WOMEN’S MOBILIZATION AND CBOs

The society has recognized women as the primary agents in its community development initiatives. In view of this, the society has formed Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in the form of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Mahila Mandals.

Since inception, the women in the community were grouped under the Swasraya Sanghams as a unit and Mahila Mandals as larger groups. Understanding the fact that major development interventions should reach the grass root level, these Mahila Mandals were reorganized to form Self Help Groups by the year 2000, comprising of twenty women in each group. At the same time, each Mahila Mandal was reorganized to act as the apex body for every five Self Help Group on a neighbourhood basis.

Self help Groups as well as Mahila Mandals are frequently capacitated with Entrepreneurship Development Programmes, Assistance to Livelihood Security Initiatives and other aspects of individual and social development. For convenience, the Mahila Mandals have been classified on a zonal basis.

The Mahila Mandals perform as the link agents at the village level for implementing projects and programmes of the society. The members of the Mahila Mandals do meet once in every month in their locality and discuss various matters of developmental importance. Discussion follows to the action plan in any given situation, let it be employment generation, social issues, response to natural calamity, health care and management and as such. Accordingly, the average membership in a Mahila Mandal would be 100. Mahila Mandals of KIDS often act as a ‘Pressure Group’ towards the social, economic, political and environmental problems faced by the society.

In the year 2002, the concept of Self Help Groups for men was materialized, especially focusing on construction workers and fishermen. The joint initiatives of men and women Self Help Groups are expected to become a stepping stone in the integrated development of the community.

Self Help Groups (SHGs)

Self Help Group (SHG) is the nucleus of the village development system formed as a fraternity on neighbourhood basis. Twenty neighbourhood families of homogeneous character sharing common bondage make an SHG. The fundamental value and thrust of the group is sharing and cooperation. It has a proverbial understanding. Drops of water make mighty ocean in the angle of development. Sharing and cooperation are expected to transcend all spheres of life and behaviour of the community and more particularly concentrate in endeavours that provide a progressive existence. Micro credit and micro enterprise becomes very important in this context and women are the centre of activity in the given frame work.

So far, the society has organized 3210 Self Help Groups on a neighbourhood basis with membership not exceeding 20 in each unit.. The SHG system provides for equal and effective involvement of all in terms of attaining knowledge, planning, resource mobilization, economic activity, personal growth, leadership development, sharing social responsibilities etc. The loan advance will start soon after an evaluation of the functioning of SHGs and the performance assessment of the SHG members.

Distribution showing the details of the SHGs facilitated by KIDS

Years	No of SHGs	No of Members	Savings	No of new SHGs	No of new Members
2000-01	56	1200	576000	56	1200
2001-02	500	15000	2000000	444	8800
2002-03	1020	20400	10753665	520	10400
2003-04	1600	31000	15139407	580	10600
2004-05	2280	43810	34006847	680	12810
2005-06	3210	60457	57879207	930	16647

 

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SELF HELP GROUPS FOR MEN

The operational area of KIDS has a lot of construction workers, who were completely unorganized. The major problem faced by the people working in this sector was that, after attaining the age of 50’s, their health status was alarmingly declining into a pathetic condition that their family members could not help for finding money for treatment and so on. These men were tryining to stand united since ten years under Kettida Nirmana Pravarthaka Swasraya Sangham (KNPSS). Considering the life situation of these people, and other male workers in the unskilled job sector, KIDS put forward the thought of Self Help Groups for men with diversified programmes. The idea of SHGs for construction workers was materialized in the year 2002. The Construction workers in particular have been enrolled into a special health insurance scheme in collaboration with United India Insurance Company. The insurance scheme has proved to be very useful for these workers.

The Construction Workers’ SHGs conduct weekly and monthly meetings as any other Community Based Organizations and to boost up their activities. They have leaders, organizers and core team in the local, zonal and central levels respectively. These SHGs are mainly engaged in promoting savings among its members, conducting leadershiop, capacity building and empowerment training, creating awareness on modern developmental aspects and environment related activities. Encouragement is also given for the enhancement of education of their children. The members of the men SHGs are highly involved in almost all the developmental activities within their area and their courteous activities inspired the children too to start SHGs for their own.

Photo Gallery

Gramajyothi-Women Initiative for Development

Design development workshop

Street play against environmental degradation

SHG women engaged in Craft production

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SHG Meeting

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