Source - www.unicef.org/india
An Indian village with all children who have attended primary school, in educationally backward Madhya Pradesh seems unbelievable. Nonetheless, this is really the case in Baghora village in Bhind district.
The state’s literacy level is 64 percent, nearly paralleling the national literacy rate of 65 percent. However, the rural literacy rate is only 43 percent. The situation is particularly grim in rural areas: 87 percent (272) of the blocks record below average literacy rates and over 90 percent of the blocks have higher gender differentials in literacy levels than the national average. These figures clearly indicate the persisting gender disparities in the state. Bhind district also reflects these disparities with the female literacy at 55.2% and the sex ratio for children in 0-6 years being 832.
With a population of 450 people, Baghora village situated in Bhind district's rough terrain has more that 100 children in the age group of 3-14 years and all of them have either attained education till Class V or are in the process of completing it under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The village has only one primary school - Shaskiya Prathmik Vidhyalaya, Baghora – which at present has 70 students enrolled, including 29 girls.
So what makes the children of this village attend school regularly when other parts of the state - barring a few - are plagued with teacher absenteeism and drop outs? This is despite incentives like mid-day meals, free textbooks, free uniforms for girls and scholarships. Apt comes the reply, "I go and pursue the parents to send their children to school regularly whenever any one is found absent", said the school's Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president Badou Singh Kushwaha.
Madhya Pradesh has passed the Peoples Education Act, 2002 and these PTAs have been constituted under its aegis. This is one of the landmark efforts of the State Government to enhance school-community linkages and bring about effective participation of parents and community in school development. UNICEF has collaborated with the state education department in developing the training modules for training of PTAs on their roles and responsibilities - modules which are now being used to train PTAs across the state.
“Both parents and teachers own joint responsibility to educate the child", said Krishna Murari Mishra, Headmaster of Sarva Primary School, whose school has five teachers and 229 students. "Earlier teachers used to be concerned only with teaching but now they also know about their responsibility of bringing the child to school and involving the community in school development”. To attract children to schools, education kits and school furniture provided by UNICEF have added to ensuring regularity of children’s’ presence in school.
A few kilometers away from Sarva is Dhamsa - another Bhind village with a government primary school exclusively for girls. This school has 96 girls studying from Class I to Class V. "I want to be a doctor", says Revati (14), who has three brothers and two sisters. Asked the reason why, she said "My father died for want of treatment because there is no doctor in my village". Whether Revati succeeds in fulfilling her desire only time will tell, but one amongst so many Revatis will definitely achieve that milestone one day. "And this has been possible due to Quality Education inputs which have helped improve learning among children", says Sanjay Manjhi, one of the teachers.
UNICEF is partnering the state in implementing Quality Education Initiative across the state to improve quality of education under SSA. There is a special focus on four districts viz. Guna, Shivpuri, Jhabua and Bhind.
Hamid El- Bashir, UNICEF State Representative for Madhya Pradesh, said that 'State of Madhya Pradesh has many developmental challenges and of course many potentials. Among the challenges is to get girls into school and to retain them up to higher grades. Educating children, particularly girls multiplies positive implications on the family and the society at large. Girls’ education is an important indicator for total social change in society. These are some successful initiatives that need to be replicated state wide.”
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
100 per cent sanitation in Madhya Pradesh village
Tarawata village in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district stands apart from other villages - it's spick and span. This has been made possible through the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) launched by the administration almost six months back.
Slogans propagating sanitary habits and cleanliness adorn its walls. The alleys passing through the nearly 200 'pucca' (concrete) houses are bereft of any litter. There are no flying plastic bags, no unwanted paper, no cow dung scattered on the streets that look immaculately clean.
The populace, which consists of mainly Kushwah and Brahmin communities, depends mainly on agriculture for sustenance. And it's not just external cleanliness that the around 1,950 villagers have imbibed.
Only two houses in the village had toilets just six months back. Today, it boasts of having a 100 percent sanitation graph. "Not a single house of the village is without a toilet," says SK Mishra, nodal officer of TSC.
"Earlier, the nullahs (drains) would always be choked. But after the district administration's efforts and the implementation of the project, the village has undergone a 'sanitation surgery'," says Sarpanch Hanumant Singh Kushwah. Initially, a lot of counselling had to be done to convince the villagers to discard the age-old tradition of taking a 'lota' (small utensil) and going out for defecation.
"Motivating them to change their mindset was an extremely arduous task. But gradually each one started aping the other. They understood the importance of having a personal and exclusive toilet," says Mishra. Even the children of this village have learnt the importance of personal hygiene. Talk to them about the subject and they start parroting lines straight out of the Class 5 environmental science book: "We should wash our hands before eating. We should brush daily. We should bathe daily and wear clean clothes...."
The children of Tarawata now have a game "Play Pump" installed in their schools by which they lift water to the rooftop. This has helped them to get enough water for drinking and cleaning in their school. This new technique has also helped them understand that electricity is not needed for lifting water - all through the "learn by play" technique.
"What is more important, no case of dysentery has been reported from the village in the past few months. The health indices have become more hygienic," says the sarpanch.
"Efforts of the Guna district team will indeed go a long way in bringing positive results for the children of the district and the state as the scheme is being replicated in other districts," said Hamid El Bashir, the Madhya Pradesh state UNICEF representative.
Slogans propagating sanitary habits and cleanliness adorn its walls. The alleys passing through the nearly 200 'pucca' (concrete) houses are bereft of any litter. There are no flying plastic bags, no unwanted paper, no cow dung scattered on the streets that look immaculately clean.
The populace, which consists of mainly Kushwah and Brahmin communities, depends mainly on agriculture for sustenance. And it's not just external cleanliness that the around 1,950 villagers have imbibed.
Only two houses in the village had toilets just six months back. Today, it boasts of having a 100 percent sanitation graph. "Not a single house of the village is without a toilet," says SK Mishra, nodal officer of TSC.
"Earlier, the nullahs (drains) would always be choked. But after the district administration's efforts and the implementation of the project, the village has undergone a 'sanitation surgery'," says Sarpanch Hanumant Singh Kushwah. Initially, a lot of counselling had to be done to convince the villagers to discard the age-old tradition of taking a 'lota' (small utensil) and going out for defecation.
"Motivating them to change their mindset was an extremely arduous task. But gradually each one started aping the other. They understood the importance of having a personal and exclusive toilet," says Mishra. Even the children of this village have learnt the importance of personal hygiene. Talk to them about the subject and they start parroting lines straight out of the Class 5 environmental science book: "We should wash our hands before eating. We should brush daily. We should bathe daily and wear clean clothes...."
The children of Tarawata now have a game "Play Pump" installed in their schools by which they lift water to the rooftop. This has helped them to get enough water for drinking and cleaning in their school. This new technique has also helped them understand that electricity is not needed for lifting water - all through the "learn by play" technique.
"What is more important, no case of dysentery has been reported from the village in the past few months. The health indices have become more hygienic," says the sarpanch.
"Efforts of the Guna district team will indeed go a long way in bringing positive results for the children of the district and the state as the scheme is being replicated in other districts," said Hamid El Bashir, the Madhya Pradesh state UNICEF representative.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Women bidi industry workers lament neglect
Workers of hand-rolled traditional cigarette or bidi industry, most of whom are women are lamenting poor working conditions and low wages.
Thousands of women work for long hours in the predominantly unorganised sector, to roll bidis - tobacco rolled into tendu leaves - but are paid less than Rupees 50 rupees per day.Many bidi manufacturers outsource bidi rolling to women, who take the raw material from these manufacturers and roll it at their at home during free time. They roll around 1000 bidi sticks in a 10-hour shift.The workers complain that they neither get the minimum wages stipulated under law, nor any compensation for health hazards."My eyesight has suffered and my limbs ache as a consequence of working in the tobacco industry for so long. We have to deal with persistent cough and fever due to constant exposure to tobacco, but continue to work due to poverty," said Batibai, a bidi worker.The government runs several schemes for the tobacco industry workers but most say the schemes either remain on paper, or a privileged few draw all benefits."We have become old working in this industry. Fifty years ago I rolled the first bidi but my hands shiver now. I am dependent on my children for food and clothing. Our children have no work; we have no security, pensions or houses to live in," said Sarmania Bai, a septuagenarian. According to a study by the Union Health Ministry, the health hazard in the industry is relatively high - 34 per 100 population, especially get affected by tuberculosis and cancer.State functionaries responsible for labour welfare say the welfare of bidi workers is the responsibility of the Central government, and they are mere facilitators.
"All the welfare schemes pertaining to the 'bidi rolling' workers are under the purview of the Labour Ministry. We are mere co-coordinators. Even the scholarship forms are submitted in the relevant office. If they (the bidi industry workers) have any grudges or applications for identity cards, they can submit them to the Labour Ministry through us. But personally, my office has no direct role in the matter," said S S Dixit, Assistant Labour Commissioner.Bidi accounts for about 53.5 per cent of the country's domestic consumption of tobacco as compared to cigarettes, which account for18.8 percent.The bidi market is pegged between 120 billion rupees to 150 billion rupees.The industry is fragmented across the country, with around 200 manufacturers in every state. But Madhya Pradesh is the major producer of bidis, for easy availability of raw material in the state.
Thousands of women work for long hours in the predominantly unorganised sector, to roll bidis - tobacco rolled into tendu leaves - but are paid less than Rupees 50 rupees per day.Many bidi manufacturers outsource bidi rolling to women, who take the raw material from these manufacturers and roll it at their at home during free time. They roll around 1000 bidi sticks in a 10-hour shift.The workers complain that they neither get the minimum wages stipulated under law, nor any compensation for health hazards."My eyesight has suffered and my limbs ache as a consequence of working in the tobacco industry for so long. We have to deal with persistent cough and fever due to constant exposure to tobacco, but continue to work due to poverty," said Batibai, a bidi worker.The government runs several schemes for the tobacco industry workers but most say the schemes either remain on paper, or a privileged few draw all benefits."We have become old working in this industry. Fifty years ago I rolled the first bidi but my hands shiver now. I am dependent on my children for food and clothing. Our children have no work; we have no security, pensions or houses to live in," said Sarmania Bai, a septuagenarian. According to a study by the Union Health Ministry, the health hazard in the industry is relatively high - 34 per 100 population, especially get affected by tuberculosis and cancer.State functionaries responsible for labour welfare say the welfare of bidi workers is the responsibility of the Central government, and they are mere facilitators.
"All the welfare schemes pertaining to the 'bidi rolling' workers are under the purview of the Labour Ministry. We are mere co-coordinators. Even the scholarship forms are submitted in the relevant office. If they (the bidi industry workers) have any grudges or applications for identity cards, they can submit them to the Labour Ministry through us. But personally, my office has no direct role in the matter," said S S Dixit, Assistant Labour Commissioner.Bidi accounts for about 53.5 per cent of the country's domestic consumption of tobacco as compared to cigarettes, which account for18.8 percent.The bidi market is pegged between 120 billion rupees to 150 billion rupees.The industry is fragmented across the country, with around 200 manufacturers in every state. But Madhya Pradesh is the major producer of bidis, for easy availability of raw material in the state.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Madhya Pradesh moves to curb child marriages
Madhya Pradesh is using an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar to crack down on child marriages.The government has unveiled 'Raksha Sootra Bandhan' programmes under its special action plan to check mass child marriages that take place on 'Akshay Tritiya' day April 20. On that day, minor children will tie a band on their parents' wrists with a message that they should not marry off their adolescent children.Akshay Tritiya generally falls in April or May and is considered auspicious for Hindu marriages. Wedding ceremonies, including child marriages, take place on this day in Madhya Pradesh, besides Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
The plan envisages the holding of camps and rallies to generate awareness among the people in Madhya Pradesh. These events would be organised at district and block headquarters and main villages.NGOs say nearly 20,000 children were married off last year on this day in Madhya Pradesh alone. Child marriages normally take place within the Tawar Rajputs, Lodhas, Sodhiyas and Dangi communities. Yadavs and Gujjars also join the cult.Madhya Pradesh comes second to Rajasthan as far as marriage of minor girls is concerned. While the average age of marriage for an Indian girl is 20 years, it is 17 in Madhya Pradesh.
The Unicef's state of the children report for 2007 states that the average age for marriage of girls has been increasing during the last 20 years, but 46 percent girls are still married off before they reach 18 years.The reason for early marriage of girls is not only financial. People also feel that by getting their daughters married off early the girls could be saved from sexual harassment and getting pregnant prior to marriage.
As per Unicef's 'The State of the World's Children 2007', girls marrying before 15 years have five times more chances of dying while giving birth. The state already has a high maternal mortality rate.Realising that such malpractices cannot be curbed through government efforts alone and there is a need to generate awareness in the society, Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni has instructed district collectors to follow the plan guidelines to make the campaign against child marriage successful.Sahni has asked the collectors to chalk out their own strategy and take action against the 'culprits'.The collectors have been directed to organise awareness camps at every block headquarters, where influential people should be invited.
IANS
The plan envisages the holding of camps and rallies to generate awareness among the people in Madhya Pradesh. These events would be organised at district and block headquarters and main villages.NGOs say nearly 20,000 children were married off last year on this day in Madhya Pradesh alone. Child marriages normally take place within the Tawar Rajputs, Lodhas, Sodhiyas and Dangi communities. Yadavs and Gujjars also join the cult.Madhya Pradesh comes second to Rajasthan as far as marriage of minor girls is concerned. While the average age of marriage for an Indian girl is 20 years, it is 17 in Madhya Pradesh.
The Unicef's state of the children report for 2007 states that the average age for marriage of girls has been increasing during the last 20 years, but 46 percent girls are still married off before they reach 18 years.The reason for early marriage of girls is not only financial. People also feel that by getting their daughters married off early the girls could be saved from sexual harassment and getting pregnant prior to marriage.
As per Unicef's 'The State of the World's Children 2007', girls marrying before 15 years have five times more chances of dying while giving birth. The state already has a high maternal mortality rate.Realising that such malpractices cannot be curbed through government efforts alone and there is a need to generate awareness in the society, Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni has instructed district collectors to follow the plan guidelines to make the campaign against child marriage successful.Sahni has asked the collectors to chalk out their own strategy and take action against the 'culprits'.The collectors have been directed to organise awareness camps at every block headquarters, where influential people should be invited.
IANS
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Young MPs show they care
Nitin Sethi, Times of India
GWALIOR: Not that one needs to travel deep into India to find it, but a few young MPs, cutting across party lines, decide to, nevertheless, trace the contours of malnourishment in the rural areas of Gwalior. Lack of nutrition makes 46% of children under the age of three underweight, says the third National Family Health Survey. Madhya Pradesh has the highest levels of malnourishment among children, and substantially worse than Gujarat and Meghalaya, the two other states with high levels of malnourishment. But the MPs are not tossing up the stats in a political cauldron. One just can't. It's a phenomenon entrenched long — and wide — enough in the hinterland to make all parties equally culpable. Sachin Pilot (Congress), Supriya Sule (NCP), Shahnawaz Hussain (BJP), Jay Panda (BJD) and Prema Cariappa (Congress) comprise the team. First official stop on the day-long tour and they learn visual evidence can hide or tell as much as statistics do. UNICEF is backing up the tour, with logistics and information. The district administration, aware of the visit, has tried to 'sanitise' the villages on the schedule. The Anganwadi centre, run under the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme, at the two villages that the MPs visit are working on the day. Villagers voice their issues well when they confront the MPs. The primary health centre at one village is freshly painted, the mattresses have just been brought in from the town and the ice and water too have been arranged for the visiting dignitaries. But the Anganwadi at Rampura village, the first official pit stop, is just like one of the 7.44 lakh Anganwadis under ICDS. It's got its attendant problems, but the village is right now too bothered about the lack of water for agriculture. "Get us water and we will sort out the rest,"says one villager to the team, which also has Peenaz Masani, the veteran singer, and Gauri Karnik, a budding actor. It's an expected statement but it underpins the fact about doles. No Anganwadi project can perpetually provide nutritional security to rural India. Nutritional and food security is a far larger political question of second-generation agrarian reforms. Till politics finds an answer to that question, Anganwadis and other programmes under ICDS remain key operational tactic to reduce malnutrition, albeit, an expensive tactic. The government's expenditure on ICDS has risen from Rs 1,444 crore in 2003-04 to Rs 4,087 crore in 2006-07, an annual growth of 41%. "We are not here to point out problems or mistakes; we are here to understand what causes such chronic malnourishment in India. This is just the first place we are visiting and it's not as if we have not seen the situation in our own regions but it's a collective effort by us to see if we can voice these concerns louder, at a greater level,"says Sachin Pilot. The journalists travelling with them are enthusiastic-sceptics: "So what will this lead to? What does this venture by the young MPs really mean for the people?"— they fire out the questions at the first given opportunity. "The problem is acute and it needs to be addressed in Parliament just as much as the media needs to put it out prominently in the public domain,"replies Sule. "If we can get it higher on national priority, a tad bit higher, we will achieve our bit,"she adds.
GWALIOR: Not that one needs to travel deep into India to find it, but a few young MPs, cutting across party lines, decide to, nevertheless, trace the contours of malnourishment in the rural areas of Gwalior. Lack of nutrition makes 46% of children under the age of three underweight, says the third National Family Health Survey. Madhya Pradesh has the highest levels of malnourishment among children, and substantially worse than Gujarat and Meghalaya, the two other states with high levels of malnourishment. But the MPs are not tossing up the stats in a political cauldron. One just can't. It's a phenomenon entrenched long — and wide — enough in the hinterland to make all parties equally culpable. Sachin Pilot (Congress), Supriya Sule (NCP), Shahnawaz Hussain (BJP), Jay Panda (BJD) and Prema Cariappa (Congress) comprise the team. First official stop on the day-long tour and they learn visual evidence can hide or tell as much as statistics do. UNICEF is backing up the tour, with logistics and information. The district administration, aware of the visit, has tried to 'sanitise' the villages on the schedule. The Anganwadi centre, run under the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme, at the two villages that the MPs visit are working on the day. Villagers voice their issues well when they confront the MPs. The primary health centre at one village is freshly painted, the mattresses have just been brought in from the town and the ice and water too have been arranged for the visiting dignitaries. But the Anganwadi at Rampura village, the first official pit stop, is just like one of the 7.44 lakh Anganwadis under ICDS. It's got its attendant problems, but the village is right now too bothered about the lack of water for agriculture. "Get us water and we will sort out the rest,"says one villager to the team, which also has Peenaz Masani, the veteran singer, and Gauri Karnik, a budding actor. It's an expected statement but it underpins the fact about doles. No Anganwadi project can perpetually provide nutritional security to rural India. Nutritional and food security is a far larger political question of second-generation agrarian reforms. Till politics finds an answer to that question, Anganwadis and other programmes under ICDS remain key operational tactic to reduce malnutrition, albeit, an expensive tactic. The government's expenditure on ICDS has risen from Rs 1,444 crore in 2003-04 to Rs 4,087 crore in 2006-07, an annual growth of 41%. "We are not here to point out problems or mistakes; we are here to understand what causes such chronic malnourishment in India. This is just the first place we are visiting and it's not as if we have not seen the situation in our own regions but it's a collective effort by us to see if we can voice these concerns louder, at a greater level,"says Sachin Pilot. The journalists travelling with them are enthusiastic-sceptics: "So what will this lead to? What does this venture by the young MPs really mean for the people?"— they fire out the questions at the first given opportunity. "The problem is acute and it needs to be addressed in Parliament just as much as the media needs to put it out prominently in the public domain,"replies Sule. "If we can get it higher on national priority, a tad bit higher, we will achieve our bit,"she adds.
Madhya Pradesh nutrition policy draw activists' ire
IANS
The Madhya Pradesh government's plan to enhance the nutritional value of food provided to children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) is being met with skepticism by activists who question the new nutrition policy.The Madhya Pradesh government's plan to enhance the nutritional value of food provided to children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) is being met with skepticism by activists who question the new nutrition policy.'The state government has decided to provide 20 different kinds of meal including kheer pudi, laddoo, mathri to the children in place of daliya (roasted gram).
The choice about the kind of meal would be made on the basis of local food habit in a particular area,' says Kusum Mehdele, women and child welfare minister. While the centre and the state government will share the expenses equally, the latter has set Rs.1.55 billion as its share.Funds for the policy has been increased to Rs.3 billion for the current fiscal (2007-08) as against Rs. 1.1 billion during fiscal 2006-07. Though Mehdele hopes that the policy would be a boon for the malnourished children, health activists don't agree with her.
'Do you think a child in 0-3 years age group who requires micro-nutrients would do well with halwa-puri?' asks Sachin Jain of Right to Food campaign.'We have been demanding since long that there should be at least two aanganwadi workers, each with one helper, at every centre, but to no avail.' But the minister denies that the government was unaware of the situation. According to her, the government has sanctioned opening of 9,914 aaganwadis or care centres under the ICDS during 2007-08 to take the facility to all the municipal corporations, municipalities and town local bodies. '
Also, a survey to identify poor children below six years, expectant and nursing mothers and girls has been carried out and supplementary diet of 10 gram proteins and 300 calories is given to them for at least 300 days,' said Mehdele.As many as 367 ICDS schemes are being run in the state. As part of the schemes, health check ups and vaccinations are being conducted every month.
The Madhya Pradesh government's plan to enhance the nutritional value of food provided to children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) is being met with skepticism by activists who question the new nutrition policy.The Madhya Pradesh government's plan to enhance the nutritional value of food provided to children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) is being met with skepticism by activists who question the new nutrition policy.'The state government has decided to provide 20 different kinds of meal including kheer pudi, laddoo, mathri to the children in place of daliya (roasted gram).
The choice about the kind of meal would be made on the basis of local food habit in a particular area,' says Kusum Mehdele, women and child welfare minister. While the centre and the state government will share the expenses equally, the latter has set Rs.1.55 billion as its share.Funds for the policy has been increased to Rs.3 billion for the current fiscal (2007-08) as against Rs. 1.1 billion during fiscal 2006-07. Though Mehdele hopes that the policy would be a boon for the malnourished children, health activists don't agree with her.
'Do you think a child in 0-3 years age group who requires micro-nutrients would do well with halwa-puri?' asks Sachin Jain of Right to Food campaign.'We have been demanding since long that there should be at least two aanganwadi workers, each with one helper, at every centre, but to no avail.' But the minister denies that the government was unaware of the situation. According to her, the government has sanctioned opening of 9,914 aaganwadis or care centres under the ICDS during 2007-08 to take the facility to all the municipal corporations, municipalities and town local bodies. '
Also, a survey to identify poor children below six years, expectant and nursing mothers and girls has been carried out and supplementary diet of 10 gram proteins and 300 calories is given to them for at least 300 days,' said Mehdele.As many as 367 ICDS schemes are being run in the state. As part of the schemes, health check ups and vaccinations are being conducted every month.
Domestic Grey water reuse
United News of IndiaDhar, July 19:
Grey water reuse is one of the alternatives of water resource management to overcome water scarcity. Grey water is defined as water emanating from bathroom, kitchen and laundry. The water from bathroom is collected and treated in simple filtration system. The advantages of household water reuse system are reduction in water requirements, availability of water for non-potable purposes, minimization of sewage generation and also helps save water. Treated grey water reuse system can also be used for flushing toilets and gardening.This is also being promoted by UNICEF in Ashram schools of Dhar and Jhabua. The simple water reuse household system was inaugurated by a child named Sartaj in presence of Cynthia de Windt, State Representative UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh at the house of Dr Samuel Godfrey Project Officer UNICEF. The installed domestic grey water reuse system can help treat 200 liters of grey water everyday and can be useful for irrigating plants and garden.
Grey water reuse is one of the alternatives of water resource management to overcome water scarcity. Grey water is defined as water emanating from bathroom, kitchen and laundry. The water from bathroom is collected and treated in simple filtration system. The advantages of household water reuse system are reduction in water requirements, availability of water for non-potable purposes, minimization of sewage generation and also helps save water. Treated grey water reuse system can also be used for flushing toilets and gardening.This is also being promoted by UNICEF in Ashram schools of Dhar and Jhabua. The simple water reuse household system was inaugurated by a child named Sartaj in presence of Cynthia de Windt, State Representative UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh at the house of Dr Samuel Godfrey Project Officer UNICEF. The installed domestic grey water reuse system can help treat 200 liters of grey water everyday and can be useful for irrigating plants and garden.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Communicating to bring about social change
Anil Gulati
www.merinews.com
01 April 2007, Sunday
Views: 3444 Comments: 3
Conventional strategies which focus on the individual’s behaviour change may not work, these have to be more broad-based, which address the wide range of determinants in the individual’s environment and settings.
‘Meaning is not something that is delivered to people, it is made by them’. A perspective paper by Panos Institute, 1998 had mention of this statement, which still is true. Lot of debate and discussion is held in recent times on the issue on communication and in the meetings on the subject one often hears a term i.e. behaviour change communication.
The experts say that this is it. It is the need of the day especially in the states like Madhya Pradesh in India, which has challenges like high rates of malnutrition in children under three years of age, infant mortality, and has large incidences of diarrhea especially in children. Many of these could be addressed to great extent by following simple practices. The need is to communicate these practices in form of simple messages, in a manner wherein this acquired information turns into a positive action. It is well known today that, that colostrum feeding and exclusive breast feeding can help reduce infant mortality and malnutrition, hygiene practices can help prevent diarrhea, simple precautions can help prevent respiratory tract infection to the new born, but still somehow we are unable to get these across to all including people in rural and tribal areas.
Fact is that we are lagging behind. May be it is easier said, than done. May be individual wanting to make changes in his life, does not feel the need for that change or even if the urge is there but it is not so strong to turn it into motivation for action, or face resistance from family, peers and community. Many a time’s services are often inadequate for their needs or insensitive to their situation. The system often fails them. ‘I want to take my child for vaccination but health centre is closed’ said one mother in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, similarly ‘I want to go to school but teachers sent us back after taking attendance’ - a young boy of 10 years mentioned it in the gram sabha in Shivpuri district . They may also face religious, cultural, economic, or social pressures or a lack of structural and legislative support-that constrain their freedom to choose healthy and safe options.
Strategies designed to improve individual lives focus only on the “individual” pushing them to change practices by defining them as wrong and right. Such strategies ‘many a times’ ignore that there exists an environment and the forces within the society which push them following practices or doing things that undermine their health or health of their child. For example in case of just creating awareness on prevention of HIV/AIDS may not work, if we do not take into account the social determinants, cultural sensitivities and deep seated inequalities within the system. One may need different strategies, which is possible and there may be threats but may be that is the reason why working for change on both macro and micro level would help. When strategies for behaviour change are formed we therefore need to think in much broader terms, keeping the real picture in mind and think beyond the individual behaviour change.
Conventional strategies which focus on the individual’s behavior change may not work, these have to be more broad-based, which address the wide range of determinants in the individual’s environment and settings. One cannot push for hand washing if there is no water, or they cannot afford the soap.
May be that is the reason rather than focusing on ‘individual behaviour change’ need of the day is to focus on social change. For communication professional the focus needs to be communication for social change, may be the individual issues would get diluted, in actual they may not be the real problems, may get addressed in the process for social change.
In the process of this kind of communication for social change such “enabling” strategies would intend to remove barriers or constraints to positive action or conversely could erect barriers or constraints to behaviour which one should not practice. A combination of approaches is therefore necessary to promote the individual’s capacity for action within a supportive environment and community.
www.merinews.com
01 April 2007, Sunday
Views: 3444 Comments: 3
Conventional strategies which focus on the individual’s behaviour change may not work, these have to be more broad-based, which address the wide range of determinants in the individual’s environment and settings.
‘Meaning is not something that is delivered to people, it is made by them’. A perspective paper by Panos Institute, 1998 had mention of this statement, which still is true. Lot of debate and discussion is held in recent times on the issue on communication and in the meetings on the subject one often hears a term i.e. behaviour change communication.
The experts say that this is it. It is the need of the day especially in the states like Madhya Pradesh in India, which has challenges like high rates of malnutrition in children under three years of age, infant mortality, and has large incidences of diarrhea especially in children. Many of these could be addressed to great extent by following simple practices. The need is to communicate these practices in form of simple messages, in a manner wherein this acquired information turns into a positive action. It is well known today that, that colostrum feeding and exclusive breast feeding can help reduce infant mortality and malnutrition, hygiene practices can help prevent diarrhea, simple precautions can help prevent respiratory tract infection to the new born, but still somehow we are unable to get these across to all including people in rural and tribal areas.
Fact is that we are lagging behind. May be it is easier said, than done. May be individual wanting to make changes in his life, does not feel the need for that change or even if the urge is there but it is not so strong to turn it into motivation for action, or face resistance from family, peers and community. Many a time’s services are often inadequate for their needs or insensitive to their situation. The system often fails them. ‘I want to take my child for vaccination but health centre is closed’ said one mother in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, similarly ‘I want to go to school but teachers sent us back after taking attendance’ - a young boy of 10 years mentioned it in the gram sabha in Shivpuri district . They may also face religious, cultural, economic, or social pressures or a lack of structural and legislative support-that constrain their freedom to choose healthy and safe options.
Strategies designed to improve individual lives focus only on the “individual” pushing them to change practices by defining them as wrong and right. Such strategies ‘many a times’ ignore that there exists an environment and the forces within the society which push them following practices or doing things that undermine their health or health of their child. For example in case of just creating awareness on prevention of HIV/AIDS may not work, if we do not take into account the social determinants, cultural sensitivities and deep seated inequalities within the system. One may need different strategies, which is possible and there may be threats but may be that is the reason why working for change on both macro and micro level would help. When strategies for behaviour change are formed we therefore need to think in much broader terms, keeping the real picture in mind and think beyond the individual behaviour change.
Conventional strategies which focus on the individual’s behavior change may not work, these have to be more broad-based, which address the wide range of determinants in the individual’s environment and settings. One cannot push for hand washing if there is no water, or they cannot afford the soap.
May be that is the reason rather than focusing on ‘individual behaviour change’ need of the day is to focus on social change. For communication professional the focus needs to be communication for social change, may be the individual issues would get diluted, in actual they may not be the real problems, may get addressed in the process for social change.
In the process of this kind of communication for social change such “enabling” strategies would intend to remove barriers or constraints to positive action or conversely could erect barriers or constraints to behaviour which one should not practice. A combination of approaches is therefore necessary to promote the individual’s capacity for action within a supportive environment and community.
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