Predominantly forest dwellers, the livelihood of the locals depends mainly on forest (from firewood, honey sale etc), as tea estate workers, rickshaw-drivers and women folks as house-helps. Families (of 5-7 members each) live in tiny make-shift houses with tin or tarpaulin as roof. Lack of proper road (access to medical help), drains and drinking water lead to many falling ill and suffer severe malnutrition.
Project Location:
● Vidyasagarpally and Surjanagar in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India
● To enhance education of the adolescents
● To ensure sustainable livelihood for their families
● To increase social awareness (on menstrual health and hygiene; against child marriage,
need for education and others), especially among girls
● To give skill-based training (tailoring, beautician course etc) to the adults in the
community
● To promote community wisdom in reviving indigenous nutrition sources (e.g. kitchen
● Set-up Coaching Centres for education support
● Organise Vocational Training in the same centres – post class timings – for the family members (especially the women) and the community youth, to provide need-based livelihood training
● Formation of village-level committee to run the unit and its works to harness a sense of ownership
● Organise Workshops to enhance awareness on social issues (child rights, menstrual hygiene, organic farming), government schemes etc
● Organise Talks/discussions promoting the so-called ‘unskilled’ line of work, where an expert from that field (e.g. a farmer) imparts practical knowledge and know-how, propagating the true meaning of value and dignity
● Using the same infrastructure, build a Child Resource Centre to engage the community children (who usually have zero access to common space) to participate in activities such reading together, games, computer training, creative class, community work etc)
● Start Portable Library/s equipped with school-books, storybooks and a computer to provide access and provoke curiosity in those in unreachable, far-flung areas
Set up and run coaching/education centres in the village
Individuals to benefit:
Community children and also the youth
Conduct TLM (teaching learning materials) workshops
Who will benefit:
Teachers and volunteers from the community
Involve professional trainers to impart life skill training
To benefit:
Children and young adults who will feel empowered
Beautician & tailoring course, mobile repairing workshop, computer training for sustainable livelihood
Individuals to benefit:
Community adults, especially womenfolk
On social issues (like menstrual health) and schemes (govt)
Who will benefit:
Children and adults, especially girls, women
● Financial independence
● Local source/s of livelihood
● Reduced school dropout rate
● Personal source of nutrition (kitchen garden)
● Extensive use of local wisdom
● Negative migration
● Recognize and nurture individual talent/s
● Witnessing mind-set change, wherein the community becomes aware of its own potential and works with it; mobilization of the community youth wherein they harness their leadership capability with a sense of community ownership
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