Society

King Midas Was Here

Microplanning has transformed these villages. Involved in the process at every stage, people have learnt that only self-help can redeem their lot.

Advertisement

King Midas Was Here
info_icon
daaru bhatti
info_icon

If Lendiguda's transformation is so dramatic given its desperate past, other success stories are no less inspirational. "Larger, non-tribal villages have their own unique problems, especially the caste system and age-old beliefs," explains Gopinath Menon, state representative, UNICEF. This couldn't be more evident than in Naandgaon in Ballarpur taluka.

Just 5 km from Chandrapur, this village had a school complex that appeared so impressive that you'd believe all's well. But health and nutrition, education, sanitation were neglected. Lactating mothers threw away the first milk, and instead fed jaggery-sweetened water in the afterbirth. Many infants contracted water-borne diseases and died. Children over a year were fed only milk and malnutrition set in. But no agency could convince the villagers against these erroneous practices. Girls' education was mostly neglected and boys and girls never spoke to one another.

The picture has changed dramatically since. Trained Youth Forum (YF) members have gone door-to-door explaining the benefits of hygiene and health practices. Now parents demand medical services. Malnutrition has reduced.

"Being a part of this process has given us extreme faith in ourselves," says Ujwala Bhandarkar, 18, YF member. Boys and girls now study together and encourage dropouts to resume. They've built a public stage and a library. They demand adherence to sanitation practices from the residents and this year won the second prize for sanitation at the district level.

The YF, along with their counterparts in six other villages, have banned smoking, drinking and gutka. "The boys recognise the value of the ban. So do our fathers though they may find it difficult to kick an old habit," explains Bhandarkar. Now they go to other villages to impart information through street plays and counselling. The youth groups follow parliamentary practices and the different "ministries" deal with the authorities to sort out pertinent issues. They're beginning to understand the potential of revenue and micro credit. And have started offering small commercial services to residents. The idea is to earn and start a credit system encouraging entrepreneurship.

Fifteen hundred villages are at different stages of this process. The experiment has been so successful that other states are already starting to adopt it. Helping people only to help themselves proves, once again, to be the only path ahead. Charity, after all, helps no one.

Advertisement

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement