Building a civil society
Aranyika might seem to be a small community-based organization that has been working in 14 remote tribal villages in G.Madugula mandal in Andhra Pradesh since 1998, but its work philosophy based on the principle of involving communities in identifying and resolving their problems, has valuable lessons for all community development initiatives. In complete agreement with its own philosophy, AID found a long-term partner in Aranyika. This partnership started in the form of supporting 10 functional educational schools for young women for two years by College Park and Raleigh chapters in 1999.
Participants from Buratada and Jenneru planning their activity list
Growing with Aranyika: AID Volunteers' perspectives
The volunteers at the College Park chapter were very impressed when they found out that Aranyika was working with villagers in organizing ?Shramdan' to repair Tabelugummi check dam. This project was initiated at the villagers' request and was implemented by involving volunteers from villages. As a result, several villages are now getting water for their second crop and in an agriculture-based economy, it has led to a significant increase in income. Another project, JEEVAM that was conceived and implemented by Aranyika involved encouraging young tribal high school drop outs to become health volunteers for six months to a year. During this time they were provided boarding and lodging facilities to complete their high school. It became clear to AID volunteers that by providing core support to Aranyika's volunteers they were essentially enabling local communities to identify and resolve their problems. Hence, volunteers at the College Park chapter want to continue their collaboration with the organization. Impressed by Aranyika's work, PRIA (Participatory Research In Asia) provided support to Aranyika's volunteers to attend a one week training on local governance and participatory democracy principles. Aranyika is able to use this training in helping local panchayat members.
Working with villagers: Aranyika's perspectives
Aranyika organized a workshop in the last week of July 2005 to seek feedback from villagers on its role in their lives and the kind of initiatives that they'd like to see implemented in the future. The trust that Aranyika has built with the communities and their enhanced awareness of development issues was visible in the confidence with which the participants voiced the new avenues for their development. They also acknowledged how the organization had helped them so far. "You gave us water for our farms and taught us how to make adda leaf plates and now please teach us how to read," says Koda Gunnamma (45yrs age) from Sakirevu village to Aranyika's volunteers. Pongi Rajamma (46 years) of Ganneruputta village thanked Aranyika for providing adda leaf training and starting a night school for dropout children which in turn helped enroll her son into a regular school. She asked Aranyika's help in improving sanitation facilities and developing some common grazing ground for their cattle.
Pongi Apparao (45 yrs) from Sangham thanked Aranyika for the Tabelugummi dam and also for organizing Kalajathas on health and education issues. He wanted Aranyika to provide formal training to water users' association and panchayat members. He also wanted help in getting better yielding seeds.
The community would like to see the local civic institutions to function in an impartial manner. Forty five years old Julapalayya from Janneru village expressed that many panchayat members were illiterate and taken advantage by other influential members. He wanted Aranyika's help in improving panchayat functioning.
For more information about the project, click here
--
Compiled in the field by Rajkumar, Aranyika.
Contributed by Srinivas Krovvidy, AID College Park
|
