While it is enormously engaged in constructing an ideal educational platform for the students through Manthan-Sampoorn Vikas Kendras, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS) also assures the progress and prosperity of the communities surrounding its SVKs. This is quite apparent from the timely community welfare programs like health checkup camps, parents-teacher meets, organized by Manthan for its students as well as the communities. To add even more, communities are also sensitized on various burning social issues through rallies and street plays.
Relying on its noble-minded dream, DJJS takes a leap ahead to foster the development of villages in Bihar. Under its Rural Development initiative, DJJS has again partnered with Women’s Empowerment International Foundation (WEIF) to make the poor families self-sustainable. This will pave the way for an ambitious Village Improvement Project in the state.
Target Area
This joint venture is directed towards elevating the condition of four flood-affected villages, namely Dhanoja, Sukhasan, Lokahi, and Parsoni, located in Saharsa and Supaul districts of Bihar. Focused on the training of village women, this project will provide sustainable living to their families whose members work on their own lands (measuring too small to fulfill the needs of their family) or some of them might be landless laborers. As a pilot project, 30 women have been selected from each village and therefore, 120 women will be the beneficiaries of this project.
It is important to mention that Manthan schools are also setup in these chosen villages. So, this would serve as an extra advantage for the rural development initiative of DJJS.
Course of Action / Modus Operandi
Unaware of the advanced agricultural techniques, the villages must proceed in sync with the latest technology. In this backdrop, WEIF will provide agricultural support to the families. The provision of good quality seeds, organic fertilizers, and bio-pesticides would lead to desired harvests with good quality crops.
Secondly, bore wells in villages contain contaminated water that is high in iron content. This causes harmful diseases. WEIF would facilitate digging new bore wells of 400-600 feet, offering clean drinking water for the entire village. It may be highlighted that such meticulous tasks would be undertaken in consultation with Krishi Vibhag Kendra (KVK), Saharsa, Bihar that will provide technical assistance and monitor this entire process.
Now what is perceived as a considerable step for families with landless laborers is to make them stand on their own feet. These women will be given vocational training, teaching them the process of making soaps, surf, papads, noodles etc. Once made, those products would be marketed and sold and thus, the proceeds would be utilized in their welfare. Their wages will support their families where husbands are the only breadwinners with a mere income of Rs. 5000 per month.
This framework targets towards making these families economically sound in the first year. Once accomplished, this initiative would be followed by the measures for their self sustainability in the year to come.
For here and now, DJJS and WEIF teams have embarked upon an avid undertaking that is determined to transform the status of BPL families in the state.
