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Volume-12

Communicate Minds
30 April 2005 FORTNIGHTLY

ADVISORS
Khirod Ch. Malick Pitabash Sethi Jogeswar Majhi Makardhawj Sahu Aurobinda Mahapatra Pradeep Kumar Mohanty In this Issue...
* Editorial * Jhankarbahali Profile * Concept of SHG * Participation in TSC * Director of H.C visit * Other BISWA News

JHANKARBAHALI on the WAY TO DEVELOPMENT

Jhankarbahali is a small village under Baduapali Gram Panchayat of Maneswar Block, Sambalpur District. This village is 27 K.M from Sambalpur town. The temperature of the locality fluctuates between 450C in summer to 30C in winter. Total population of the village is 937. The village is located surrounded by forest from all sides. All the villagers are tribal and under BPL category. The various socioeconomic conditions of the villagers and village are as follows; *All the villagers are either marginal farmers or landless agriculture labourers. *All the families have a traditional skill of bamboo products manufacturing. The above two occupations are seasonal and they alternate the occupations as per the seasonal suitability i.e. during agriculture season most of them are engaged in agriculture work and other times in bamboo craft. Still both the occupations are not able to provide them two square meals a day round the year. The infrastructure availability in the village is almost nothing. Only one infrastructure available is that of a asbestos roofed primary school building. The village has nearest medical facility available at a distance of 15 Km, the transportation for communication is available at a distance of 09 Km, the Medium English School is available at a distance of 05 Km and that of a high school is available at a distance of 09 Km. the nearest college for education is available at a distance of 25 Km. Barring these basic amenities all other facilities are available at a minimum distance of about 25 Km. Under such circumstances, the village seems to be absolutely out of the mainstream world. Almost each of the villagers is malnourished in absence of adequate nutritive food both due to non-availability and non-affordability. The people of the village suffer from diseases like malaria and others due to consumption of contaminated water and mosquito bites. The absence of any para-medical staff
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The Link
Chief-Editor Debabrata Malick Editor Guru Prasad Nahak

Contact :The Link BISWA At-Danipali P.o-Baraipali Dist-Sambalpur, PIN-768150 Ph No- +91-663-2533597 FAX No.: +91-663-2402115
Email:biswamalick@rediffmail.com

kc_malick@yahoo.com www.biswa.org

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Editorial

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The rural & tribal development is really a challenge for both the Government & non-Government development agencies which is eminent from the progress and development of the rural & tribal community in our region. The rural & tribal people, largely, are still much below the so called poverty line. They are still being oppressed by the local petty politicians, bureaucrats and other middlemen as well as local traders. The conditions of such communities are deteriorating gradually which needs continuous support and patient interventions. Under such circumstances, it is high time that the development agencies must come up with their voluntarism, may not be necessarily charity, to converge the development interventions. This necessiates the integrated approach which can ensure the overall development of a specific community. The understanding of integrated approach in a particular locality for a particular community demands greater attention, which may become a multifarious activity with a lot of resources over a long period. The process at some times may seem to be endless bringing in lot of frustrations among all the stakeholders, for which it needs a lot of endurance and patience at all level. Together we can and will be able to achieve far more than what we can contribute in isolated efforts and this be our resolve for the year 2005 and on.

in the locality prolongs the disease and leads to grave consequences. The rainy season almost separates the village from the outside world as the approach road becomes inaccessible. BISWA has adopted this village for its overall development.It has taken a lot of initiatives in developing the village through convergence of different development programmes both from the Govt. sources as well as international sources. BISWA has integrated the programmes like education for girl children & school dropouts and their mainstreaming, running of an innovative school with mid-day meals provision, promotion of SHGs among the women & artisans and provide them micro finance for income generation activities, provide skill upgradation training in their traditional skill of bamboo crafts, provide safe drinking water through installation of tube wells, and construct Water Harvesting Structure for their agricultural land irrigation. It ensures that each of the above activities are carried out with the active participation of the villagers themselves which will gradually develop their ownership and in future they will sustain the development process on their own. BISWA hopes the village needs even some more time to grow as a model village for others in the region. * * * * * * * *

Prof. Malcolm Harper PARTICIPATION IN IMMERSION PROGRAMME visited BISWA A six day Immersion Programme on Microfinance was
One of the greatest contemporary development professional and expert in Micro Enterprises & Micro Finance, Emeritus Prof. Malcolm Harper visited BISWA on 18th April 2005. Prof. Harper during his one day visit interacted with the management team & staff of BISWA. He also addressed the micro enterprise and micro finance staff at BISWAcentral office in a meeting organised in honour of him. He answered to all the queries raised by the development professional and micro finance professionals of BISWA and praised the effort of BISWA in micro finance and micro enterprise initiative. Prof. Harper also visited some of women Self Help Group promoted and financed by BISWA with support from ICICI Bank Ltd. It was also a great experience at BISWA to host the visit of Prof. Malcolm Harper in relation to micro enterprise and micro finance. organized by Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhibrudhi Society (APMAS), sponsored by SIDBI Hyderabad from 18th to 23rd April 2005. mFI from eight different states participated in the programme. Mr. Dharmendra Padhi Operational Manager MF, participated on behalf of BISWA. In this programme Participants visited different mFIs developed by different organizations of Andhra Pradesh. The synopsis of this programmes to build a strong Federation or cooperative society by the SHG people for access to credit and threft by the members of SHG, the building of people owned & people managed institution across the nation for the people below poverty line for poverty reduction process.

Mrs. Madhuri Bharasagar lives in the village Chattabar of Maneswar block nearly 30 K.M away from Sambalpur District Headquarters. Cultivation is the main occupation of this area. For this purpose people usually need a big amount in monsoons. Mrs. Bharasagar has 1.5 acre of land and she cultivates paddy in her land. As her familys economic status is very poor and at the same time she has to maintain two daughters and a son, several time she Name:- Madhuri Bharasagar used to go to the landlord for borrowing money to Age:-40 manage her family needs at a high rate of interest. One Numbers of family members:- 5 day she came across BISWA Organiser of that area and Number of children:- 3,Category:- S.T came to know about the concept of Self Help Name of the SHG: BISWA-SHGChattabar-3 Group and two other groups existing in her village, the Block:- Maneswar,District:- Sambalpur advantage they are getting by forming Self Help Group and took a strong decision to form and promote another group in her village. The very next day she started on her mission and also succeeded. An SHG was formed on 26th Oct 2002 and the entire member selected her as the President of the group. The group started with a weekly saving of Rs.10/-. The internal lending started in the group after three month of saving but the amount was not sufficient to meet all the needs. So after 6 months the group passed a resolution for external loan from BISWA to meet the agricultural needs and repay the loan within six month. After this once again the group took second loan for agriculture and business purpose. Mrs. Madhuri Bharasagar got a loan of Rs.800/- on 08.08.2003 through which she cultivated vegetable in a small quantity in between two paddy crops and sold the vegetables in Sambalpur market. She cleared her installment with interest to SHG in due time and earned a profit of Rs.200/-. Although the profit was meagre. Now after one year of formation of their group, it was a supportive hand to manage her family. It has progressed towards a positive direction of independent and self-sufficiency.

D IRECT OR O F H ANDICRAFT V ISITS IRECTOR J HANKARBAHALI

On 28 th April Mr. P.K.Tripathy, Director of Handicrafts visited Bamboo Cluster Training Programme of Jhankarbahali village of Maneswar Block, Sambalpur. There he distributed certificates among the trainees who had completed six month training on Bamboo Craft Designing successfully. He was being shepherd by DIC General Manager, Asst Director Handicraft Sambalpur, Mr.J. Lakra PD DRDA Sambalpur and Mr. K.C. Malick, Chairman BISWA.

BISWA-CARE-CASHE Project Quarterly Review Meeting

T he Quarterly review meeting for the quarter January to

March 2005 was conducted on Dt. 27.04.2005. Mr. K.C. Malick, Chairman .BISWA extended a hearty welcome to the new Project Manager CARE-CASHE Mrs. Priya S. Mohapatra Project on her first visit to BISWA, with other CARE personels. He Also expressed the purpose of review meeting to all the participants. The meeting was presided by the Project officer Mr. Asish Ku. Sahu, BISWA. From CARE following personnels attended the meeting: Mrs. Priya S. Mohapatra. Project Manager, Mr. B.P.Panda, P.C., Mr. Sanjiv Puhan, System Analyst, Dr. Amulya Mohanty.

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Ticket

Microfinance Process Excellence Award.

BISWA received the Finalist Award in the shape of a Momentum and a Certificate in the Microfinance Process Excellency Award, organized by PlaNet Finance at Delhi. BISWA was one of the selected organisation from Orissa for participated in competition. The competition was attended by 21 organizations from all over India. The project Officer Microfinance Mr. Asish Ku. Sahu received the award on behalf of the organisation.

POOR CHILD RESCUED BY BISWA

BISWA rescued a poor child named Raju who was laying at Sambalpur Railway Station, following information given by the District Intelegence Bureau. Raju was hospitalised at District Headquaters. BISWA incured all the expences. The child suffered from Malnuitrition and Tuberculosis who is under treatment.

To,

The Link

BISWA

Dist-Sambalpur

P.O-Baraipali

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PIN-768150

Sensitisation on Anshughat

Ph No- 0663-2533597(O)

At-Danipali

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PRINTING MATTER

BOOK POST

A massive campaigne incured by BISWA SHG members of Tirtorl Block, Jagatsingpur District, with the leadership of Sri. Kedar Sahani the District Coordinator. On safety measurement to be taken in the scorching sun and be safe from sun strock

Printed and Published by Debabrata Malick, Chief Editor. The Link, at BISWA Computer Section, Danipali, Sambalpur. PIN- 768150 Ph. No- 0663-2533597

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