ANKUR greetings!
We all have read about event and know about various event. Let’s this time read..something different! CARITAS INDIA ANKUR is different!
है अँधेरी रात पर दीवा जलाना कब मना है
कल्पना के हाथ से कमनीय जो मंदिर बना था
भावना के हाथ ने जिसमें वितानों को तना था
स्वप्न ने अपने करों से था जिसे रुचि से सँवारा
स्वर्ग के दुष्प्राप्य रंगों से, रसों से जो सना था
ढह गया वह तो जुटाकर ईंट, पत्थर, कंकड़ों को
एक अपनी शांति की कुटिया बनाना कब मना है
है अँधेरी रात पर दीवा जलाना कब मना है
-- Harivansh Rai Bachchan
( a poem by Harivansh rai Bacchan states that…dare to think dare to dream…no one is going to stop you…but dare to make things possible)…AND CARITAS INDIA ANKUR IS A DARE TO BREAK DIFFICULTIES in life of poor & marginalised!
With this mail we are happy to share with you all that in Rajasthan region a new development initiative ANKUR-sprouts of sustainable livelihood in rajasthan region is been initiated from 1st July 2013. A formal inauguration/launch of the prohramme has been done on 8th July 2013 at Dausa, where in Honorable minister of Public grievance (Rajasthan) Mr. Mumtaz Massi, Most Rev Bishop of Jaipur Ostwalad Lewis , Caritas India Executive Director most Rev Fr. Frederick D’souza, representatives of Caritas Spain –Ms. Vittoria and Ms. Mayte, Department head for Ministry of minority commission Ms. Mumtaz, government line department officials from 12 departments ( KVK, agriculture, bloc etc), along with entire team of ANKUR project of 3 partner organisations ( RCDSSS-Ajmer, SJVS-Banswara & JSKS-Dausa) , caritas India team members , PRI members of 12 Panchayts and community members of concerned project villages were present during the launch of ANKUR at JSKS-Dausa!
Laqunch of ANKUr has started with release of a small add film on ANKUR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU6nxT1hY1g ( prepared by Caritas India PRCOm team ), followed by release of ANKUR broucher (in both Hindi and English) by Fr. Frederick D’souza and then with a cultural programme and followed by speaches of honourable guests. Also after the launch of ANKUR Ms. Vittoria has released a documentary film on LIFE project after its completion of 6 months from date of copmpletion of project (indicating how project is sustainable even without financial support).
Launching has been covered by major media houses:
· Print: Daink Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika (attached please find news paper cuttings)
· On Air: AIR-Dausa/Jaipur
· News letters: Caritas India weekly updates, Jaipur dioceses monthly news letter
What exactly is ANKUR project?
ANKUR
is ‘result based’ community owned and community managed project to address the
issues of sustainable livelihood options through intervening on mitigating
migration, sustaining agriculture, promoting livestock, developing skills of
youth and ensuring and securing entitlements of the deprived community ( mainly
SC/ST) in 41 villages of three districts(Ajmer, Banswara and Swai
Madhopur) of Rajasthan region (India).
The project aims to bring changes in the practices and thought process of the
community and system changes in the form of proper functioning of government
institutions/structures for development community and the context. The project
would be directly facilitating around 3996 BPL (below Poverty Line) families,
probably this would be the first development project in the Rajasthan region to
work with 100% of the direct community belongs to BPL category. The project
target around 52% of women and would be able to bring a bigger change in the
status and the role of women ‘from and in’ governance to income
generation. In the region where
agriculture has highly influenced by the synthetic fertilisers (around 99.6 % of
cultivation is synthetic fertiliser based cultivation) and input cost in the
agriculture is about 70% of the
total benefit from the agriculture, ANKUR would be the first project to address
the issue of sustainable agriculture with small and marginalised farmers with
an average land holding of 5-6 bigha the
input cost would be reduced and profit for the farmers would be visualised in
both increase in production and decrease in input cost. In terms of securing and ensuring entitlements ANKUR
would accentuate on MGNREGA and other social security schemes provided by the
government. The deliverance of the project would be through Community Based and
Community Managed Organisations, (CBMOs) and other stake holders as Krishi
Vigyan Kendera and Panchayats.
….but how ANKUR is special & different?
We can better understand it by words of our honourable guests:
1. Fr. Frderick D’souza: ANKUR is a development change process and we have to take it as a Jan Andolan (People’s movement)
2. Ms. Vittoria: ANKUR is innovative!
3. Mr. Mumtaz Massi: Ankur is a value addition to the development of Rajasthan
Also we can understand CARITAS ANKUR is different as:
· It’s a project not only with a regular donor, but it has come through bidding where in caritas India along with Caritas Spain put it for it. It is through Spain richest Bank Lacixa ( Corporate Social Responsibility wing) and is first of this type of project in India by Lacixa and we are able to win it amongst more than 180 submitted proposals ( in which Action aid, Charities aid etc. were major competitors from India & Asia)
· It is based on 100% baseline and costing for baseline is about 0% ( as it has been supported by partners) and baseline facilitation, analysis and reporting by Caritas India team
· It took almost regular 122 days to complete and work on this proposal and final submission was on 2nd Nov 2012 and result declared on 25th April 2013. We have started this in last July and I hope we all can easily understand it was not so easy to have 100% baseline in tough rainy season.
· It’s the first such project with unique budget system of indicating individual items of each and every budget line
· Its not only result based and managed but it has been community developed also, as during its all training programmes or even in baseline and formulation community members were also present along with its entire team (including cluster coordinators)
· It has started with a large scale recruitment process at partner level where in Caritas India were also the part of recruitment process from advertisement to final selection process ( a report is attached here, if interested one can read it).
· It has its blog (coming soon), name in Hindi, logo ( it’s the 1st logo of Caritas India project carries Caritas India name), FB page ( officially approved by Lacixa), Twtiiter account , online channel ( coming soon) and broucher in Hindi and English ( attached are broucher for your reference)
· It is in official technical collaboration ( from the beginning from baseline time) with KVK, NABARD and all concerned Panchayats
· It has developed based on research studies on sustainable agriculture, livestock assessment and water scarcity study
· It is actually the result of best results of LIFE project in Rajasthan, rather we have said Caritas Spain approached us and said to work for ANKUR to submit it to Lacixa
How in future ANKUR would be different?
· All details on ANKUR would be available on online (including its baseline, results achieved and process adopted in relation with budget. One can easily log in and see the daily updates ( this would be active by Aug 2013)
· We are also developing mobile apps for knowing the progress of ANKUR and also few mobile games on few activities of ANKUR (Like formation of farmers club, knowing rain fall and measuring humidity in seeds)
· Skype conference with caritas India, partner team and community on every month basis
· Almost visit by Caritas team on every 35 days
· Almost 110 workshops would be facilitated with Project team of ANKUR at partner level by caritas India team
· Live channel of ANKUR
· Linking it with Jaipur central university and MDS University (Ajmer)
· Every days reporting system (online)
· It will be a resource center both on ground and on linbe for learning on sustainable livelihood ( agriculture, livestock, skill development and communications)
· It will be probably the part of course curriculum of MDS university social work
Let’s be the part of this development brand called as CARITAS INDIA ANKUR!
Let’s be the part of change process!
Let’s be the change maker!
Join Caritas India new development initiative in Rajasthan to bring out change in the life of poor and marginalised: https://www.facebook.com/www.caritasindia.org (just in 4 days of ANKUR launching like for it on face book has crossed 90 figure..think of its reach…like it!)
ANKUR is possible because of our valuable partners , community members our donors-Caritas Spain team-Ms. Maribel & Ms. Pillar, Ms. Mayte and Ms. Vittoria ( with out them it would have not been possible) and all of us….!and all of us……and all of us…..as one team of Caritas India!
Whenever think of see green…..think of CARITAS INDIA ANKUR !
