JEEVIKA Shivpuri (GCSS-Gwalior) team attended One day workshop on linkages of SHGs with Banks organized by NABARD-Shivpuri

This is a one day workshop session on linkages of SHGs with Banks organized by NABARD-Shivpuri in which 3 GCSS team members represented NGO. In this meeting 30 Branch Managers, Area Officers, Assistants from all RRB banks of Shivpuri Dist. were present there. We told them about our problems related to account opening and linkages of SHGs with banks. They also given us some suggestion for easy process and assured for full help.

LDM-Mr. Ashok Kothari, DDM-Shivpuri-Mr. B.S. Wakchaure and Mr. N.N. Sharma-Credit Manager, Mr. Gupta-Regional Manager facilitated workshop session.

Yes we can!:@JEEVIKA Shivpuri (GCSS-Gwalior)

When we went to Sikrawada on 14th of this month almost 30 women and some males of community were arguing each other on an issue. When we asked them what’s the matter? Mr. Kamlesh Tiwari (Coordinator) at DPIP told us that “we are planning to start a Stitching Training Center here for 3 month in which 2 Professional trainers one Madam from Gwalior and one from Shivpuri give them training. As well as certificates and Swinging machine will be given to each member. But problem is that neither they are getting ready to go in nearby community nor agree to start it here itself”.

Than we talked to women they said we’ll not go there because if we go there we must have to go with naked feet and carry slippers in our hands because they belongs from upper caste. So we don’t want to participate in this training.

Than we talked them about possibilities of conducting training at here itself in between our community people, so they said its dirty room without plaster at walls and floor, how we can do it here. After long discussion with community members, other caste people and Coordinator of DPIP; we decided to start cleaning of Room and Place. At beginning nobody took interest in cleaning of place but Jeevika Team members started by themselves, seeing us working for them after a minute, one after one all women unite and cleaned that place and room just in 30 minutes and 1st day of training started with members from Sikrawada and Sikrawadi village.

At last most of them said: we wasted our 3 hours in arguments and over all process took only 30 minutes. Now we are feeling happy and we will learn together.

JEEVIKA project villages of Jhabua and November 2013!

In India November month is well known for its harvesting season and religious festivals. A light of hope and joy can be easily seen on community’s brighter faces. Farmers seemed busy for harvesting during this whole period. Markets seemed very crowded because of money flow in community’s pockets. Money from khariff season doubled their joy of festivals, which resulted as unexpected hike of commodity prices.

Legislative elections during the month also kept busy people in healthy political discussions. Even after election people seemed interested to talk about possible winning of their favorite candidates. Community also looked frustrated about unreasonable delay of administrative processes, due to elections.

Community started their practices to preserve food for future purpose. Preservation of food grain was on top priority. Some villagers also preserved vegetables by drying it in sunlight. Community understood the effect of climate change and trying to mitigate it by adopting such practices.

Reduction is the amount of rain, also motivated villagers to start again their MNREGA work. They looked happy after getting local job opportunities, which filled their pockets with money, once again. There was some road maintenance work has been completed during the month, roads, those shape has been completely vanished during mansoon season, came back in their actual shape.

Farmers seemed busy in farm preparation for Rabi season. Heavy rain, in past few months, has given a hopeful prospectus of good agricultural production. Agriculture department also understood the need of season and introduced new schemes. Farmers seemed busy, and were visiting agriculture department, for quality seeds and technical support.

Women plays a very important role for cultural flow, it can be easily seen throughout the month, where women were busy in various activities, from agriculture to festival preparation. Children were feeling relaxed, due to festival break, from studies.

Skill Building Workshop for Jeevika Staff@JEEVIKA Jhabua

After one year implementation of Jeevika project, we organize a workshop cum review meeting at Pragati office, Meghnagar, from 18 November-13 to 21 November-13. During this six day workshop, Jeevika project has been reviewed completely and consensus has been made.

After review and skill assessment of staff, it has been decided to train staff on some development issues, like RTI, Social Audit, Micro Planning and MNREGA. Workshop has been organized, in such a way so that they can share their field experiences, on the spot, and get appropriate solutions. Staff has been motivated to analyse jeevika project themselves and perform some innovative activities. They have been encouraged to increase community participation at Jeevika activities. Some strategic innovations have been decided and included in planning, at workshop.

Bringing women leadership@JEEVIKA Caritas India

Sunni Malla Singh lives in Chotajulwaniya, which is 5 KM far from Thandla Tehsil, Jhabua. She has 2 bigha agricultural land, which is very less for having a prosperous life. She had 5 children and whole family depends on agriculture for their livelihoods. When Jeevika team first started its activity in Chotajulwaniya, Sunni was very shy and hardly participated in its activities. But after continuous motivation, she found it interesting and started to participate in each activity of Jeevika.

After joining Jeevika, she formed her SHG and started taking new initiatives. She was so motivated for model farming, which enforced us to select her as model farmer. She also motivated her husband Mr. Malla Singh to join Kisan club of Chotajulwaniya. She showed her leadership skills, when she went to Jhabua jansunwai for submitting application for well, Hand-pump and village road. She has also planted fruit plants at their farm land. She told us that she will plant more fruit plants in next season, because it will give her more sustainable income.

She has been also started to take benefits of government schemes and keep herself regularly in touch of agriculture department. She has also started to adopt organic farming in this month, on small scale. She told that since it is very risky to adopt organic farming completely, because her livelihoods completely depends on it, but if it will give them positive results, she will adopt it completely. She is illiterate, but after listening Radio at VIC, she found it useful and decided to buy her personal Radio. She also motivates others to buy one, so that people learn useful things about health, education and agriculture. Her positive attitude, to learn new things and readiness to adopt it, always inspires others.

1st 100% Solar village in Indore through JEEVIKA effort!

Climate Change Survey at project villages@JEEVIKA Jhabua

Jhabua is a hilly region, which is very exposed to climate change. To find out the impact of this climate change, we conducted a survey and we found very heart-breaking results from it. We found climate change has been is very big hurdle for development of region. Since Jhabua is a hilly region, which make it more sensitive to heavy/low rain or summer or cold. It made it unable to predict or plan any activity for local community. Agricultural has been facing more worse results about this, because here agriculture completely depends on climatic situation and slight change in climate directly affects their agricultural production, so as their annual income.