September 20, 2025 – Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
From September 12–18, 2025, 55 students from the MSW and BSW programs of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus, participated in a 7-day Rural Camp in Rameswaram under the guidance of faculty mentors. Spread across four villages—Olaikuda, Sambhai, Vadakadu, and Munaikadu—the students worked closely with local communities while supporting ongoing AMMACHI Labs initiatives.
Key Highlights of the Camp:
Awareness sessions with women on biodiversity, seagrass restoration, and seaweed farming.
School programs on ocean protection and pollution control, including interactive games and poster-making.
Village pledge ceremonies where communities committed to protecting oceans and conserving natural resources.
Socio-economic and community surveys, generating valuable data for ongoing research projects.
A large-scale Seagrass Restoration drive in Olaikuda (Day 6), restoring 0.9 hectares of seabed with the active participation of students, community leaders, and the Indian Navy.
A final-day cleanup drive in Olaikuda and Sambhai, which cleared 0.1889 hectares, marking a meaningful conclusion to the camp.
This immersive camp combined academic learning, practical fieldwork, and community engagement—empowering students to apply classroom knowledge while strengthening resilience in coastal villages.
The Ocean Farming projects are implemented by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, in partnership with Transworld, the GEF Small Grants Programme (Operational Phase 7), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).