MAHILA VIKAS ASHRAMAt-Rahika, PO-Daiyakharbari, Dist.-Madhubani, Bihar,

Pin Code-847403.Mob:- 09934205898; Email: mvarahika@gmail.com

ANNUAL REPORT(2014 - 2015)

Respected members, friends and guests,Greeting from MVA! I feel extreme pleasure for presenting the Annual Progress Report along with the financial details of accounts of MAHILA VIKAS ASHRAM for the year 2014-2015 for your review, consideration, acceptance and guidance. Before I start, I express my thanks to all of you for participating in this great event of MVA’s General Body Meeting. 1. School Chalo Awareness Programme: Literacy“School Chalo Abhiyan” was initiated from ‘Kishori Vikas Kendra’ in the previous year as a strategic change. Four blocks of Darbhanga, namely, Manigachhi, Tardih, Alinagar and Ghanshyampur were targeted and it succeeded in enrolling 730 girl students into formal schools this year. It was a difficult effort and MVA conducted a series of activities like street play, meetings, counseling, lectures etc. besides using IEC materials in huge amount. This effort continued round the year and now, in the end of the year MVA counts such number as 13,965 girls enrolled since 2005 into formal school.

2. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya:‘Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) is being conducted continuously in Manigachhi block. 100 adolescent Dalit girls are reading here. Girls are Dalits over eleven year’s age. These girls are still given opportunities in taking participation in organization’s activities as to increase awareness and education level among them. MVA introduces them with issues of Child right, child education etc. for enhancing their capacity to face the challenges of the society after leaving the school. Bal Sansad, Kishori Sansad, Bal Panchayat etc. are working as Students’ committees in the school. It will help in emergence of leadership among the students.MVA is doing activities on Disaster Management whereas it got concept of School Safety Programme. Therefore, MVA insured all KGBV students and instructors with support of ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE Ahmadabad and United India Insurance Co. Ltd.

3. Consumers Awareness programme:Our last year efforts of organizing meetings in the issue yielded some good results like three businessmen started giving bills after themselves being registered with sale tax department for the purpose. After getting this encouraging result, MVA repeated its previous efforts of organizing a fresh meeting with local business houses, media persons and local important consumers though all we are consumers.

4. Women International Day: A meeting was organized with all women staffs, volunteers, participants including local NGO representatives on occasion of Women International Day on 8th March in the Jyoti Memorial Hall. Besides this, the day was mainly celebrated under leadership of Kiran Devi, Vice- President of the organization with a rally in Manigachhi block. The rally had placards showing slogans on women empowerment and gender equality. The rally was culminated at Khadi Bhawan, Manigachhi. Mrs. Veena Devi, Manigachhi Panchayat Samiti Member presided the meeting.

5. Health Awareness Programme: - Health Awareness programme was organized in three components as follows:a. Naturopathy Awareness Program: Dr. Ushakar could not come on the scheduled date due to some emergent problems. Therefore, the gathering discussed his previous lecture and shared own experiences in the regard.b. Herbal Program:With support of GPSVS, three meetings were organized at three KGBVs in Manigachhi, Tardih and Benipur with 253 students to orient them on promotion of traditional health system like of herbal treatment and kitchen treatment. c. Normal Health Programme:Girl students of KGBV were given training for personal health care particularly important for adolescent girls. Besides this, these girls were given additional treatment other than government facilities.d. Promotion of Traditional Health System:Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas supported this organization for promotion of traditional health system for organizing cycle rally, wall painting, plantation of trees and herbs for medicinal properties and organizing awareness creating meetings. MVA completed all activities in spirit.

6. Livelihood:a. MNREGA Rath Yatra:A car was hired and decorated with banners, posters, play cards etc. on MNREGA. The car was fitted with sound set also. The car was carrying street play artists. These artists played street dramas at different crowd points and described the salient features of MNREGA. They described the procedure of getting job-cards, demanding employment and employment allowances and about minimum wage act provisions. After each show they distributed pamphlets on MNREGA. This activity was done for two days at eight points, four in one block. Two blocks namely Manigachhi and Tardih were targeted for this activity.

b. Input support:Goats were distributed among twenty four women to enhance their livelihood. Rickshaws were repaired for promotion of livelihood to seven rickshaw pullers. Two persons were given financial support for vegetable hawking. One fisher man was given fishing net for increased fish catching. Four people were given capital support to develop their tea stalls for increased income. Five persons were given input support for doing grocery shop. One person was given support for repairing his pull-hand cart. All these works were done in five blocks of Darbhanga and Madhubani district. In Darbhanga district, these beneficiaries were selected by the CMDRRR (Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction Committee) of respective villages whereas Self Help groups of respective villages selected the beneficiaries in Madhubani district. It is noted that 335 beneficiaries had lost their livelihood during 2007-flood. MVA and AIDMI jointly had supported them then. Present beneficiaries could not succeed and hence fresh support has been given.

7. Right to Information:Previous efforts were repeated to aware community particularly educated youths to use RTI for advancing people’s participation towards good governance. It is notable that Jhanjharpur area is well known in the state for using RTI as MVA and other NGOs are working hard in a network in this regard. Gyanodaya, Jyoti Bihar, SAAD etc. are jointly campaigning for RTI promotion in association with MVA.

8. Child Right Awareness programme:Child right denial situation has not changed even after RTE enforcement. MVA has strengthened its network in ten districts of North Bihar and organized their one day meeting. MVA found that private schools are not following RTE in good spirit. It took the case of admission of a poor school that was denied admission by Madhepur DAV School and succeeded in getting his admission.

9. Environment Awareness Programme:MVA organized two meetings one in Lakhnaur block in Madhubani and the other in Darbhanga district. Both meetings were dedicated to save plants with medicinal properties particularly that are becoming rare.

10. Disaster Management Training program:60 CMDRR committee members of Lakhnaur block in Madhubani district were given training on disaster management. All three components like preparedness, relief operation during disaster and recovery were discussed in these trainings. The training was repeated for freshen the past learning.

11. Capacity Building program: a. Organization’s capacity building:Like previous years, Capacity building activities is a normal activity of the Organization. It extends from the community target group leaders to the top brass of the Organization. Several training programmes were organized by the organization itself while staffs, volunteers and officers of the organization also got trainings from other organizations. These trainings are mainly organized by international donors.b. Computer Education:Like previous years, MVA provided computer education on ADCA, DCA, BIT and CCA to 30 boys and three girls. This helped several boys and girls getting self employment and earning handsome amount. It must be noted that our area needs several computer operator, as the town is emerging a middle class market in the area after construction of NH-57.

12. Panchayat Members’ Awareness:Our resource person was hired by NDMA and IGNOU, Delhi for giving training to 320 PRI members and government officials in Sitamadhi district. After that, the resource person used his skill in its own working district, Madhubani. MVA organized one training event exclusively for women 47 PRI members of Lakhnaur and Jhanjharpur block.

13. Lok Samiti Activities:Lok Samiti was founded by late Jay Prakas Narayan for bring communal harmony, peace, non-violence and egalitarism in the society and in the country. It is now conducted by Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra, Hazaribagh. MVA is an active partner of LOKSAMITI movement. It is the North Bihar Coordinator. It remained involved in LOKSAMITI’s activities round the year and organized several activities like Dharna, rally etc. at local, district and state level.

14. AIDMI Project Activity report in brief:a. School Safety Program: Competitions on issue of disaster were organized to improve talent in 25 government schools of Lakhnaur block. 6500 children participated in painting and essay writing competition.3500 school students of 19 schools were insured under the programme in association with AIDMI and United India Insurance Company ltd. One girl child, namely Sangeeta Kumari died of snake biting. Her parents got Rupees 18750 as death claim. Madhu Kumari got rupees 2500 as medical claim. Thus our insurance activity resulted.b. Quality education:Several schools were devastated during 2007-flood. Students were facing difficulties in reading in those schools. MVA provided cash support to seven schools for repairing/improving those school building. c. Solar lamp/ First Aid kit/ Fire Extinguisher distribution:51 solar lamps were given to those residential schools and CMDRR committees where electricity failure is a regular phenomenon. 20 first aid kit boxes were given to schools in most disaster prone area. 30 fire extinguishers were given to those 19 schools who worked with our school safety program.d. CMDRR Project:Ten CMDRR centers were constructed in ten villages in Lakhnaur block. These buildings have been constructed for organizing community members’ meetings as well as to provide shelters during disaster induced displacement.e. Safe drinking water:50 tube wells were repaired for safe drinking water purpose. All these tube-wells were raised by 5 ft. on an average as to make them safer from highest flood level.

15. Cloth for Work:GOONJ supported this organization with old clothes to distribute to poor people during cold season. The support reached late. MVA was also busy in other activities. Thus, the clothes were distributed late. MVA took it as an opportunity and organized community meetings in five villages. MVA offered the villagers to take clothes and in return community should do some development work in their own village. Thus, a concept of “Cloth for Work” appeared before all of us. This concept attracted many people. Axis Bank, Madhubani branch also provided us the similar support of clothes on initiation of GOONJ.

16. Others:Besides the above, the organization did several regular works like observing the birth day of several great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Vinobaji, Jay Prakas Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohiya etc. The organization organized ceremonies on National Days of 15 th August and 26th

January. A training hall was constructed in memory of local social activist Late Ms. Jyoti Devi.Mahila Vikas Ashram played a vital role in strengthening District Inter Agency Group in Madhubani. The group has been formed for coordinated efforts in disaster mitigation.

This is all in brief about our activities during 2014-15. Detailed reports of project activities are available in the office. Those reports should also be seen. Here, I must say that everything could have been done with your co-operation during implementation of activities. On behalf of the executive committee, I, the secretary, extend my gratitude towards you all for your consistent support in implementing its activities. I extend my gratitude to Bihar Pradesh Lok Samiti partners, local NGOs, medical officers, media persons and other persons including personnel in our donor agencies like GOONJ, BEP, Cord-Aid, GPSVS, BIAG, Madhubani, NBJK, Hazaribagh, Tdh and AIDMI for their support in our works. Local NGOs like Gyanodaya, Jyoti Bihar, Gramodaya Bithi, Abla Sewa Ashram, Janakanksha, Unmukt, Samarpan and many others always stood with MVA. I must thank them.To conclude, I, request your favor in accepting this report including the financial statements and give suggestions, directions and necessary advices for the next year.

With best regards,

Yours

(Vishwanath Mishra)

Secretary.