IEC Loka Kalyan Parishad

Capacity Building and Advocacy for a local participatory self governance for poverty reduction through Information, Education & Communication (IEC)

The objectives of IEC III:

a) Facilitate improvement and efficiency in planning & implementation of Millennium Development Goals by PRI [poverty reduction; infant mortality rate (IMR); maternal mortality rate (MMR); primary education] through proper decentralized and integrated planning and appropriate utilization of funds

b) Enhance grassroots democracy through empowerment of local people and encouragement of their participation in local self-governance leading to reduction in poverty, improvement of health an education.

The activities that are undertaken to fulfil the goals.

Engaging in partnerships with the 3 tier Panchayat system for mutual support for effective implementation to achieve the goal.
Mobilisation of women in Self Help Groups (SHG) and their empowerment to take part in local governance through active participation in policy formulation and implementation of local affairs
Organizing sensitization and capacity development programmes for improving awareness and understanding of the citizens and civil society institutions on matters local governance; entitlements; PRI
Capacity Development Programme to increased capacity of PRI to enable them to discharge their roles and responsibilities and engage in participatory and de-centralized governance.

Development of IEC materials for generating awareness of people and PRI.
Strengthening of district and state level advocacy networks to assist and put pressure on the PRI to effect change
Partnership building of local CBOs and their capacity development to enable them to assist the PRI and ensure their accountability.

Some achievements:

PRI RELATED

35 GPs submit their Annual Plan and 30 of them (85%) incorporate demands and needs put forward by the SHGs in their localities.

WOMEN’S ROLE IN GOVENANCE

67 open sansad sabhas take place (in May & November)
4010 Voters in 210 sansads take part in identifying their needs and evolving 106 plans for their Gram Panchayats
1442 women make the PRI accountable by giving 30 deputations on issues related to health-education and improving the living conditions in their locality.
More than 340 women become active in pre primary and primary education related monitoring bodies.

POVERTY REDUCTION

Direct Impact of IEC

120 families get job card
3791 people were motivated to demand their entitlements from the PRI like ration cards; widow pension; PROFLAL; SASFAU; Aam Admi Bima Yojana; Krishan Credit Card; farmer’s loans; Artisan Loans; Ayela benefits; IGNOAPS; IGNWPS; NDPS; IAY; NFBS etc. and were able to access their entitlements.
14 extremely poor and starving people were identified and brought under SAHAY scheme.
14 deputations on issues related to BPL; rationing system; NREGS; improvement of infrastructure by 432 people.

The project was also able to link many of the existing projects and initiatives together. As a result the following could be seen-

20 MOUs drawn up by GPs with SHGs for nursery and social forestry.

55 capacity building trainings organized for improving agriculture.
Seeds were distributed by the GPs to 200 SHGs.
9 MOUs drawn up by GPs and SHGs for taking lease of PRI owned ponds and water bodies and undertaking fish farming.
68 families start fish farming.
1867 families start kitchen gardens and 1344 families improve and expand their kitchen gardens.
48 grain banks were started by SHGs.
40 vaccinations camps for animals were made possible from the Animal Husbandry department because of IEC.
124 families begin poultry and cattle farming.

MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH

47 SAM (severely malnourished) infants identified and referred for treatment.
Birth Certificates of 927 children were registered with the help from IEC members.
125 reluctant pregnant mothers motivated to complete their vaccinations.
184 women motivated to use contraceptives.
Couples were motivated to go through legal termination of pregnancies in 46 instances rather than taking help from untrained sources.
641 families get their health entitlements from the local government in the form of Rashtriya Sasthya Bima Yojana
44 women get health entitlements from the local government in the form of Janani Suraksha Yojana.
7 mobile health centres started following deputations by women and insistence of IEC staff.
10 early marriages were prevented by SHGs.
8 women’s groups got together and submitted their depositions against unfair practices in the ration shop.

PRE PRIMARY & PRIMARY EDUCATION

Infrastructures of 9 ICDS centres were improved and some were newly established by Panchayat after deputations and reports of their dismal state.
108 children enrolled to the ICDS
105 Mata Committees and about 120 women made active on ICDS related issues.
220 members of SHGs become active in Mata Committees.
9 deputations given by 596 women and guardians for improvement of ICDS.
627 children enrolled to primary school
186children re-enrolled to primary school.
74 VEC made active on Primary education related issues.
Guardians made active in 5 education committees.
Infrastructure of 1 primary school was improved by Panchayat after deputations and reports of their dismal state.
9 deputations given by more than 460 members of SHGs and guardians for improvement of mid day meals and primary school infrastructure.
561 students access scholarship schemes.

FUTURE PLAN:

A mid line study will be initiated with both the implementing partners of the IEC III programme (LKP & JGVK) to understand the current situation on the ground with regard to the following:

Status of maternal mortality-infant mortality & access to pre primary and primary education in 44 GPs and about 120 sansads.
Status of pre primary and primary education centres-health sub centres
Economic status of the families of the members of self help groups taken under the study.
Status of access to government entitlements particularly with regard to poverty reduction by the BPL families. The data will be collected from amongst the BPL members of the self help groups.
Economic status of the self help groups taken under the study and an understanding of their involvement in addressing social issues.