CASP-Plan Project, Pune
Activity Report from April 06 to March 07 for CASP Annual Report 2006-07

HEALTH :

Peer Group Health Education -
The emphasis was given on educating adolescents and youths in health and gender equity to work with peer to peer approach in their respective communities. Total 9 training programs involving about 400 children & youths were organized and the topics included community hygiene and personal health, gender equity, sexuality, substance abuse, RCH and life skills education. Besides that 80 programs were organized in 40 communities on these topics at village level for adolescent girls. Ten training programs for newly married couples were organized on these issues in which 200 couples participated.

HIV/AIDS Awareness & Action -
•  CASP- Plan observed the ‘World AIDS Day' on 1 st December 2006 with various programs. These included a program of conducting one session on HIV/AIDS awareness in each classroom of 8 th , 9 th & 10 th standard of 11 secondary schools from CASP- Plan 's project area. After the class-room sessions, essay, poster & slogan making competitions on HIV/AIDS awareness for children were organized. In the second stage of the program, one program in each school was organized which included a street play, prize distribution of the HIV/AIDS awareness competitions and the question-answer session. The children told the information they received about HIV/AIDS to their parents. As a result, four suspected cases of HIV+ve persons were identified. Now these cases are being followed-up by the CASP- Plan .

•  As a part of CASP-Plan's effort to develop a network of NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS and the support group of PLHA, a two-day conference of the representatives of the NGOs and the support groups was organized at Pune. In this meeting 50 persons from 20 NGOs/groups were present. They presented the work done by them and share their experiences & difficulties. The issues discussed included difficulties in ART treatment in getting ART treatment and other medical problems, social and family bound problems faced by PLHAs, the problems of the children in the shadow of HIV/AIDS, problems in getting benefit of the government schemes for PLHAs and the difficulties of the support groups in rural areas need for networking. It was decided to hold a monthly meeting of the network, to develop scientific and standardize literature on HIV/AIDS related issues for grass-route level workers and PLHAs and to make it available for all & to start circulating a monthly bulletin to maintain a dialogue within the members of the network.

•  In February month, for the first time, one gathering of HIV affected children and parents was organized, In this program 70 children & 35 parents participated. In this program the parents were asked to took about the problem faced by them and especially by their children in family as wall as in society. The specially invited resource person had a dialogue with the children through games & songs. The children expressed their anguish about the different treatment which they get from other children. The older children wanted to know about the home-based care of their siblings. Both the children as well as their parents spelt out there needs and their problems. It was observed that the education of children was affected due to mainly due to two factors. The children are psychologically disturbed and due to incapacitation of their parents they have to discontinue their education. Another major issue that came up was about the protection of property rights of the widows and of the orphan children. The Navjeevan Seva Sanstha was the co-host for this program.

Check-up camp of 40+ -
One medical check-up camp of 40+ people was organized in collaboration with Rotary Club of Pune and in this camp 71 persons from CASP- Plan project area were examined and suitable treatment was prescribed to them. The Rotary Club also gave medicines to some of patients.

LEARNING :

‘Baljatra' -
The program of open participatory evaluation of the minimum learning level (MLL) achieved by the primary school children attending the support teaching classes titled as ‘Baljatra' was conducted from 29 th January, 07 to 3 rd February, 07. A preparatory training workshop of the support class teachers was conducted by 2 resource persons from the Indian Institute of Education. Baljatra took place at total 12 cluster level locations. Children from 68 locations participated in this program. The results show that the % of students achieving MLL is increased upto 71% in this year. It was 61% in FY 06. PU will take necessary steps to achieve the target of 85% in FY 08.

Science exhibition -
Science exhibition of the secondary school children was organized on 19th and 20th January – 2007. In this exhibition 19 schools participated.

Training program in puppetry -
A three days training program in puppet making and presentation of puppet shows including script writing was organized in which 20 members of the Maval Vidya Vahini who are mainly support class teachers and support class supervisors .The team later on performed puppet shows in villages to create awareness on education .

School Improvement -
•  The school repairing, fencing & toilet construction works were completed for the primary schools at four locations namely Brahmnoli, Rajpuri, Vadivale and Varu & the classroom repair works were completed for Ambegaon and Shivali primary schools villages with the help of local Village Education Committee. The works of school playground & fencing were completed at Brahmnoli and Phalane primary schools.The repairs of pre-school / Anganwadi classrooms was done in Nanoli, Kune, Pavalewadi, Inglun, Kiwale, Yewalewadi, Shivali (Katewadi) and Dudhiware.

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES :

Gramkosh (Village Registry) -
In Jambhavali & Thoran villages the Balpanchayat groups carried out the activity of preparing Gramkosh. In May & June they collected all kind of information about their village and prepared a compilation like a village registry (Gramkosh). PU arranged a resource person to visit twice in a week to these groups to guide them in preparing Gramkosh.

‘Balpanchayat Meet on Rights of Child' -
A two-days ‘Balpanchayat Meet on Rights of Child' was organized on 16th & 17th April-2006. Total 350 children representatives of the 70 Balpanchayat Groups from PU's project area were participated. This meet was also attended by some of the well-known activists and experts in the ROC movement and some senior government officials of related departments and children representatives of other NGOs. The children representatives passed 10 resolutions. The Balpanchayat groups from different villages undertook various programs with PU's support. The programs included tree plantation & sowing of seeds, village cleanliness drives, publication of handwritten magazine, conducted drawing competition & tree plantation drives to celebrate India 's Freedom day etc

Media-training workshop -
A media-training workshop for 100 Balpanchayat children was organized on the theme of how to use media to create environmental awareness amongst people. They learned posters & skits making giving messages on environmental awareness.

Arts & Craft Workshops -
One arts & craft workshop was organized for children with disabilities (21) and school dropout girls (11) in collaboration with NGO Natyashala Charity Trust from 9th Sept to 15 th Sept 2006 in which 32 children participated. The children learned singing, dancing, paper craft, drawing & painting and making presentations with using row & using sticks. One creativity & personality development workshop was organized in collaboration with the NGO ‘Vyankatesh madgulkar Pratishthan' from 26 th to 28 th Sept 2006 for school dropout children. In this workshop 22 girls and 10 boys participated. The children learned making puppets and performing puppet shows, filmmaking, clay modeling and preparing handwritten magazine. The resource persons were the eminent artists from Pune.

Universal Birth Registration ( UBR) -
PU organized a meeting on UBR to plan a campaign for UBR awareness and for the issuance of birth registration certificates. The concerned Block level government officials including the village level workers (Gramsevaks) were especially invited for this meeting along with the representatives of Balpanchayat groups, youth groups, CBOs and the Community Health Workers & ECCD workers. About 50 Gramsevaks and other government officials were present in this meeting along with 50 children & community representatives. The government officials explained the procedures and gave answers to the questions raised by children & others on the base of their past experience while working on UBR. The office bearer children of Balpanchayat Parishad Mawal conducted this meeting. In Varu, Kiwale, Bhoire, Kambre, Karanjgaon, Dhalewadi, Sangise & Adhale Khurd village Balpanchyat groups organized rallies for UBR awareness. The follow up for the issuance of birth registration certificates was done. In this month 150 birth certificates were issued to the parents. At the time of distribution, village level workers (Gramsevaks), teachers, Plan staff members were present.

'Taiquondo' (Korean karate) & 'Lezim' -
'Taiquondo' (Korean karate) coaching program is being conducted for Balpanchayat children from five villages since last two years. A two days' 'Karate Competitions' event was organized by 'Dipankur Sanstha Mawal' with support from PU. Total 162 children from five locations including a few children from other places participated in this two days residential event. Prizes were given to the winners. Children presented good karate fights in this competition. The folk-art of group dance & music played with the instrument called as 'Lezim' is very popular in the state of Maharashtra . A three days' training program for Balpanchayat children was organized to teach them ‘Lezim'. In this program 125 children from three villages participated and enjoyed the fun of 'Lezim'. Now the children will keep on practicing on their own and monthly follow-up sessions will be held by the trainers for them.

Eco-School Project -
The activity of environmental education titled as Eco-School Project for the school children i.e. 120 students of the 8th standard of the Golden Glades High school of Karanjgaon concluded in March month. There were 20 sessions over the last 6 months including field visits.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT :
Capacity building of about 100 women SHGs from 30 villages was done through various training & awareness programs. This included SHG training & follow up visits, three PU level PRI trainings and six village level legal awareness programs on PRI & right to information acts, vocational training courses in six villages & gender awareness programs in 12 villages. One program of legal awareness was organized for women community volunteers, mainly CHWs with the help of NGO ‘Susamwad'. Total 50 women volunteers participated in this program. The lady resource persons used participatory training methods which proved very successful in evoking very intense participation of the women. The contents included sensitive issues like early marriage, divorce, women's rights to property, atrocities on women and legal provisions available for women to deal with these situations and to seek justice.

There was World's Women's Day on 8 th March. One meet of women & adolescent girls was organized by PU on 23rd March 2007 . The women CHWs who are the members of the CBO Dnyanda Mahila Vikas Samittee (DMVS) and the female youth members of the CBO Maval Vidya Vahini (MVM) took initiative in organizing this meet. In the meet about 300 women & adolescent girls were present for the meet. The women & girls expressed their views & feelings in the speeches on the issues like gender inequality and female feticide, early marriages, the problems of acceptance faced by the HIV affected women & children, educating girl child, women's SHGs and women's participation in politics & the development programs.

HABITAT :

Drinking water & Sanitation -
The total sanitation programs were completed in 3 villages namely Nigde, Katvi and Warangwadi. Under this program individual toilets were constructed with 30% family contribution for 187 families in Nigde, 55 in Warangwadi and 46 in Nigde. This will help in inculcating hygienic habits in village communities.

Watershed Development -
The watershed development program completed in Ghonshet & Kalhat, Kacharewadi & Sai villages included 8 farm ponds, one earthen Nala Bund and loose boulder structures of the total length of about 500 feet in each village. About 600 families in total have benefited from this program.

---

Back to top