Community volunteers for physical work?
Community collective volunteer for Change!
Here is one ground reality covered by many media houses in Madhya Pradesh –a story of change…by JEEVIKA women collectives for volunteer work to bring change in the form road to their village!
In simple words-‘Shramdaan means- Doing some voluntary work through physical effort’, but it’s not so easy to have collective shramdaan and especially when we talk about ‘shramdaan for the development road in a village….with JEEVIKA Shehore (implementing partner-ANWC-Bhopal) project team and community, this has been possible. In Naikheda ( JEEVIKA project village in Shehore district in Nasurlaganj block) -where roads are of pathetic condition , SHG members ( from Ganga SHG-Naikheda, this SHG been formed in Aug 2013 under JEEVIKA project and Ms. Reshanm is the president of it) during one of their meeting in Dec 2013 discussed about the road conditions and difficulty in commutation to nearby Panchayat and market and Primary Health care centers and other villages and decided to mobilise community to repair road....
With training and workshops on Gram Sabha they have also submitted a request/proposal in Gram Sabha and asked Panchayat to support through finance for material and members from SHGs would contribute physical labour work . ..they.. were determined to bring road to their village…they were determined to bring development to their village …and they have decided for it….from Panchayat support has not came….but SHG members from Nai Kheda village were determined and they decided for shramdaan (physical work) and self-contribution and collection of fund from village for material and in Jan 2014; 2nd week started working on maintenance of road of Nai Kheda village connecting it to nearby Panchayt and in 3 days of physical work contribution they have bought road to their village ….
…..and now have easy access to nearby Panchayat and market. Seeing few members working many other from village and nearby village also joined Ganga SHG members in shramdaan process!
Today Nai Kheda is connected to nearby Panchayat and Ganga SHG members thanks JEEVIKA to bring them on ‘collective platform’ and seeded the concept of ‘WE’ rather than of ‘ME’ and strengthen our thought and capacity to think collectively and bring change collectively! The difficulty of road is from last so many years but people were not united and thus things were not happening!
This Collective work under JEEBIKA umbrella been covered by many leading media houses in Madhya Pradesh. Now Panchayat has also understood the power of collective women institution and soon going to make road ‘pucca’ road!
