FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY

Volume-31

Communicate Minds
15th February 2006 FORTNIGHTLY

ADVISORS
Khirod Ch. Malick Pitabasa Sethi Jogeswar Majhi Makardhwaj Sahu Shiv Prasad Meher Aurobinda Mahapatra Pradeep Kumar Mohanty

BASIC

Boom to Maneswar Block

NEEDS

PROGRAM

In this Issue...
Editorial Basic Needs Program Inauguration of ME Other BISWA News

The Link
Chief-Editor Debabrata Malick Editor Guru Prasad Nahak

48 villages of Maneswar Block in Sambalpur district have been identified to be covered under the Basic Needs Program. The Program is supported by donations received from Friends from our USA. During January 2002, Mrs. Joyasree Mahanti, an NRI from USA, came in contact with BISWA and undertook extensive travel in remote parts of Maneswar Block in Sambalpur district and in consultation with Mr. K.C.Mallick, the Chairman BISWA devised detailed planning to implement Basic Needs Program in the region. She is living in the USA since more than three decades with her husband Prof. Dr. Subhendu Dev Mahanti, a professor in Michigan State University, USA. She placed the situation before some of her friends and acquaintances in USA and raised fund to supplement the program. BISWA entered into discussions with the District Administration and as a result of these triconed efforts, Basic Needs Program has been successfully implemented. The Basic Needs Program represents a perfect example of participatory approach to community development with a holistic manner. The program has covered the most significant segment of community development: Basic Infrastructure Services, primary health, elementary education, safe drinking water, poverty alleviation, women empowerment and child care with active participation of the Government. The pace of the planned intervention ensured a population gradually moving out of the dreaded poverty.

OBJECTIVES OF BASIC NEEDS PROGRAM

1.Availability of safe drinking water 2.Establishment of innovative schools 3.Enhancing Health status 4.Reduction in IMR & MMR 5.Promoting alternative livelihood options 6.Skill up-gradation in traditional trades 7.Extension of credit service for undertaking Income Generation Programs by SHGs. 8.Construction of water harvesting structures to facilitate irrigation.

Contact :The Link BISWA At-Danipali P.o-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur, PIN-768004 Tele fax- +91-663-2533597
Email:biswamalick@rediffmail.com

IMPACT OF THE BASIC NEEDS PROGRAM

Zero Infant Mortality Zero Maternal Mortality 100% enrollment in schools Minimized out-migration Value addition to traditional products No exploitation by money lenders Availability of safe drinking water Availability of water for farming consumption Income level of artisans enhanced .Regain of self confidence and self esteem by villagers

kc_malick@yahoo.com www.biswa.org

15 February

INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS
The tall claim in the name of development sounds hollow without proper participation of our rural mass in the process. It was properly realized in BISWA and the outcome is our Basic Needs Program (BNP). The BNP covers 48 remote villages of Maneswar block in Sambalpur district for the time being. Our friend, philosopher and guide Mrs. Joyasree Mahanti, an NRI from USA extended the most sought after help in this matter and the result is an eye opener. The district administration of Sambalpur also has a fruitful participation in the BNP. The program reflects a perfect example of participatory approach to rural development, as envisaged in the vision. It covers some basic infrastructure services like, health, education, drinking water, women empowerment and child care with poverty alleviation as a whole. The result is reflected in zero IMR & MMR, cent per cent enrollment in primary school, substantial reduction in outward migration, relief from money lending exploitation, safe drinking water at hand, irrigation facility to support agriculture, enhancement of income from craftsmanship and overall increasing confidence among the rural mass. The experiment conducted by BISWA to involve the rural folk in the developmental process with formation of self help groups and empowering them with extension of microfinance, became a reality in those unreached sector. Our friends from USA, individuals and institutions; have supported BISWA to establish 16 schools under this segment of the program in 15 villages and 1 urban slum. Adding to imparting elementary education to the pupils these establishments are imparting training on various extracurricular subjects such as protection of environment, exploration of talents in sports and culture among the students etc. The each school has employed 1 teacher from the community. The schools in the villages of Jhankarbahali, Budapada, Rathipada & Tangarjuri are supported by Asha for Education-USA and the other schools are supported collectively by individuals. Support other than finance also came to the institutions in shape of uniforms and reading materials. Mr. Manohar Sai and Mr. Harekrushna Pattnaik NRIs has visited the establishments while in India and distributed school uniforms and reading materials to the students. Prior to establishment of the innovative schools, the enrollment status in the formal schools, was less than 50%, drop out was 47% and attendance was poor. The parents were discouraging the pupils to attend school and preferred them to go working. Intervention by BISWA has brought about a behavioral change among the parents; the enrollment has gone up to 100%, attendance to 95% and drop out only in case of out migration, which is a rare phenomena.

EYE CAMPS
Ophthalmic disorder in these parts of the district having high prevalence, BISWA has organized several awareness and treatment camps for cataract and other ophthalmic disorders. During these 3 years more than 2000 persons have been benefited under this program. Checking of status of the eyes, replacing intraocular lens, providing eye glasses, medicine: all at no cost basis form major components of the program.

HEALTH PROGRAM
Provision of the primary health care facilities, another challenge that the program interests to address and has involved the community in the process. The program establishes Community Based Drug Distribution (CBD) Centers in strategic villages at the rate of 1 per 1000 populations. The CBDs are run by members of SHGs. They are empowered by training at regular intervals, imparted by experts in the field. During the period under report 47 members of different SHGs have been imparted health training to combat local health issues / needs in 3 programs.

DRINKING WATER
Providing safe drinking water has been one of the highest priorities in Basic Needs Program. To achieve this objective of safe drinking water for total population of the identified villages, this program is converged with Swajaldhara program of the State Government, in which the beneficiaries collectively are to bear only 10 per cent of the total cost of tube well and the rest was borne under the scheme. The beneficiary contribution was borne by the program. All the covered villages have tube wells and availability of safe drinking water is no more a distant dream even in scorching summer days. So far 24 tube-wells have been sunk under this program, benefiting 1356 of households. Construction of platforms surrounding the tubewells which serve as a hygienic measure and also as washing platforms is also a part of the project. The tube wells are maintained by the users themselves.

The Basic Needs Program addresses the need of the community in a more integrated rather than a comprehensive approach. The target group has most of the indicators pointing to a standard of life far less than what is understood to be normal, where safe drinking water is scare, food throughout the year is unsecured, not a piece of land to call their own, where the elderly still broods what tomorrow shall be like and the seasons having a negatie impact on their mobility, their food security and the health status. The implementation of BNP has brought in three changes: a) Enhanced their decision making capacities whether to produce Talei or Feng Sui items; whether to walk or ride a bicycle; whether to wear this dhoti or that one; b) Decreased their fear of existence: fear of diseases, fear of hunger and fear of high interest rate on borrowings and fear of unsold stock of finished products. c) A congenial balance between the abilities and achievement of the artisans.

INAUGURATION:
Mrs. Joysree Mohanti, an NRI from USA, popularly known as Ranu Nani, inaugurated five micro enterprise units of Self Help Groups in Maneswar block, supported by BISWA on February 13th . She interacted with the SHG members & encouraged them for their entrepreneurship with wishes for their socio-economic development on that occasion. Mr.Pitabasa Sethi, Secretary-BISWA, Mr. Umakanta Pati, Project In-Charge & Mr. Mihir Ku.Nath, Health Coordinator of BISWA were present on the occasion.

DETAILS OF THE 5 MICRO ENTERPRISE

Name of the Village 1.Bolaranga 2. Matikhai 3.Antapali 4.Budapada 5.Mahulpali Name of SHG BISWA SHG Bolaranga Gr. No.2 BISWA SHG Matikhai Gr. No.1, 2 BISWA SHG Antapali Gr. No.1, 2, 3 BISWA SHG Budapada Gr. No.1 BISWA SHG Mahulpali Gr. No.1, 2,3 Units Variety Shop Cloth Store Cloth Store Variety Shop Cloth Store

GUEST VISITS
Sri Biraja Prasad Mishra and Sri Damodar Ratha, renowned personalities from Bhubaneswar visited BISWA on February 3rd 2006 to enhance support for ongoing Microfinance program. During their two day stay at Sambalpur, they visited Hatibari Health Home, run and managed by BISWA. There they interacted with inmates & visited Farming, Weaving, Sisal Fiber, Candle making units. On the second day they interacted with Central Office staffs and then they visited our project areas in Maneswar block. BISWA was highly appreciated by them for its enormous activities in the field of Micro Finance, Micro Enterprise & Social Development. Ms. Nirjaharani Ratha, Mr.D.J.Kenedy and Mr. T.J.Thomas, officials from Functional Vocational Training Forum (FVTF) & NVTS visited BISWA on February 4th, 2006, They visited our project areas, Bamboo Training cum Production center at Jhankarbahali village in Maneswar block, Common Facility Center for brass & bell metal artisans at Rengali, Badi, Papad, Soft toys, Tailoring units in Sambalpur. They interacted with the beneficiries, concerned staffs and discussed about the development of the projects.

15 February Orientation program on RCH phase II State Institute of Health & Family Welfare organized a 2 days orientation program on Reproductive & Child Health (RCH) Phase II from February 11 -12th , 2006 at Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar for the F NGOs. The main objective of the program was to create proper coordination among Government & Non Government Organisations for successfull implementation of RCH Phase II for the year 2006. Sri M.R.Mishra, State NGO Coordinator & Prof. Dr.B.C.Das, Director State Instituted of Health & Family Welfare joined as key resources persons of the program. Dr. Das, explained about the role of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) for implementation of the RCH program with NGOs. Eight NGOs from Sambalpur & Bargarh districts participated in it. Sri Pitabash Sethi, Secretary, Sri A.K.Satpathy, RCH Coordinator participated on behalf of BISWA. WORKSHOP ON DRIP NABARD, Bhubaneswar organized a 3 days workshop on District Rural Industries Project from 6th to 8th February, 2006 at Hotel Sheela Tower, Sambalpur. The main objective of the workshop was creation of significant number of sustainable employment opportunities in rural areas through enhanced credit flow to rural non farm sectors with complementary financial and non financial promotional support. Sri S.N.A, Jinnah, DGMNABARD, Bhubaneswar & Sri R.K.Mishra, DGM-NABARD, Kolkata facilitated participants during the workshop. DRIP was launched by Sri Ashok M.Dalwai, RDC (NR) in Sambalpur district on 31st January 2006. Sri.B.K.Dash, AGM-NABARD co-ordinated the program. In this workshop Government department, Banks, NGOs, Entrepreneurs & Artisans participated in the workshop. Sri G.P.Nahak, Asst.PRO-BISWA represented in the program on behalf of BISWA. RED CROSS DEPLOYMENT Sri Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO-BISWA was deployed as the Team Leader to lead a State Disaster Response Team of Orissa State Branch of Indian Red Cross Society for mid term assessment and evaluation of ongoing Livelihood Restoration Project in Balasore district of Orissa. He was there from February 8th to 13th visiting 3 blocks Baliapal, Jaleswar and Bhogarai, wherein 3396 beneficiaries form 65 villages of 9 Grampanchayats are involved in this project. He also gave a presentation on his prepared evaluation report before a joint meeting of Red Cross and Inter Agencies Group at the Orissa State Headquarter of Indian Red Cross Society on February 14th 2006.

The Link
BISWA
At-Danipali P.O-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur PIN-768004 Tele-fax- 0663-2533597(O) **********

Printed and Published by Debabrata Malick, Chief Editor. The Link, at BISWA Computer Section, Danipali, Budharaja, Sambalpur. PIN- 768004 Ph. No- 0663-2533597