The work of our Sisters in Roshni, India, is one of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

Medical Mission Sisters began their involvement in Roshni, an interior village in Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1983. In this village, our Sisters share their lives with tribal people. "Nearly 50% of our land is wasteland or degraded land; and nearly 40% of our people live below the poverty line," explains Sister Rose Cherian Vachaparambil. In an effort to ensure a sustainable, safe water supply in Roshni, our Sisters became involved in watershed development.

The aim of watershed development is to slow down the velocity of water at every point, to allow time for it to recharge sources of groundwater and replenish falling water tables. Treatment begins from the highest point in a ridge, and moves downward to the valley.

Our Sisters knew that volunteers from the community would be able to complete at least 5% of the construction work. They created a special development fund to ensure that the project would be sustainable. After 4 years of preparation, the project was approved by a government agency in 2002.

The watershed conserves water through 4 processes: contour trenches reduce the speed of running water, and prevent soil erosion; earthen check dams store water for a few months, releasing it gradually and helping to recharge wells in the lower reaches of the watershed; small rock dams, made in a series, help slow the water's flow; and larger stop dams hold water for longer periods. In the watershed area, agro forestry helps to conserve the soil.