director, Vishala Ferrer, was awarded by the Lead India Foundation for her outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment at the Lead India Foundation’s International Women’s Day celebrations on March 8th, 2022.

She received the award from Shri Arikapudi Gandhi, Telangana State Legislative Assembly member (MLA), who attended the event as the Chief Guest. Actors Jeevitha Rajashekar and Neha Saxena were also among the attendees.

The event at Shilpakalavedika in Hyderabad has attempted to set a record for recognising 111 women in 110 minutes. The Lead India Foundation organised it in partnership with the Government of Telangana, GHMC and the Telangana Tourism Department.

6. Honorary Doctorate from the University of Girona and National Sevaa Dharmik Award

Ms Anne Ferrer, co-founder and executive director of Rural Development Trust (RDT), was distinguished with an honorary doctorate by The University of Girona in Spain. The University awarded the doctorate in an event held on 10th June 2022 in Girona in the Catalonia region of Spain. Recognising Ms Anne Ferrer’s commitment to working with the disadvantaged communities in India, for the last 50 years, especially towards gender equality, leading by example through her work and life. She also received the National sevaa Dharmik award from the Latha Raja Foundation on July 4, 2022

Sports for Transformation:

7. La Liga Anniversary – 5th Anniversary

It was the 5th anniversary of our collaboration with the La Liga foundation. Believing in the projects which create equal access to play football through the girl’s residential academy and provide the ground for youth development through football. The RDT Sports for Development Sector Director, Sai Krishna Pulluru, attended the event in Bangalore.

8. Rafa Nadal Foundation – 12th Anniversary

We celebrated the 12th anniversary of the NETS project (Nadal Tennis Educational School). The project aims to reduce social gaps through tennis in rural areas. 250 boys and girls acquire regular tennis training and English and computer classes through this project in the Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA). Believing in the transformational power of sports, projects like these have changed the attitude of children towards sports.