Our Initiatives

HOW WE DECIDED OUR TARGET GROUP AND INITIATIVES

1st insight

While economic growth may be essential for poverty reduction, there is not an automatic relationship between the two since it all depends on the capabilities of the poor to take advantage of expanding economic opportunities.

2nd insight

Poverty as conceived by the people themselves is not just a question of low income, but also includes other dimensions such as Education, Health, lack of sanitation services, etc., as well as a state of vulnerability and feelings of powerlessness in general.

3rd insight

People themselves best know their situation and needs, therefore they should be involved in the design of project intended to better their situation.

The initiatives were decided based on

Need assessment study
A Need Assessment Study was conducted in 2014-15 by a third party and was essentially done to clinically understand the needs of the community, establish their causes and make an action plan for addressing those needs. Eight indicators were chosen to study deficiency needs, 17 indicators for growth needs and 9 indicators for development needs. Primary Data was collected by using questionnaire method to collect data from 2216 Households across 25 villages in 5 blocks. After analyzing 34 indicators, a total of 40 needs were established - 9 deficiency needs, 21 growth needs and 10 development needs. An action plan was made based on the criticality (importance) of the need in the overall development of the area. Complexity of the need was also taken into consideration (relative requirement of man, money, manpower, material, motivation).
Dialogue with the community is a continuous process for conceptualizing, designing and implementing various programs and initiatives. Various forms of stakeholder dialogue are held with the community to understand their needs and priorities. For example, more than thirty meetings were organized in villages about Moringa plantation, before taking up the project. Active involvement and contribution from the community at all the stages of project planning and Implementation. The community is encouraged to participate and contribute during the planning phase of projects. Their experiences help us in designing meaningful projects. Regular monitoring of project progress and evaluation gives us many opportunities to understand the community needs and expectations. We use the feedback to bring about changes in the program if required. We are continuously interacting with various NGOs active in the area. Their knowledge and experience is used to understand the community needs.
Before undertaking any program, a clinical assessment of its need, scope and projected benefits is done. The projects are then taken up on a Pilot level. Based on the progress of the projects and feedback from the community, the projects are evaluated. After tasting success in the pilot project, decision is taken for expansion.
As India has the largest population of poor people, there are some National need which assumed high priority.