Implementation Of Development Schemes
Support Children and Youth to Reach Their Full Potential
Activities and Actions
01.
Empowering Communities through Strong
Local Institutions and Organisations
CARE has imbibed the spirit participatory development, by creating institutions that undertake development on their own terms. CARE promotes innovative and experimental projects that emerge from these institutions, and creates a platform for sharing refreshing solutions and experiences.
Many of these organisations have emerged from CARE’s fold. Advantages of promoting local autonomous organisations are several. First, local organisations are able to develop and follow their own vision and mission which is based on community sentiment. Second, as the organisation is composed of people from the local community, there is a sense of ownership and trust, resulting in positive community relations. Third, independent organisations have flexibility to implement projects as desired by the community, and the ability to seek direct support to fund them. Finally, the creation of organisations on the local level can encourages further community mobilization to achieve the broader goal of self-directed development. Since its inception, CARE has supported over 30 local initiatives become viable development institutions. This has been achieved through capacity building in key areas. CARE continues to work with these partners by supporting them in their evolution and growth.
These organisations in turn support and strengthen Community based organisations (CBOs) such as women’s groups, youth groups, children’s groups and farmers’ groups provide platforms for people to discuss their common issues and seek ways to collectively address them. CARE and its partners also motivate and improve the capacities of local governance institutions. Panchayat representatives and its Institutions are essential to ensure relevant, accountable and effective implementation of development schemes. This is especially crucial since the devolution of many government responsibilities to this local form of governance. CARE aims for a roll-on effect for its capacity building and organisational strengthening activities. Training, exposure, perspective building, and other activities are expected to be carried forward to these local institutions through partner organisations, with a snow-ball effect of stronger people-centred organisations.
02.
Child Rights
CARE’s approach to child rights has evolved substantially since it began 25 years ago. Its oldest continually running programme, child rights has been included as a priority from CARE’s first year of existence. CARE first directly on its own, and later in partnership with the resultant network of like minded organisations has worked together to improve the status of child rights in Uttarakhand. The programme, this year, focused mainly on followup of the recommendations that emerged from the study of Quality Institutional Care and Alternate Care in Uttarakhand, as provided under the ‘Juvenile Justice Act’.
CARE is providing ample of opportunities to serve the children in conflict with the law. CARE, fully utilising the opportunities, is serving the deserving children much beyond the purview of Law.
The advocacy experience in the past showed that action could not just happen on the local level, but that the issue of child rights also needed to be tackled on a broader scale. This involved: research, education of the general public; using the media and digital platform to spread awareness; the analysis of Law & policy pertaining to children’s rights; collection and documentation of data; lobbying and advocacy. In these, partner’s local understanding of issues and community engagement were no less essential than the resources and experience of CARE. Together, it enabled advocacy, research and action that were based on local experiences within larger environments.
03.
Enabling Rural India
04.
IEC activities
Our organization has identified villages in Uttarakhand for our Mother and Child Health care program. We have organized Health Awareness camps in the target villages covering 500 women. Pregnant women, mothers, and children benefited from these health camps. The SHG women and adolescent girls involved in this program are getting free medicines and resource materials. Their personal problems such as STD, HIV, STI, RTI and doubts are clarified by doctors and social workers. In addition, IEC materials and posters, pamphlets, handbills and stickers were distributed to villagers. CARE gives the utmost importance to health and education activities for children and mothers to prevent and cure childhood diseases. Among the target group in general, mother and child care has the most importance, for they are the most vulnerable section of society. Pre-natal care for mother and child is given by qualified doctors and nurses who are in charge of this program.
The public at large is still unaware of the provisions of PC & PNDT Act and also regarding the ban of female feticide. It is necessary to reach the public through the electronic and print media, hence meetings and consultations with various stakeholders were held regarding the awareness of PC&PNDT Act. The awareness addresses the gender issues both at the systems level and at the services level. The issues like teenage marriage & pregnancy, low utilization of services like immunization, RTI/STD services and maternal health services needs are specifically addressed in perspective of gender, so as to improve the overall health status of women.
Women were given counseling for family planning awareness and the imperative of breast feeding, personal and environment hygiene, healthy habits, preparation of simple and nutritious food availing local grains. Health awareness meetings were regularly conducted for the women SHGs meetings in all target villages. Adolescents are considered to be the future of the nation. Keeping this in mind CARE started special drive for them to make them aware about road safety measures, drinking water and sanitation and energy conservation. Importance of FPO was a major component.
05.
Women Entrepreneurship Development
The programme is encouraging women to identify and initiate an enterprise that is viable as per their resource availability, and in local-specific socio-economic cum cultural setting. On identification of the enterprise their training is facilitated in improving/acquiring vital skills. Simultaneously, all necessary support for initiation and development of the enterprise such as management, input supply, production, and marketing, etc is being provided by professionals hired and/or collaborated for the purpose. Amongst young entrepreneurs, hand knit woollens has emerged as a popular enterprise. A humble beginning has been made. CARE has initiated networking them to optimally utilise the platform for venturing into other prospective areas such as Nursery & Crèches, Livestock, Dairy, Agro-products, Handicrafts, etc.
Once initiated, CARE undertakes public education and perspective building. This entails discussing broader trends and structural conditions, and looking at how these are experienced on the local level. One of the most effective ways for people to empower themselves is through their collective strength. As individuals, it is difficult to challenge vested interests or have your voice heard at a higher level. Few institutions are able to withstand, however, the protests of a multitude. CARE organizes people into groups which are then in a position to fight for their interests.
This enabled CARE to sustain its interventions with a renewed purpose, and in an effective manner. This programme further enriched our learning. One of the major lessons we learnt was that the process should be a continuous effort initiating from the Gram Panchayat level to the highest level institutions of democracy. It should even take Rural Education & Health Care in its ambit.