HELPING FAMILIES BUILD A FUTURE FREE FROM POVERTY

Reporting period 1st January- 31st December, 2015 JOHAR Empowering tribal communities to address their poverty through improved access to Indian Public Services Start date: 1st January, 2014 End date: 31st December, 2018 Reporting period 1st January- 31st December, 2015 Location of the action:India Chhattisgarh (Korba, Raigarh, Kanker and Rajnandgaon districts) Jharkhand (Dumka, Pakur, Jamtara and Godda districts.) “JOHAR” used as a greeting among various tribal groups.

Targeted public services and schemes (including but not limited to) Public Schemes MGNREGS SABLA JSY IAY ICDS RSBY Other public schemes Target Groups: 21,600 adivasis (Santhali, Gond, Oraon, Pahariya, Birhor, Korwa, Kawar and Pando tribes) from across 8 Backward Districts in the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Target Achieved up to 31st December, 2015: 21,541 community members (with 11,850 women- 55%)

Our assessment of progress in relation to the expected results Result 1: Reduced poverty and social exclusion through access to government services relating to poverty reduction, tribal rights, education, child and maternal health and income generation   8 Public Information Centres (PICs, one in each district) established and are functioning effectively. Indicator Figure achieved Number of community members who have visited PIC for any kind of services 5045 Number of applications collected by PICs 2862 Number of applications forwarded to the concerned department/officials 2555 Number of applications resolved/addressed 1084 A cumulative total of 9,596 beneficiaries (4,823 in Jharkhand/4,773 in Chhattisgarh) have accessed government schemes including the MNREGS, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and widows’ pensions. (As of December 31, 2015)

Our assessment of progress in relation to the expected results…. Formation of a network of village level community-based organisations (CBOs) and representative Tribal Rights Forums (TRFs) that will advocate on tribal issues at all levels 240 CBOs (total members 21,541) established and are meeting regularly. CBOs and state TRFs actively monitoring and lobbying government on public services/schemes by collecting and documenting evidence and presenting this evidence to service providers through meetings, public hearings and campaigns. (As of December 31, 2015)

Our assessment of progress in relation to the expected results…. Tribal communities participate in planning, implementing and monitoring government services, improving the accountability of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and service providers: CBO/TRF members are regularly meeting with PRI representatives and other service providers to exchange information on public services/schemes. Quarterly block level meetings and ad hoc state level issues-based meetings to discuss public services/schemes. This dialogue is helping to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service delivery system. CBO/TRF members are increasingly participating in Gram Sabhas – where they are functioning – which is helping to enhance transparency and accountability, as well as improving community relations. PRIs and other service providers are increasingly meeting their obligations in regard to public services/schemes (year on year improvements). (As of December 31, 2015)

Challenges An effective implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi Empowerment Scheme for adolescent girls (SABLA) still lacks behind because there is no clarity about the same at the government level, even the Union Minister declared to amend the SABLA scheme. However the TRF and project team is constantly in touch with the concerned government officials for the same. Lack of proper functioning of the Common Service Centres (CSCs) in the project areas. The project partners have raised this issue with the state authorities. State officials informed the main reason behind this is to unavailability of internet connectivity in the interior parts of the states and they are working on to established internet networks in all parts of the state.

Visibility The EU contribution to the project has been acknowledged in a number of ways: All published materials produced through the project (IEC or promotional) have acknowledged EU support, through use of the EU visual identifier (and disclaimer where appropriate). Similarly, the banners for all training and networking events clearly display the EU logo. See photos below. The EU logo has been used on the PICs established through the Project (see photo right). EU support is acknowledged on the ‘Institutional Donors’ page of Find Your Feet’s website, which includes the EU visual identifier and website link (see http://www.find-your-feet.org/our-partners/institutional-donors).

Collaborations Participation and support by Gram Panchayats to the Public Information Centres (PICs) which are the key and innovative intervention of this project. This has been made possible by our long and successful experience of working with Panchayats, especially in Fifth Schedule Areas. There are numerous examples of collaboration on training, advocacy and campaigning activities, but notable examples include the continued involvement of the partners in Jharkhand with the NREGA Watch campaign, and the involvement of the Chhattisgarh partners with the Right to Food campaign and Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan.

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