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The birth of Aparajita was a natural outcome of Voluntary
Health association of India (VHAI's) close association with
people and their concerns over the past three decades. Despite
disaster mitigation not being in the mandate of VHAI, VHAI's
response to the disaster in Orissa and later in Kutch was
clear right from the beginning. It was a response to people's
misery and helplessness and not to preplanned, pre-decided
mandates. Equipped with its past experience in the relief
operations in Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, Marathwada earthquake
in 1993, Uttarkashi earthquake and annual floods in U.P.
and Bihar and draught in Rajasthan, all of which were spontaneous
reactions to the devastation caused by disasters, Aparajita
was to emerge with a conscious and organised set of activities
determined to alleviate people's suffering and get them
back on the road to development.
Livelihood Support
to the Most Vulnerable
Women in Kutch were
to emerge as prime movers in all the activities being undertaken
by the project. Right from the onset of the rehabilitation
programme it was kept in mind that development would be
examined in the socio- economic context relative to each
community for each community was bound by its own distinct
customs, occupations and heritage. In depth focus group
discussions with the women revealed that restoration of
livelihood needed to be addressed urgently for there was
no permanent source of income that they could rely on. Most
women, it was discovered, had a rich tradition of folk arts
with each community having its own distinct embroidery (Bharat).
The livelihood supplementation programme was initiated with
the process of identification of potential groups of women
practicing Bharat. Subsequently an embroidery-training program
was implemented for these women in 15 project villages.
Hand embroidery toolkits were distributed among them and
they were trained in aspects related to:
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Study of various designs
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Introduction to time
management, importance of meeting time schedules
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Developing consistency
in quality of work
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Understanding the current
market trends
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Knowledge of color combinations
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Costing of product
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Use of mirrors in embroidery
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Introduction to various
crafts and stitches of Kutch
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Introduction to concepts
of marketing and advertising
Self Help Groups
Women here in Kutch
were to achieve in a very short period of time what it normally
takes projects and its beneficiaries years to achieve. The
process that was started by the Bharat programme yielded
results as it brought together women on one platform as
a step towards empowerment. The activities were to soon
diversify and go much beyond bharat. Brought together in
self- help groups, (SHGs), women were to prove that SHGs
are one of the most potent empowerment tools. It was not
just another activity but an activity that gave the people
especially women a reason to believe in themselves and their
economic capacity. Self-help groups also went a long way
in proving to people the power of group dynamics and once
it was there for them to see it for themselves they took
it upon themselves to sustain it and make the process work.
Health Interventions
Project Aparajita was
the pioneer in being the provider of preventive, curative
and promotive health services in its area of operation.
The tremendous impact that Aparajita managed to make with
its health interventions, was a direct result of a well-planned
methodology and not merely arbitrarily organised one- time
health camps. The interventions consisted of:
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Preparation of trained
health teams consisting of field officers, volunteers
and TBAs/dais who act as community primary health care
providers, educators and motivators. Building the capacity
of the community was one of the key objectives of the
project, which the project hoped to achieve by leaving
behind a cadre of trained and self-reliant workers.
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Health camps with appropriate
follow-ups and referrals, OPDs and Mobile clinics. A
large upsurge of malaria in the area necessitated the
need for health camps. These were also crucial since
there was a large backlog of patients owing to a near
total disruption of health services. Hence, two mega
malaria camps were organized in collaboration with district
malaria office. The camps witnessed strong participation
of the women SHGs in organizing the camps.
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OPDs and mobile clinics
were organized in all the clusters and villages. Mobile
clinics were especially useful in the Vand areas where
the harsh rigorous rules of the community did not allow
women to step out of the villages leave alone consult
a doctor. Identification of specific needs of the most
vulnerable including women & children led to the
initiation of the pediatric, ANC and PNC clinics and
school health programmes. Even after the restoration
of the initial breakdown of the govt. health services,
Aparajita continued to bridge the gap by developing
a strong referral system and in needy cases providing
transportation and financial assistance.
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The school health activities
sought to go much beyond providing the health services
functionaries including the Primary Health Care Centres
for children. It sought to mitigate the trauma of the
children by providing an environment congenial to learning.
Midday meals, recreational facilities, school bags were
provided to encourage creativity in them. Along with
these, basic amenities for the school were also restored
water storage tanks, first aid boxes etc.
Support to Artisans and
Petty Traders
The program was vigorously
implemented in all project villages. The work also involved
market study for improved tools and designs. This was a
very timely help for a dazed workforce of artisans, as well
as other skilled or unskilled categories of people. All
the 435 beneficiaries helped by the project have now resumed
their work.
Agricultural Support
to Small Farmers
Based on in-depth study
by agriculture experts from Gujarat Agriculture University
and on interaction with the farmers, a programme supporting
marginal and small farmers was undertaken. 1053 farmers
having land less than 10 acres were identified supported
with technical know, how and provided with quality seeds
of Moong, Arandi and Til as well as DAP (fertiliser) just
before onset of rains.
Water and Sanitation
After the initial survival
needs were addressed, it was established beyond doubt that
in order to make a significant impact on the lives of the
people, the project had to address the water requirements
of the dry arid region.
The interventions planned to alleviate the difficulties
included repair and construction of water tanks, platforms,
Wada/Nala (drinking water facility for cattle and other
livestock) and repair of bathing area for men and construction
of bathrooms for women. Pipeline for water supply was also
laid in 11 villages. The area saw 15,265 feet long pipeline
being laid down, installation of 11 Syntax water tanks and
cleaning of 8 water ponds.
Shelter
Support for temporary
shelter was provided to vulnerable families who had not
received the same from any adopting or any other agency.
It included material for constructing temporary shelter,
labour cost and a provision of cash for work. 173 families
received support under the program. All vulnerable families
have adequate temporary shelters and they are now able to
live with self-respect and dignity. Some of these families
have now moved to permanent house provided by adopting agencies.
Along with temporary shelters, 14 community centres have
also come up in the area, which are available to the women
for their monthly meetings, reporting, trainings and their
Bharat Programs.
Non-Formal Schools
for Women and Children
Non-formal education
was given due priority for women and children by the project.
These non-formal schools were especially planned for women
in Vand areas, these areas being very conservative and orthodox.
The structures constructed also serve as NFE Centres for
children. |
