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October 2005 Newsletter Our chapter is jointly reviewing this project with other AID chapters. The proposed budget for this project, for the year 2005-06 is about $13,000. Our chapter is hoping to raise ~$5,000 to support this project.
'Srikakulam District Integrated Development' project is AID-India's very first intervention in villages at the grassroots level, all by itself, where there are no other NGOs are involved. AID has supported AID-India in this project since 2001 and the work has now expanded to 25 villages in the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh from the initial 2-3 villages. This project has a grassroots approach using little funds and a bottom-up way of doing things - it started with women saving money and using their own savings for giving loans to other women, children run children's libraries where older children volunteer to run village libraries, low-cost vermi-compost pits, planting of saplings, electricity connections by fighting corruption, and giving loans that have 100% repayment to secure electric meters etc. Let us take a look at the past achievements and the plans for the coming year, for some of the components of this project.
(COMPLETE REPORT FOR 2004-05 ALONG WITH PICTURES HERE) Electricity
Achievements in 2004-05: The actual connection cost is Rs 545 but the villagers had to pay an additional Rs 1000 as bribe, for each connection. After meeting with the Assistant Engineers at the EB and the Anti Corruption Bureau electricity connections were given without bribes. Out of Rs 545, AID provided Rs 300 loan per family for getting the connection. Electricity connections to 180 families in 15 villages were secured without paying bribes. The families pay Rs 38 for their monthly electricity bill, instead of spending Rs 30 - Rs 33 on kerosene oil, which they used to burn for oil-lamps. The new state government is giving Rs 10 subsidy for those who use less than 15 unit of electricity per month. So in effect the energy expense of a family has been reduced.
Plans for 2005-06: Facilitate another 100-200 connections this year by rotating last years repaid loan money. New electricity poles need to be installed because several huts in the villages are not near the existing poles. Each village may need 3-4 poles. There are further bribe situations to protest against and get rid off. Transportation charges for the poles will not be provided by the government. The project needs Rs 18,000 as an initial amount for this purpose. Some households are asking for fans and there are plans to release loans for these. A budget of Rs 16,000 is being requested for providing these loans.
Children's Library
Achievements in 2004-05: There are now 25 village libraries run by boy and girl volunteers. The library provides children books and magazines like chandamama, balamitra etc. The cost of running one library is $40 per year. Books are rotated between libraries when the children have finished reading a set.
Plans for 2005-06: Expand the libraries to 30 villages in the Srikakulam district. Provide diaries to children and encourage them to write their thoughts and their day to day experiences. A children's newsletter will be started where they contribute their own stories and sketches. More books and toys will also be introduced in the libraries.
"Nirupedalu" - Poorest of the poor
Efforts made in 2004-05: A survey was made to identify people who are poorer than the landless daily wage laborers, who earn Rs 40-45 per day (males) or Rs 20-25 per day (females) on days they get work (which is about 100 days in a year). Some of the people identified are old women (many of whom are alone), who no longer can do wage-labor, single parent families where the mother is the sole bread earner, families where the sole wage laborer has a health problem(such as fractured hand) and will not get the labor job. In ?Dallavalasa' village where 46 people in such situation were identified, our volunteers have given village people small bags and requested them to save some rice everyday for these people. People began to do this and collected 30 Kg rice. AID-India then added some ?dal' and chintapandu and have given ? Kg dal per person and chintapandu.
Plans for 2005-06:
In the coming year we are going to focus at least in 2-3 villages on the Nirupedalu issue and take it from there. It is a fundamental right to life of every human to be able to have an opportunity to work. If the society can't provide them work, then we need to ensure that they don't starve as a matter of right and not charity alone. We cannot claim to be involved in holistic and integrated development until we ensure no body goes to sleep hungry in the villages where we work and the country where we live, or are from. How we accomplish this? Will the Employment Guarantee Scheme help the Nirupedalu? What do we do of the corrupt official who takes Rs. 5 off the Rs 75 monthly pension that a homeless old lady gets from the government? These are questions we need to ask and address. Nirupedalu is a new component added to the Srikakulam Integrated Development project. A small amount of Rs 65,000 is requested to take care of the immediate survival needs of these people. Apart from these components, this project also concentrates on organic farming, providing supply chain for the village products, reducing malnutrition in children, rain water harvesting, and women's self help group. To help us raise funds to support this project, please make an online donation to our chapter here. You can also give donations by check or cash - if so, please email us at batonrouge@aidindia.org or call us (225) 281 6162 so that we can get in touch with you. For more information on this project: you can contact the project coordinator, Manoj Iragavarapu, at (225) 614-3184 or write to manojtammiraju@yahoo.com.
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Visit the AID Baton Rouge chapter at: http://batonrouge.aidindia.org
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