Cluster
Project in Chenari Fights Poverty
Jeevan
Mashal Samiti (translated as “an organization lighting the way to a
better life”) began the third year of its involvement in 30 villages
of the Chenari district in India in a concerted effort for integrated development
of the marginalized and the poor. In October 2003 we also officially launched
our “Cluster Project,” which is a new and exciting venture for
us.
The Jesuits, the Sisters of Notre Dame in Sasaram, the IMS Fathers and
SRA Sisters in Kudra, and Jeevan Mashal Samiti (JEMS) in Chenari have formed
into a cluster for village development efforts. This project receives financial
support from the Lutheran World Relief organization. Each of the five partners
has identified ten Dalit (low caste) villages for integrated development
activities, which will be exclusively for Dalits. Having selected some 50
villages in a common geographic location, we decided to design our Cluster
Project in such a way that the focus is on mobilizing the Dalits into groups
based on community. The aim is to help the villagers realize their rights
for livelihood and to network these groups to create collective power among
the people. Better health care for children is also a goal of the project.
The first step of the Cluster Project was to have a workshop for the five
coordinators. The coordinators, including two Sisters of Notre Dame, participated
in a workshop organised by Caritas India on organizational development and
strategic planning. During the group sessions the cluster partners took advantage
of the opportunity to chalk out strategy and clarify concepts.
The
second initiative of the Cluster Group is to tackle the TB (tuberculosis)
problem of these villages. People hide the existence of TB because of the
stigma
attached to this sickness. Marriages are avoided from such families. Seeing
the terrible plight of the people, we decided to address our efforts to wiping
out this disease in our area.
We conducted street plays focusing on this problem in every village.
After visiting government medical authorities many times for help,
some free
drugs were finally made available. We have begun a TB help fund to
supplement the
medicine for the poor. Trained village health workers monitor the healing
process carefully for each patient. We hope to obtain the 1000 rupees
(about $22) available at the district office for each TB patient. Many
in the
villages are motivated to fight this menace. Through mobilization of
personnel and
financial resources and creating awareness, we offer hope for the victims
of this disease. Our dream is to have these villages free of TB within
four to five years. We will not leave a single stone unturned to achieve
this.
Hope springs up anew in the wake of these ventures.
Recent Progress:
- A better attitude toward education among the people, with more
girls attending classes
- Improved health evidenced by fewer cholera and TB cases
- Eagerness on the part of the people to join in the programs
- Greater peacefulness in the villages and families, shown by fewer fights
among them
- Solidarity among the women to stand up against child marriage
- Enthusiastic celebrations of national holidays, International
Literacy Day, and Children’s Day
- The creation of compost pits to help with fertilization
