Bengal NGO teaches displaced people new ways to
restart their lives . Shanti Mondol, 30, and her husband decided to run
away when Nandigram was being evicted. They had to take refuge in a
village 50 km away and were left with no sources of livelihood or
income to fall back on.
“We were farmers and never learnt to do anything else in life because I
did not realise I would ever need it,” Mondol says.
“I took refuge in a village called Kajla, which falls in the Contai
Deshapran block under Contai sub-division in East Medinipur district of
West Bengal. After a few days of wandering, my husband and myself saw
light,” says Mondol.
The Mondols were taken in by the ‘Kajla Janakalyan Samiti’, formed
seven years ago in Contai Deshapran block in east Medinipur district,
an NGO supported by various other organisations and individuals, which
works with displaced and trafficked families and trains them in ways to
earn alternate livelihood.
The Kajla Janakalyan Samiti works in 12 out of 25 blocks of the
district.
Kajla is a village in East Medinipur district of West Bengal and lies
about 160 km from Kolkata. About 15 per cent of the people who live
here are landless. The men from the village migrate seasonally for work
in other areas, leaving their families without support for long periods.
East Medinipur district has a population of around 5 million, of which
at least 15 per cent are victims of displacement and eviction. Since
these are poor people and are doing just what their forefathers’ did,
they usually don't get to learn anything else.
According to Swapan Panda, secretary, Kajla Janakalyan Samiti: “We
train these people in becoming self-reliant and find an alternative
livelihood.”
The Samiti, which works with close to 8,500 members, trains families in
alternate livelihood like making handicraft items, especially from
coconut and bamboo like wall-decorations, book shelf, lanterns, etc.
The NGO also trains people in making herbal medicines.
According to Mondol: “From being farmers, my husband and myself have
become fisherfolks as we are fishing and selling them in the market.
The Samiti also trained us on preparing various food items from fish. I
got a loan of Rs 3,000 from my self-help-group when I wanted to start
making food items from fish. I had to pay an interest of Rs 10 per
month, which I managed to repay in a year,” Mondol says.
Today, Mondol and her husband earn Rs 10,000 per month.
Janabi, a resident of Kolaghat has a similar story to narrate:
“The thermal power project in Kolaghat, 85 km from Kajla, had a lot of
families lose fishing as a livelihood since the project caused a lot of
water pollution, killing fishes in the river. Fishes started dying and
I did not have a livelihood any more. Moreover, I was asked to leave my
house in Kolaghat and migrate to a different place. The compensation
was negligible,” Janabi says.
“I found Kajla Janakalyan Samiti which trained me in making handicraft
items. I learnt to make calendars, letterpads, notebooks and other
stationery items. I sell them at the local fairs organised throughout
the year, ” she added.
According to Swapan Panda: “We organise close to 20 fairs per year
where these displaced families can sell their products. The stalls are
booked by us and the rent is also paid by us.”
Janabi said: “I sell my products at the fairs and earn close to Rs
4,000 per month. I am happy to have found an alternate livelihood and
someone to train me for it; otherwise I would have died of hunger.”
The Samiti has also set up a school of its own for poor people in the
village. The school currently has 295 students. It is a primary school
up to class IV, which builds on the concept of
joyful-teaching-learning, life-based, group and activity-based
learning. Medium of instruction here is Bengali.
Student fee varies between Rs 5 and Rs 20, depending on the daily
income of the parents. If parents are below-poverty-level, a fee of Rs
50 per year is charged for every child in the school.
The school has a total of eight teachers and a student-teacher ratio of
30:1 is maintained. Teachers are paid between Rs 1,200 and Rs 2,000 per
month.
Kajla Janakalyan Samiti gets funds from several other NGOs and
individuals to sustain its activities.
“We get close to Rs 30 lakh per year from Child Rights and You, Rs 10
lakh from Save The Children, some Rs 8 lakh per year from Development
Research Communication and Services Centre. We work with banks and
financial institutions to organise funds for these poor people who wish
to start businesses. Some of these women form self-help-groups (SHGs)
who also organise loans among themselves, ” Panda says.
The NGO takes loans from banks and gives it to SHGs free of interest.
The Samiti also took a cash credit loan of Rs 50 lakh in 2006 from
United Bank of India. Today, they have trained 600 group leaders who in
turn have trained other members for better and alternate sources of
livelihood.
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=social&autono=319340
Business Standard Ltd. Copyright &
Disclaimer.
