It is well known that large segments of Indian population live in rural areas and are often compromised as they don’t have the same opportunities as their counterparts in urban areas. 

While our country has achieved many technological advances in the recent decades, including mapping the moon, our rural areas are still behind in a number of economic, social and health indicators and many times still lacking access on some basic issues, such as education, health, sanitation and most of all knowledge and information on issues concerning their lives. 

Numerous government programs exist for supporting rural communities for improving education and health, but understanding and proper utilization of these services very often lags behind.  Along with the efforts of the government and other institutions, concerted efforts are required at the local level to strengthen rural communities to help them address their needs for improving their livelihood, education, health and other aspects of their lives.

Part of Kalanjiyam’s work is to strengthen the rural communities by working closely with different segments of the populations using three main strategies:

Ø      Empowering with correct information for providing knowledge and raising awareness

Ø      Providing opportunities for training and skill building and

Ø      Connecting / linking communities to services and filling the gaps to existing programs at the local level

Kalanjiyam has recently inaugurated a training center in Kalpat village. This center will serve as resource for the community, to provide a forum to bring different members from the community together for informing, educating and skill building activities.   

Bi-monthly, presentations and discussions will be conducted with various segments of the community, from school children, adolescents/ young people and adults.

Besides programs at the Kalanjiyam training center, we will take up specific issues on a campaign mode to bring attention to an issue and increase awareness at the village level for the entire community.

Based our assessments on the ground, there is considerable demand for information locally.  Our village committee and staff, being from the local community, ascertain the key areas and issues that are to be taken up based on the identified priority. 

Local resource persons have been listed with Kalanjiyam, including: doctors, social workers, teachers, agriculturalists, naturopaths / healers, trainers, law enforcement, officials and leaders, to name a few, will be invited to present issues of interest.  Where required external resource persons will be identified and brought.

-         Recently a local expert on organic farming provided information to young people on small scale cultivation and how nutritional needs can be better addressed.

-         A retired social welfare officer presented on the various government schemes that can be availed by young women.

-         Local law enforcement officers talked to young women on legal rights of women, and how to respond to different situations of violence or harassment

-         Village level campaign for education to ensure that all children go to school

-         Programs for connecting children and adolescent to seniors in our villages

-         Programs with local self help group women

Projector, screen and audio equipment for conducting awareness and training programs at Kalanjiyam training center and for village level campaigns for entire communities in our villages.

A vast amount of information education and communication materials have been made and are available in Tamil. These can be availed very easily and used for creating awareness and informing the community.  Kalanjiyam has also produced materials, such as Thaimei, for creating awareness on maternal health; we plan to produce other materials on different health and social issues, specifically of concern for the well being of the future generations.   These materials will be projected using the above equipments to inform, educate and empower communities.

On an average, one village of about 450 population will be reached per week through this program. This comes to 1800 population per month; 21,600 population over the year from 36 villages. 

Over this year, Kalanjiyam will also work with 120 young men and women from enrolled villages to build on their skills, by providing training and other inputs. These youth/ young persons will be tracked through the year for changes / impacts on key measurable indicators.