Aajeevika JharkhandVolume 50

Special

Issue

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Aajeevika Jharkhand

EditorialRuminations @50

When I learned to sail as a lad, I was taught to look behind me because the trail left in the water would show if I had been steering a straight course. But for this to be effective, you must have been moving for some time – a simple rule that applies to many situations in life. A 50th issue is certainly just such an opportunity to look back and consider if we are steering a good course.

50 months and still going strong! Welcome to this Special 50th issue of Aajeevika Jharkhand monthly e-bulletin. I write note at a time in the year when it is customary to pause, rewind and refresh. We have just crossed the half-year mark recently and an evaluation of all that has happened is much needed to find out if we have been on track or whether there is a need for some corrective course of action.

It is in fact difficult to believe that this newsletter has been in continuous production for such a long period of time. Although, every time I look in the mirror, I do realise how time does indeed flies!

We recently redesigned our monthly e-bulletin, based on the really helpful feedback from team JSLPS; the idea being to make information more accessible and bite-sized, moving away from the previous format.

Accessing Ajeevika Jharkhand e-bulletin just got easier as you can read it now on our one stop knowledge-sharing platform e-Samvad Mobile APP. You can download a copy of the e-bulletin on your device anytime, anywhere. e-Samvad app, available on Google play store, has just brought Ajeevika Jharkhand at your fingertips. The e-bulletin comes with a complete new look and design and allows you to jump to any section without a maze of navigation.

I feel honoured to introduce the 50th edition of our monthly e-bulletin Aajeevika Jharkhand in its new avatar to celebrate this golden landmark in our exciting journey so far.

My special thanks to all those people who have contributed to our endeavour and supported us in this journey of 50 months.

Please feel free write back to us your feedback, suggestions and ideas on how we can make the e-bulletin smarter and more informative.

Johar …

Kumar Vikash

Program Manager - KMC

INSIDE PAGES

Banking Correspondent Sakhis : Messenger & Medium of Cashless Economy

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Sakhi Mandals : Exemplars of Swachh Bharat 3

Stitching dreams : Sakhi Mandal show the way to startup 4

The making of an entrepreneur 5

Taking up the Fight against Witch-hunting 5

Café Didi - where dreams become reality 6

Brood Lac Farming Changes Fortune of Many 7

Lending a helping hand to farmers 8

Creating Rural Connections through Pictures 9

Women Sakhi Mandals support boon for Swachh Bharat Mission 10

Rural women's ride to self reliance with the help of Sakhi Mandals 11

Cafes in Pakur Are Making Women Self Reliant 12

Community Videos on Best Lac Cultivation Practices 13

Cultivating Our Natural Wealth 14

Johar Project Update 15

Issue - 50

Congratulations on the 50th issue of e-Bulletin

I am extremely pleased to introduce this special 50th issue of the Aajeevika Jharkhand e-bulletin which was published simultaneously with the grounding of NRLM activities in the state in June, 2013. Since then e-bulletin has been a regular and much awaited feature at the state livelihood mission. This month marks the 50th monthly anniversary of e-bulletin which is a significant milestone in the five years journey of JSLPS as it provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements as well as create a platform for knowledge sharing and showcasing the joint efforts of the staff and community institutions in poverty alleviation and development.

I congratulate the entire Knowledge management and communication team of JSLPS who bring out this innovative publication, and has put together various inspiring and unheard stories,over the past four years, which were not only appreciated by the Ministry of Rural Development and World Bank but were also followed by mainstream media. I wish the team behind Jharkhand Aajeevika e-bulletin all success in its future endeavor of sharing the excellent work being done by team JSLPS at the grassroot level with all the stakeholders. I am confident that it will set even higher standards of professionalism and commitment towards the cause of rural poor.

Paritosh Upadhyay, IFS

CEO, JSLPS

Aajeevika Jharkhand

To promote and popularize cashless transactions in rural areas and to bring the banks to the doorsteps of rural people, the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) has come out with an innovative idea of developing members of Sakhi Mandals as Banking Correspondent Sakhis (BCSs).

Members selected for the programme are those who are already engaged in book-keeping and banking related work. The BCSs, with the help of PoS machines, provide a range of financial services on behalf of the banks to the community people. For the purpose, the BCSs are trained by the JSLPS.

One such BCS is Gayatri Devi, who is a resident of Jaipur village in Rania block of Khunti district, about 97 km away from the state capital Ranchi. 42-year-old Gayatri is a mother of two teenage sons and her husband runs a PDS.

Gayatri got married at the young age of 18, just after she completed her intermediate studies. But Gayatri had the

zeal to learn. So, with the support of her husband she continued studies and completed her graduation. She is now doing her masters through a distance learning course.

Apart from studies, Gayatri's other interests included doing social-work and she got this opportunity, when in December 2015, she got to know about the Sakhi Mandals running under the tutelage of the JSLPS.

Gayatri became the member of Saraswati Sakhi Mandal. Given her knowledge base, she was selected to be the treasurer of her group and was also appointed as its book-keeper. She also does book-keeping for another group, the Santoshi Sakhhi Mandal.

Formation of Sakhi Mandal was a tough task in Jaipur village because the women of the village had sour experiences with previous Self Help Groups. Gayatri played the role of a catalyst and persuaded all to become a part of the Sakhi Mandals.

In October 2016, Gayatri was selected for the BCS

JSLPS trainsShakhi Mandal members as Banking Correspondent, eases life of the villagers and the needy

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Banking Correspondent Sakhis : Messenger & Medium of Cashless Economy

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programme. She was given two days of training, one at her block level and the second training at Ranchi district office. She was taught how to do financial transactions like opening account, withdrawal and transfer services. Gayatri bought a POS machine with the loan taken from her Sakhi Mandal.

From February 2017, Gayatri started working as a BCS of Jharkhand Grameen Bank. Her work includes account opening, cash withdrawal, deposit and transfer, and Aadhaar seeding. She also distributes pension to the elderly, people with disability and scholarships to school children. Gayatri carries out wage payment under MGNREGA, fund withdrawal under Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana and activates Rupay debit card.

Gayatri started with a monthly transaction of Rs 1, 93,000 in February 2017. In July 2017, this amount had increased to monthly transactions of Rs 11,46,000. As honorarium, Gayatri gets Rs 16 for account opening, Rs 5 for debit card activation, Rs 5 for Aadhaar seeding and 0.4% of every monthly transactions from the bank. JSLPS is supporting her by giving Rs 3,000 as monthly honorarium for 8 consecutive months, till the time she starts earning well.

Today, Gayatri is a very happy person. In her words, “I get a lot of respect in the village. Sometimes, I also do transactions thorough my POS machine in the middle of the road. I want to move ahead and help people achieve financial stability.” Members of her Sakhi Mandal, who earlier used to sell alcohol for a living, are now engaged in other livelihood activities like making mixture, running small hotels and doing agriculture.

Gayatri's work has brought cheers to the entire community. For 55-year-old Prafulit Kandulana, who is differently-abled, Gyatri's services are like Godsend. Sharing her experience, she said “Earlier I used to go to the bank once in four months for my PwD pension, that too by reserving a vehicle and requesting my brother-

in-law to accompany me. Even then, I was not able to go inside the bank, because I could not climb stairs. I used to wait till my brother-in–law finished the formalities in the bank. However, now, with the help of Gayatri, I can take out my money anytime even on Sundays, without troubling anyone.”

Like her, another beneficiary, 100-year-old Yakub Kandulana, said, “This POS machine is a magic machine; it has saved us from the troubles we faced in banks. Many a times I used to return from banks empty-handed. There are only two banks in our village that too 8 km away from our village. Going to the bank at my advanced age was itself a punishment. Gayatri has made our life so easy. We could never have imagined this.”

In a village, where there is no ATM, Gayatri has taken banking to every house-hold of her village with her POS machine. Her good work was recognized by the Honorable Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Raghubar Das. During a short conversation at Project Bhawan, Gayatri told the chief minister about the work done by POS machines in the villages and its advantages.

At present, about 54 BCSs are working in the villages of Jharkhand. The target is to develop 1800 more BCSs to ensure that Jharkhand leads the march for cashless economy.

Sl. Activity/Particulars Coverage1 Total Number of BC agents functional 822 Total volume of transaction (in Rupees) 3,52,77,9983 Income range of BC agent 1500-40004 Number of pension distributed 3,0005 Total number of accounts opened by BC

agent6,499

6 Total number of SHG members availing services by BC agents

2,652

Sakhi Mandals : Exemplars of Swachh Bharat

Aajeevika Jharkhand

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project of Swachh Bharat Mission is bringing about a welcome change in the rural landscape of Jharkhand. The drive to make villages open defecation free has come as a huge relief to the women, who faced both problem and humiliation while going to defecate in the open.

“Earlier we used to get up early in the morning or would have to wait till evening when it was dark to go out and defecate. But now, thanks to the Swachh Bharat Mission, we have toilets at home,” says Rita Devi.

Many of these women who have benefitted from the programme are actually the ones who have driven it and have given it momentum in the state.

Under Swachh Bharat mission, making villages ODF (open defecation free) has always been at the top of the priority.

According to data of Government of India, only 30.08% household in Jharkhand had toilets as on October 2, 2014. But as on July 31, 2017, this number has increased to 56.57% in the state. There is a jump of almost 19% (i.e. 0.27% in the year of 2015-2016 and as on 31st July 2017 its 19.05%) in ODF villages.

One of the many reasons for this leap has been the active involvement of the Sakhi Mandals in the programme. The campaign of making villages ODF has got a boost after the involvement of women village organizations formed under DAY-NRLM.

This unique convergence of SBM and DAY-NRLM has brought about a positive change in the villages of Jharkhand.

Using social capital and generating livelihood

Interested members of Sakhi Mandals are receiving training from Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society and UNICEF to become trained women mason.

This is an effort to add an extra skill to the women workforce using the available social capital in the village and in the process providing them with the opportunity to increase their income.

Many women have benefitted from the training and have augmented their income. Meharun Bibi, of the Macca Aajiivka Sakhi Mandal, says, “Being a part of Sakhi Mandal I am getting a chance to be trained as a woman mason. This has become the means of my livelihood.”

Earlier Meharun used to just do household chores. Today, she is contributing to the construction of toilets in the state.

For Phulwa Devi, mason training has meant increase in her income. “I used to work as a daily wage labourer earlier and earned Rs 120 a day, but now I can proudly say that I am earning Rs 400 per day only because of my training as a mason,” she says.

Villages are becoming a spot of exposure visit for other villages

Village Kenduagadha in Giridih district has become a model village for the villages that have a desire to excel in construction of toilets. One can see beautiful toilets constructed by Sakhi Mandal in this village.

“When villagers from other villages come to see our work we also share our experiences and our journey of making our village open defecation free” said Fulwanti Devi, member of VO of Kenduagdha village. “We never anticipated that we will get this kind of popularity and fame in return of our good work,” she says.

Jharkhand's Sakhi Mandals have become the torchbearers of India's Swachh Bharat Mission, building toilets and making villages open defecation free.

How Sakhi Mandals are working at the village level :• Conducting aam sabha to disseminate information

regarding construction of toilets and talking about its requirement during weekly meetings.

• Distributing responsibility of buying raw material keeping an eye on the stock and speed of construction of toilet along with its quality.

• After successful construction they are also ensuring that the toilets are used with the help of “Swachta Skahi” and imposing fine on members of sakhi mandals if they are not using the toilet.

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The Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) and the Giridih district administration have joined hands to provide livelihood opportunities to the members of Sakhi Mandals.

In a move that will go a long way in empowering the women of the district, it has been decided that uniforms of all government schools in Giridih district will be stitched by Sakhi Mandal members, running under the tutelage of the JSLPS.

About 60 members were selected for the purpose. They were divided into two batches of 30 and were imparted training for 15 days in Dumri block of the district.

After the training, the members were given raw-material and the work was distributed amongst them systematically. While some didis were given the job of cutting, some got stitching work while the rest were engaged in ironing and packaging of the uniforms. On an average, women are stitching 7 uniforms in a day. Those cutting the cloth earn Rs 1000 for every 100 pieces, while those stitching are paid Rs 30 per uniform.

Malti Devi, president of Parvati Sakhi Mandal, had this to say about her new experience, “Thanks to this opportunity, I am now earning very well. I am able to manage both my house-hold work and stitching work

simultaneously as I am comfortable doing stitching at home.”

The target this year is to make about 7,500 school uniforms for various schools, out of which over 3,000 uniforms have already been supplied. For smooth operations, it has been planned to establish a Training and Production centre at Giridih district and to formulate a central Cluster Level Federation team for procurement, production and supply of school uniforms. Next year, the target is to supply around 4 to 4.5 lakh school uniforms.

Stitching dreams : Sakhi Mandal show the way to startup

Aajeevika Jharkhand

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The making of an entrepreneurDaily wager joins Sakhi Mandal, start a successful catering business

Manju Devi, a resident of Laxmitunda village in Dumri block of Giridih district, has joined the long list of women in the state whose life has been transformed by the Sakhi Mandal endeavour of the Jharhand State Livelihood Promotion Society.

Manju, who worked as a daily labourer for a living, is today a successful entrepreneur.

It was in 2014 that her life took a new, positive turn when she decided to become a member of the Jai Hanuman Sakhi Mandal. As a member of the Sakhi Mandal, she could immediately fulfill small urgent needs of her family. Once the family's immediate needs were taken care of, Manju thought of doing something big to ensure she had a stable source of income.

With the assistance of her husband Satendra Singh, Manju decided to start the business of catering. Her husband had experience in cooking and she also got motivation from the JSLPS Dumri block team to take a plunge. After a small start, she managed to get big orders. Today, she provides catering services at official meetings of the JSLPS and also in various training programmes organized by it. She also employed some didis on daily wages to support her business.

Manju's business is running pretty well and she is a happy entrepreneur. She is now planning to take her business to the next level and provide catering services for marriage ceremonies also.

Taking up the Fight against Witch-hunting

The Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society is not just working to provide livelihood but is also aware of its social obligations towards the state. The JSLPS has launched a campaign against the social evil of witch-hunting. Forty villages were covered in the first phase of the drive in Goilkera block of West-Singhbhum district.

Fifty people were selected from the state and given training on conducting surveys in the villagesto find the victims of witch-hunting. They were also trained to perform street-playsto raise awareness against this socialevil.

After the training, the members were divided into five groups. These groups then visited the villages. The members conducted surveys, met the prominent people

in the village like the leaders of village organizations, village head, munda, pradhan, panchayat members, and school teachers and discussed with them the possible measures that could be taken to eradicate the evil practice of witch-hunting.

The groups also interacted with the residents of these villages and made a detailed report on the basis of their findings. Simultaneously for spreading awareness, slogan writing and painting competitions were organized in schools and rallies were also taken out. The members performed street plays to spread the message effectively.

After the awareness initiative, a public meeting was held at the block office in the presence of the Block Development Officer, Police Station Incharge and other important persons. The compiled facts on the basis of the survey were presented. 63 women were identified who were falsely banded witches. The problems were placed in the public domain and solutions werediscussed with all the people present.An analysis revealed that reasons like false allegations, superstition, illiteracy, ignorance and conspiracy for taking over properties were some of the main reasons to brand women as witches.

The BDO also encouraged the campaign and said, “The initiative is very meaningful and development is possible only by connecting villagers and ensuring their active participation.”

JSLPS launches campaign against the social evil, trains social warriors

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Café Didi - where dreams become reality

There are women entrepreneurs in India, but few who can have planted success in soils of oppression and deprivation like these members of Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal.

Rural India is known for its rustic beauty and a diverse cultural life that amazes not just the subcontinent but the entire world. But there's another dark side to it – stories of oppression and neglect faced by the women. So, when these women from villages of India do something that empowers the society in which they live, it is not just a piece of information worth spreading … it's an event that needs to be celebrated.

One such achievement by the women in Jharkhand is the chain of café's started by the members of Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal. Five members of two Sakhi Mandals – Deep Mahila Samuh and Saraswati Kisan Mahila Samuh – came together to start Aajeevika Café Didi.

The café was inaugurated by Kanke MLA Jeetu Charan Ram on July 5, 2017 at Kanke block office.

Before embarking on this life-transforming journey, the five members were imparted five days of training. They got an opportunity to learn about various recipes as well as about the hygiene to be maintained while providing the services at any hotel. Neetu Devi one of the members of the café team said, “During the training we were taught about wearing apron and cap while cooking. We were also trained to wear gloves while serving the food.” Another member Padma Devi had this to say about the training: “We were also told how we need to wash our hands with soap, keep our hair combed and regularly cut our nails, etc., to ensure proper sanitation.

The women have invested a sum of Rs 50,000 to start the café. For this, each didi has taken a loan of

Rs 10,000 from their respective Sakhi Mandals.

Seema Devi of Deep Mahila Samuh said, “Today we are no longer restricted inside the four boundaries of our houses. With the help of Sakhi Mandals women like us have got wings to dream and turn those dreams into reality. Earlier, I had to migrate from my village to the nearby city in search of a job. I used to work as a daily wage laborer and was unable to meet all my needs. But today the scenario has changed. Now, I have my own startup and I am confident that in future I will be a successful entrepreneur.”

The didis have also started a catering group, namely Lazeez Catering Group. With delicious, healthy and low-priced dishes, they are looking forward to attracting more and more customers.

Aajeevika Jharkhand

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Brood Lac Farming Changes Fortune of Many

Woman farmer, harvests success with scientific Brood Lac cultivation

Manila Jarika, a resident of Kundruhatu village in Khuntpani block of West-Singhbhum district, bears testimony to the rich dividends scientific Lac cultivation can yield. A member of Kamal Ba Sakhi Mandal, Manila ventured into the field two years back and has already earned Rs 60,000 from the business. Today, Manila's family has taken around 10 host plants on lease and she strongly advises all in her village to turn to Lac cultivation.

Manila owned small plots of land also had 13 ber and 3 kusum trees. However, her agricultural produce was restricted to paddy and millets due to water scarcity and the fact that her land was not very fertile.

Her fortunes changed in July 2015, when a programme on scientific Lac cultivation started in her block with the help of external community cadres. Manila was one of the farmers selected for the programme.

During the 25 days stay of LAC CRPs, 5 kg of good quality Brood Lac was provided to every farmer as a loan, which needed to be returned at the end of the crop cycle (harvesting) to the Kundruhatu Aajivika Mahila Village organization.

Sprayers and pesticides were also provided by the village organization as grant to the farmers. Manila followed the scientific lac cultivation process like Brood inoculation with help of plastic rope and 60 MS Nylon Net, Brood treatment and bundling, Phunki shifting and removal, pruning, spray of fungicide, use of implements and record maintenance.

After six months, her first crop, Brood Lac, matured and the result was heartening. Manila was very happy because her production was 7 times (of the initial 5 kg), which was a lot more than she had ever achieved or

expected. The production yield under the traditional methods of cultivation was just three to four times. Manila harvested Brood Lac and sold it to the Village Organization. She also returned the 5.5 kg which was given to her as a loan.

Like Manila, around 12,000 farmers in 16 blocks of five districts of Jharkhand have benefitted from lac cultivation under the Mahila Kisan Shashtikaran Pariyojna (MKSP) run by the Jharkhand Livelihood Promotion Society with the support of Partner Implementing Agencies (PIAs).

The districts in which the programme is operational are Ranchi, Simdega, West-Singhbhum, Khunti and Gumla.

Each farmer, on an average, is producing 70 kg of brood lac. Out of this, they sell 10 to 12 kg to the Village Organizations (VOs) at the rate of Rs 250 per kg and the rest they sell in open market. Next, the VOs sell the brood lac to the members of the SHGs at Rs 270 per kg, thus, making a profit of Rs 20 on each kg.

Till first quarter, about 6,000 farmers have purchased brood lac from the VOs. These 6,000 farmers are from the blocks where JSLPS is working directly. In each of the five blocks - Goilkera, Khutpani, Sisai, Kolebira and Taitenagar – the production is more than 10 to 15 million tons. The requirements of PIAs like LEAD and SUPPORT, which assist JSLPS in lac cultivation, are also met by the farmers directly supported by the JSLPS.

To ensure the success of the programme, about 345 Aajeevika Vanoupaj Mitras (AVMs) are operating at the field level. 180 Master AVMs are mobile as they move to other blocks to support the programme, while the rest 165 work exclusively in their specific blocks.

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Lending a helping hand to farmers

Rural Service Centres are adding value to rural livelihoods in Jharkhand

Farming is the mainstay of the rural economy. If done scientifically with inputs from experts, it can turn the fortunes of many. With this belief, the Jharkhand State Rural Livelihood Mission (JSRLM) has set out to lend a helping hand to the women in the state who are engaged in farming for livelihood.

The State Rural Livelihood Mission is establishing Rural Service Centres at blocks under its Mahila Kisan Shashtikaran Pariyojna (MKSP)to provide value-added services to the community in the field of farming and to help them augment their income.

One such centre in Banaburu village in Ranchi's Bundu block where the women havejoined hands for economic reformation, with the focus on production activities. They will also indulge inorganic farming, rain water harvesting and animal husbandry in enriching livelihood.

The Banaburu RSC is at present providing services for tamarind. The Rural Service Centre has 15 members directly working in it. But about 300 women Sakhi Mandal members of Bundu block are linked to it through 11 Producer Groups (PGs).

By simple value addition to their produce, the women Sakhi Mandalmembers are now getting more return than theywere earning from the middlemen/market.

For instance, members who were earlier selling tamarind for around Rs.20 per kg to the middlemen are now selling it to their own PGsat the price of Rs.35 per kilogram.

The Producer Group processes and packs this tamarind in the Rural Service Centre. It is then sold to the wholesalersin Ranchi at Rs80 per kilogram. At the end of the year, members of the PGs also get dividend from

this business activity. So, effectively the members earn twice –first, at the time of selling of the raw produce and second when they get the dividend at the end of the year.

Banaburu RSC started tamarind value addition with just 3,700 kg this year and it expects to process 10 MT (10,000 kg) in the coming year with additional capacity of processing and advance packaging machine.

Lauding the efforts of the Rural Service Centre, Shri Paritosh Upadhyaya, CEO, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) said, “the change has begun and the rural women are indicative of this. Success depends on preparation.”He urged the members of the Sakhi Mandal to work on social issues such as nutritional food and lead the fight against social evils like witchcraft and human-trafficking. He congratulated everyone and said, "If necessary, one more rural service centre will be started.Besides tamarind,the new centre will also work on lac and vegetable cultivation.” We have to make this a model for others for which necessary training will be given. Value addition of other produces, i.e.,lac, pulses, oilseed, etc., will also be taken up in RSC in the coming days.

Jharkhand SRLM has established other Rural Service Centres at Murhu, Namkum and Kolebira blocks in Khunti, Ranchi and Simdega districts respectively.

A picture is worth a thousand words, runs an old adage. Little wonder, the process of documentation can never be complete without good pictures.

A quality picture often adds great value to the document and its presentation. It is thus important to hone the shutterbug skills of employees so that they can make the best use of every photo opportunity they get in the field.

With this aim in mind, “Knowledge Workshop on Photography and Documentation” was conducted for the field lend staff.

The workshop started with a brief introduction about the training objectives. The participants were excited to learn something new and creative. The workshop was designed to teach the participants the basics of photography and documentation.

The exercise started with the participants being asked to write a success story from their area of operations. The problems faced by them in documenting such stories were discussed in detail by the trainers. The participants were also taught about the 5 Ws (what, where, when, why and whom) and the 1H (How) of writing stories. Queries on how to start and how to end such stories were addressed effectively by the trainers.

Veena Kumari, CC from Chanho block said, “My keen interest was to learn about photography. I am now excited to deliver my experience on ground. There are various stories which remain unheard even though we are aware of them for lack of ability to present it effectively. But now after the training these unheard stories will get a voice through us.”

The participants were then taken to Soso village of Angara Block for an outdoor shoot. Here, they were divided into 5 groups. Each group was assigned with a different subject. The subjects were – tablet

didi, toilet construction in the village to make it open defecation free, developmental stories of village, etc. The participants were directed to spend an hour with their subject and come up with different angles of the story. They were also told to take relevant photographs for their stories.

After the outdoor shoot, the participants returned to the workshop venue where their photographs and write-ups were reviewed by the trainers. During the review session, the participants learned from their mistakes. At the end of the exercise armed with specialized functional knowledge, they were all ready to give wings to their passion.

Sushma Devi, CC form Itki block said, “Now I am confident enough to write any story and enrich it with a relevant photograph. This will be a boon for organization's brand building.”

The participants were also added to an official Whatsapp group, which was created as a platform to share their stories and pictures. Ten good write-ups and photographs from the group were selected for special recognition. The participants received a camera for their excellent performance throughout the workshop.

Bishnu C Parida, COO-JSLP was present during the workshop. He distributed the cameras among the participants and also gave them the certificate of participation. He encouraged the participants to take full advantage of the learning and come up with good results.

Kumar Vikash, PM-KMC, presented the vote of thanks and concluded the session.

Aajeevika Jharkhand

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Creating Rural Connections through Pictures

Photography training for grassroot workers

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Women Sakhi Mandals support boon for Swachh Bharat Mission

Sakhi Mandal members are not only spreading awareness about Swachh Bharat, but are also constructing toilets to make Jharkhand villages open-defecation free.

The women of Jharkhand are playing a significant role in realizing government's dream of an open defecation free society under the ambitious Swachh Bharat Mission.

The Didis of the Sakhi Mandals are not just spreading awareness about the importance of toilets at homes, but are also actively engaged in constructing them, thanks to the training and guidance provided by the Jharkhand Livelihood Promotion Society.

The Sakhi Mandals have until now constructed over 50 thousand toilets throughout the state, despite all the odds.

To give a boost to these efforts an Orientation and Coordination meeting was jointly organized by the JSLPS and the “Swachh Bharat Mission” More than 1,200 members of Sakhi Mandals participated in the programme with a common objective to make their village open-defecation free.

The programme was held in the presence of Mr NN Sinha (Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development Dept. GoJ), Mr AP Singh (Secretary- Drinking water & sanitation Dept. GoJ), Mr Manoj Kumar (DC, Ranchi), Dr Madhulika Jonathan (State Head-UNICEF).

"Having a toilet is not a luxury but a need, and now this is in the priority list of rural India," said Mr NN Sinha setting the tone for the programme.

The event started with the lighting of the lamp and a welcome song by didis of the Sakhi Mandals. As always, the Didis held hands to form a huge chain and prayed for their progress and unity.

Women from different VOs shared their experiences in making their village 'open defecation free'.

"Making people aware is not an easy task, and constructing a toilet is another challenge for us. But we were determined not to practice open defecation anymore," said Neelam Devi of 'Sukh Shanti Milan Mahila Samuh'.

It was not easy for the Sakhi Mandals to convince the villagers to construct toilets. They faced opposition from not just the villagers, but also from the village contractors and mukhiya, who put up hurdles in their way.

The local contractors in connivance with the mukhiyas started spreading rumors and asked vendors not to provide raw materials to the Sakhi Mandals for construction of toilets. However, after payment of the first due, the vendors gained in confidence and started supporting the Sakhi Mandals in achieving their goals.

Now, in many villages Sakhi Mandals have achieved their target and have successfully constructed good quality toilets for themselves.

• Sanjivini Ganga Mahila Samuh has successfully constructed 95 toilets in their village.

• Sukh Shanti Milan Mahila Samuh and Sarna Mahila Samiti got construction order of 156 toilets, but they successfully constructed 159 toilets in their village.

The work of Sakhi Mandals was appreciated by JSLPS and "Swaksh bharat mission" and some of them were awarded with an appreciation amount.

Aajeevika Jharkhand

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Rural women's ride to self reliance with the help of Sakhi Mandals

When it's time to plan a party or organize any big event… one of the first things that crosses our mind is to arrange for a tent to host the function. For years, the business of providing tents has mostly been the domain of the men in society. However, Amrapara's block Sita Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal has broken this stereotype and has proved that women can also successfully foray into this business domain.

In May 2017, 14 members of Sita Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal joined hands to open the Sita Aajeevika Tent House. Some of these women are Soni Devi, Nachan Devi, Urmila Devi, Vonidani Devi, Gudiya Devi, Sona Murmu, Nachan Soren, Dulari Murmu among others.

It was not an easy decision for the 14 women, who were housewives before joining the ASM. The annual income of their house was around Rs 3,500 making it difficult for ends to meet.

In 2016, some CRP didis from Littipara block (Pakur) came to their village to form Aajeevika Sakhi Mandal under the NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission). The CRPs shared their stories with the villagers. These stories motivated the women and they decided to form their own group Sita Aajeevika Mahila Sakhi Mandal on February 18, 2016.

The decision to start tent house business was a conscious one and taken after considerable background research. The didis first examined the demand for tents in the village. They found that people in the village celebrated several functions like marriages, haldi,

birthdays, small parties, etc., on a large scale and there was a demand for tents. The fact that the village did not have any tent house helped them arrive at the decision to open one.

After forming the group, they got a RF (Revolving Fund) and CC linkage of total Rs 1 lakh. They availed Rs 1 lakh from the group and the rest amount of Rs 10,000/- they managed of their own.

Aajeevika Tent House has tent clothes, chairs, utensils such as bucket, spoons (small+big), plates, glasses, big pan, etc. They purchased all these items from Dhuliyan market of West Bengal. The rent for tent house is Rs 2,000 for a night. The chairs are rented out at Rs

5 per day, buckets at Rs 120, and spoons at Rs 10 per day. The members also undertake catering business.

Soni Devi says happily, “It is the JSLPS (Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society) and the CRP (Community Resource Persons) didis who encouraged us and made us confident enough to take this step.”

Urmila and Nachan didi also thank the Sakhi Mandal for encouraging them to take the lead in shaping their destiny and opening a tent house. The two struggled to provide good education to their children as their husbands worked as daily labourers earning just enough to sustain the basic family needs. Now, with this business they hope to realize their dreams of providing quality education to their children.

Sita Aajeevika Tent House has received 4 orders from the village till now. They dream of expanding their business in future. They are very happy as it is the only business in their village and there are no competitors. Their tent house is in great demand. Villagers also motivate the didis by saying it is very good initiative by them as none of the men in the village thought of opening a tent house. These didis are changing the face of the village.

Didis foray into Tent House business, open Sita Aajeevika Tent House,

breaking many a stereotype and male bastion.

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Cafes in Pakur Are Making Women Self Reliant

How ordinary women are becoming agents of change in villages of Pakur

The women in Pakur district of Jharkhand have come a long way marching ahead towards financial independence with the help of Sakhi Mandals running under the tutelage of Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society.

There are 7,506 Sakhi Mandals functional in the district helping the women with various livelihood activities. These initiatives have not just empowered the women but have also helped them change the fortunes of their families.

Aajeevika Didi Café brand is one such success story in the district that has seen groups of women come together to transform their lives. The average turnover per cafeteria is Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per month, making these women self-reliant and turning them into successful entrepreneurs.

By now, three cafés in Pakur district have become operational, all of which are working smoothly and doing good business. The first café was opened at Pakur DC Office in January. It was followed by a café at Littipara block office in April and Sonajori Sadar Hospital in June. To establish the cafeteria, space was allotted to groups of 5 to 6 women at different government premises by the district administration officials.

Dressed in proper uniform with caps and apron, didis sell samosas, jalebis, puri chole, tea- biscuits, veg plate and non-veg plate and other eatables at affordable rates at these cafes. The best part about these cafés is that they give utmost importance to cleanliness and hygiene. To top this, café didis serve food to their customers with love and care like a mother.

Pakur DC Dilip Kumar Jha says, “We have world-class chefs in the world who are men and they make great food, but when food is served with love it becomes tasty and only women can do this!”

Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society played

a key role in the opening of these cafes. In all the three cases, didis were given training in cooking, making new eatable items, etc. During the training, they were taught about quality service, business management, hospitality management, record keeping and its importance, quality maintenance, packaging of food, etc.

“We have always cooked at home but making dishes in huge quantities for a large number of people is a great experience,” says 29-year-old Anita Devi, who is a member of Littipara Aajeevika Café. She also adds that café provides a perfect space for people to spend some quality time for discussions, important work or just fun, etc.

These women are enjoying their newfound economic freedom, but are also aware of their responsibilities.

“The idea is to first become self-reliant. Our topmost priority is to repay the bank loan and then share the profit among us. The bigger the group, the more self-reliant we will be,” said Sangita didi, a member of Sonajori Aajeevika Café.

Besides the café business, women in Pakur are also engaged in various small enterprises to earn a living. Among them, kirana store is the most popular enterprise. Kirana store is a small shop where an Aajeevika didi sells a variety of snacks including as tea and biscuits, samosas, jalebi, etc. These kirana stores are owned by individual didis. In almost every street of Pakur, there is a kirana shop being run by a didi. These women entrepreneurs earn Rs 3,000-5000 per month from their shop.

Under the guidance of the JSLPS and through their work in the Sakhi Mandals these women have come to be seen as 'Agents of Change' in the villages of Pakur. Women, either individually or in a group, are becoming strong economically and socially and together they are controlling the economies of the villages.

Aajeevika Jharkhand

13

Community Videos on Best Lac Cultivation Practices

Short videos capturing livelihood practices become the best tool for knowledge dissemination among communities.

Consistency brings out the best from within us, Struggle provides the real taste of victory.

The MKSP domain of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society has successfully used a mix of different media platforms and tools to disseminate information and spread awareness about the processes involved in Lac cultivation. The Knowledge Management and Communication domain assists the MKSP to identify the appropriate media to disseminate information. One such tool is short videos showcasing the different processes of lac cultivation in different districts of Jharkhand.

In October2016, KMC formed a team of video production. The members of this team prepared story boards and scripts and went out to shoot the three process of lac cultivation between July 9 and July 13, 2017. During the shoot they explored new camera angles and tilts. Moreover, they improvised their story boards during the shoot. KMC team was present at the shoot throughout to oversee and assist them with difficulties. While the MKSP team assisted them technically, the DG team helped them in production work. The holistic approach of this initiative is to create video production team from within the communities to capture different livelihood practices and disseminate practical knowledge through these videos. Mamta Devi was present during the shooting. Her journey with Sakhi Mandal is briefed here.

The victorious journey of Mamta Devi

“I believe in victory, not just my own but of my whole society” , says Mamta Devi, a personality who believes in exploring ways and experimenting opportunities."

Mamta Devi joined Sakhi Mandal in the year 2014 and till now has taken 4,000 as loan amount to educate her children and also for her husband's medical store business. Mamta Devi had a very weak financial position and had a lot of family responsibilities on her shoulders. Her family never treated her well and taunted her as good for nothing. Then Mamta joined Saraswati Sakhi Mandal and gradually started helping her family to overcome financial constraints.

In the year 2017, Mamta transformed her life by becoming Video production team head and Barefoot Journalist (BJ). Mamta Devi now works as Video Community Resource Person (v-CRP) and BJ in district Palamau and works with the state team of JSLPS. Till now Mamta Devi has completed 4 to 5 video shoots and 10-11 stories as a journalist. Her stories are getting published in Panchayatnama, Prabhat Khabhar.

In her words, “I never though what my future will be, I just want my home my village and my district to grow economically, socially and mentally” says Mamta Devi and she thanked JSLPS for helping her improving her stability and sustainability of life.

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Cultivating Our Natural Wealth Medicinal plant cultivation project set to change the fortunes of forest dwellers and create a cadre of voluntary environment warriors.

The MKSP of the Jharkhand Livelihood Promotion society (JSLPS) has initiated a programme to promote cultivation and collection of medicinal plants in the state. The move will help change the fortunes of 12,500 women farmers from 500 villages of 12 blocks in 6 districts of Jharkhand NRLM. The project will not only provide earning opportunity to the local population dwelling in forest areas, but will also create voluntary force to safeguard our forest and protect our environment. The soil in Jharkhand is fertile for cultivation of various medicinal herbs. More than 1,500 medicinal and aromatic species are found in the state, which contributes 5% of the overall production of herbal medicinal produce in the country. With 98 villages in 12 blocks and strong community institutions of SHG, VO and PG providing technical knowhow in a phased manner, cultivation and collection of Tulsi, Lemongrass, Harra, Baheda, Kalmegh, Karanj,Kusum and Chironji in being encouraged in the state. At present, profile of 12,500 women farmers has been updated for 12 selected blocks of the project. In three blocks, 300 farmers have entered into tulsi cultivation in the month of July. The nursery bed has been raised and transplantation has been scheduled for the month of August. Livelihod cadre Aajeevika Vanopaj Mitra has been developed for providing direct handholding support to the beneficiary to roll out the Medicinal Plant project in a smooth manner.

TULSI

BAHERA

LEMON GRASS

KARANJ

KALMEGH

KUSUM

HARRA

CHIRAUNJI

Niche of the Project: Wild Van Tulsi is not at all harvested and sold for business purpose , Tulsi cultivation for oil extraction/leaf drying is also not in practice, state like Jharkhand have water scarcity is suitable crop taken in rainy season.

Niche of the Project : Abundantly found in forest and remains left in forest due to unavailability of market, after primary process, in short span of time the farmers may earn additional income of Rs.1500 in only 10 days of harvest

Niche of the Project: Lemon grass cultivation is not in practice at Jharkhand, this is upland model where most of the land remains vacant, this crop remains alive without water , farmers at Jharkhand where water is in scarcity can earn in Kharif season of Rs.1000/- additional income

Niche of the Project: Collection of Karanj seed is in practice in Jharkhand, selling only seed doesn't fetch good price for them establishing oil expeller machine will increase income and also provide them opportunity to collect more and more

Niche of the Project: Kalmegh is abundantly found in the forest of Jharkhand, it is not scientifically harvested, this project will bring sustainability to forest flora and fauna by scientific collection and most of the plants are unused and not sold, drying and market linkage will provide them additional income, income may grow if collection is more.

Niche of the Project: Collection of Kususm seed is in practice in Jharkhand, selling only seed doesn't fetch good price for them establishing oil expeller machine will increase income and also provide them opportunity to collect more and earn more.

Niche of the Project : Abundantly found in forest and remains left in forest due to unavailability of market, after primary process, in short span of time the farmers may earn additional income of Rs.1200 in only 10 days of harvest.

Niche of the Project: Collection of Chiraunjij is in practice in Jharkhand, farmers are always cheated, still barter system is established in the state for this particular product , in return the farmers get poor quality of rice. Establishing decortation machine will bring them in front of big traders to bargain the price and fetch good profit.

Aajeevika Jharkhand

15

Government of India and World Bank Sign Agreement to Enhance Incomes for Over 200,000 Rural Households in Jharkhand

The Government of India, the Government of Jharkhand and the World Bank on July 28 signed a $100 million loan agreement to help improve livelihoods and incomes of rural households in Jharkhand.

Over 200,000 rural households and some 3,500 farmer producer groups are expected to benefit from the project with women as principal actors in production, processing and marketing. Women SHG members, including from scheduled castes and tribes, and smallholder and landless households from 17 districts and 68 blocks of rural Jharkhand are expected to benefit, according to the World Bank.

The agreement for the project was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary (MI), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Paritosh Upadhyay, Special Secretary, Rural Development Department, on behalf of the Government of Jharkhand; and Chakib Jenane, Acting Country Director, and Lead Agriculture Economist, World Bank India, on behalf of the World Bank.

Sixty percent of farmers in Jharkhand are marginal and small farmers, practicing rain-fed, single-cropped farming and are highly vulnerable to climate change. Recent droughts had resulted in 40 percent crop losses in the state. The Jharkhand Opportunities for Harnessing Rural Growth Project (JOHAR), will help the state develop climate-resilient agriculture by focusing on year-round cultivation of vegetables and diversifying into new high-yielding varieties of pulses and oilseeds. The project will also demonstrate resilient technologies for improving productivity and reducing climate risk in paddy, promote community-based micro irrigation and support the producer groups to move into value added sectors like livestock, fisheries, and non-timber forest produce.

“Improving farm profitability and rural incomes, especially in rain-fed areas can play a central role in achieving rapid and inclusive agricultural growth. By closely aligning with the institutional structure of women self-help groups in the state, this project will contribute to the government's efforts at reducing gender gaps in agriculture and financial inclusion, and also help to improve food and nutrition status of rural mothers, adolescent girls and children in Jharkhand,” said Paritosh Upadhyay, CEO, JSLPS. “India can put itself on a firmer economic growth path if states such as Jharkhand move toward transformative development,” he added.

Today, 13.5 percent of the net sown area in Jharkhand has access to irrigation and only 5.72 percent of rural households own any irrigation equipment. The Government of Jharkhand is making efforts to enhance available resources through rainwater harvesting and watershed management, and scaling up water-use efficiency through micro-irrigation. Given the smallholdings of farmers and their relative inability to make large investments individually, JOHAR will support micro-scale irrigation schemes that are community owned, operated and maintained. New irrigation structures will include, among others, construction of farm ponds, lift irrigation schemes, and shallow wells. JOHAR will converge with the Government of Jharkhand's existing programs on irrigation, watershed development and on-farm water use efficiency to maximize the sustainability and impact of water management interventions.

“The project will build upon the institutional platform of rural women created under the government's National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), and target households that are ready to intensify, diversify, and enhance market orientation of agricultural production. While the project will intervene in several of the sectors that NRLM is also engaged in, the key difference would be its emphasis on water management, creating linkages with the market, financial interventions and skill development to support high-value production for augmenting rural household incomes,” said Priti Kumar and Grant Milne, Senior Agriculture Specialist and Senior Natural Resource Management Specialist, and World Bank's Task Team Leaders for this project.

The $100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years.

Glimpses of August 2017

CEO,JSLPS in talk show at DD National with Sakhi Mandal members

Consultative Meeting on PVTGs

The community didis giving written exam for Banking Correspondent Agents

Incense Stick Making at Angada block in Ranchi district

Papaya Nursery at Jamua block of Giridih

CEO, JSLPS addressing the community cadres

VRPs shooting videos on housing management of goats at Bengabad

Farewell Ceremony of Shri N.N. Sinha, ACS, RD

Community Reporter : Developing Rural Journalists

An Initiative of Knowledge Management & Communication Cell

JSLPS has been emerging as an emblem of initiatives for the community which has been run by the community itself. JSLPS under NRLM in Jharkhand has now achieved a new dimension of the primary goals of harnessing women and spreading women empowerment.Collaboration of JSLPS with Prabhat Khabhar through Panchayatnama has helped in all the areas to reach the stories of the community to the community by publishing the successful stories and initiatives of members of Sakhi Mandals.

A new initiative by Knowledge Management and Communication Domain, JSLPS with Prabhat Khabhar is setting up an emblem to develop journalists from communities who are known as “Barefoot Journalists”(BJs). These BJs from various districts are now coming up with exceptional stories from the communities, which are getting published in Panchayatnama and Aajeevika Samvad.

Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society(Rural Development Department, Government of Jharkhand)3rd Floor, Shanti Deep Tower, Radium Road, Ranchi – 834001

0651-2360053/2360391 jslps.ranchi@gmail.com

www.jslps.org facebook.com/onlineJSLPS

/jslpsranchi @onlineJSLPS

Compilation : Jyoti RaniContributors : Sonam Sahu, Puja Garg, Hemraj, Saba Parween & Jyoti RaniEditor : Kumar Vikash

For any feedback or suggestions email us at : kmc@jslps.in