Sri Sathya Sai Village Integrated Programme (SSS VIP)

The jewel in the crown of all these is the Sri Sathya Sai Village integrated programme (SSSVIP). This is a rare opportunity of serving the rural poor through a systematic and integrated approach in the areas of medicare, sociocare, educare, agricare, individual care, employment care and spiritual care.

Bhagawan's message on SSSVIP “On the holy occasion of Sarvajit Ugadi 2007, we are launching a new scheme for rural development, under the name, “Village works”. Every house in every village shall be kept clean. The houses are to be kept neat and clean both inside and outside. The children in these homes are also to be groomed into clean and healthy children. We propose to cover every village under this scheme. Hence, we must undertake this rural development project immediately. The elders as well as children, the poor and rich, should all work united for the success of this project. It is seva (selfless service) that unites people. Both the villages and towns should join and work together in a spirit of unity….

Since 2013, the Seven‐care concept of SSSVIP was launched in 56 needy villages of the Andhra Pradesh including the 25 Girijan hamlets of East Godavari where Sri Sathya Sai Drinking water project is in place. The following cares have been initiated for overall development:

1. EDUCARE               2. MEDICARE              3. SPIRITUAL CARE   4. EMPLOYMENT CARE

5. AGRICARE              6. SOCIO CARE          7. INDIVIDUAL CARE

These aspects are latent in the manifold activities taken up by the Organisation in the rural areas.

Educare : Classes by Bala Vikas Gurus are undertaken to provide comprehensive education in human values to the rural children. Distribution of notebooks, school bags, footwear etc. are done in almost all districts. In Krishna and Chittoor districts, separate programmes were conducted with emphasis on health and hygiene.

Medicare : In 8 districts of Andhra Pradesh, the Mobile Medical vans equipped with state of the art medical devices are rendering sustained health services by visiting SSSVIP and other villages and conducting camps there. Hundreds of sick people are benefited during each visit of the Medical Van in every district. SSSSO also takes care of follow‐up cases in designated hospitals thus providing the much needed helping hand to the needy patients.

Spiritual Care : Activities like Bhajans, Nagarsankirthan, Pallaki processions, Spiritual talks, Tandularchana, celebration of festivals, conducting free marriages for the poor etc. form the core of spiritual activities. Small plays are enacted to drive home the ideas and teachings of Bhagawan Baba.

Agricare: Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation has been instrumental in taking the services of eminent Agriculture scientists for the benefit of farmers in SSSVIP villages. The farmers have been educated about the precautions to be taken before seeding as well the aer‐care and remedial measures to be adopted in the case of attack by pests and insects. In some districts were also supplied high‐yielding varieties of seeds.

Socio care: Establishing Water purification Plants, construction of sanitary toilets, providing solar lights, Tree Plantation and rainwater harvesting etc. are some of the activities taken up under socio care.

SSSSO offered training to unemployed youth through tuitions and short term courses to enable them to to get gainful job placements. Similar Skill enhancement training programmes were taken up in a few districts for mahilas also in Computer basics, Tailoring, Dress‐making, Fashion design etc.

Individual Care : Help in the form of clothes, school needs for children, supply of Sai Protein food, 'Amrutha Kalasams' (a kit of provisions for a month's sustenance) etc. are extended to selected poor families. Model Villages also being developed in Andhra Pradesh where all the seven cares would be taken up.

The areas of activity were formulated with an aim of bringing about holistic transformation of individual lives and community living, by attacking the root cause of the persistent problems. This SSSVIP programme could aptly be termed the “SIlent(Sai Lent) revolution” In each state, the service wing identifies the needy communities of the society and conducts activities accordingly.

Rendering selfless service or seva is best described in Swami’s words “Seva eppudu kashtapadi cheya vaddu, ishtapadi cheyali”, meaning ‘Never render service as an exertion, but do it with linking’. Seva should be done with a feeling of empathy and not superficial pity.

***** Jai Sairam